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Luis A. Quintana

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Luis A. Quintana
39th Mayor of Newark
In office
October 31, 2013 – June 30, 2014
Acting: October 31, 2013 – November 4, 2013
Preceded byCory Booker
Succeeded byRas Baraka
Member of the Newark Municipal Council, At-Large
Incumbent
Assumed office
2014
In office
1994–2013
Personal details
Born (1960-01-29) January 29, 1960 (age 64)
Añasco, Puerto Rico
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materSeton Hall University (BA)

Luis A. Quintana (born January 29, 1960) is an American politician who served as Councilmember-at-Large of the Municipal Council of Newark, New Jersey, first elected in 1994. He served as Mayor of Newark from November 2013 to July 2014, after which he was re-elected to his council seat.

Background

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Quintana was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico. In 1967, at the age of seven, he and his family moved to Newark, where he later graduated from Barringer High School. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Seton Hall University.[1]

Councilman-at-Large

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In 1986 Quintana became deputy mayor under Sharpe James.[2] He later became become Councilman-at-Large of the Municipal Council of Newark in 1994.[1][3] He became council president in September 2013.[4] Quintana ran unsuccessfully in the 2003 primary[5] and 2007 election for New Jersey State Senator for the 29th Legislative District, which was won by Teresa Ruiz.[6][7]

Quintana was re-elected in May 2014.[8]

Mayor

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After having won the October 16 special election for U.S. senator to replace the late Frank Lautenberg, Cory Booker resigned as mayor and was sworn in on October 31, 2013, as the junior U.S. senator from New Jersey.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

While rules state that any Newark resident can be selected as interim mayor by a vote of the municipal council, convention calls for the president to ascend to the post. However, council president Donald Payne Jr. had resigned in November 2012 to take a seat in Congress. This left the position vacant and the council with eight instead of nine members.[15] Payne's resignation led to a power struggle for the vacant council seat in which opponents contested Booker's appointment and an eventual judicial ruling left it vacant until a November 2013 special election.[16][17][18][19][20] Quintana was the longest serving councilman and had allies on both sides of the political divide, which tends to fall along racial lines.[15]

Quintana was voted council president on September 19, 2013, in a near-unanimous vote by seven colleagues, with one abstention by Quintana himself.[21] He became acting mayor on October 31, 2013, and was sworn in on November 4, 2013, assuming the unexpired term of Booker,[22] which ended on June 30, 2014. He is the first Latino mayor of Newark, the total population of which is one-third Latino[23] and 13% Puerto Rican.[24]

Quintana's style is considered to be considerably different than Booker's, particularly the use of social media. Whereas Booker was known for his contacts outside the established political network, Quintana was expected to staff city hall from within local political establishment.[25][26] Since Newark received $32 million in emergency state aid in 2011 and 2012, a memorandum of understanding between Newark and the state requires the city to request and the state approve hiring of city hall staff,[27] which they initially did not do,[28] and later denied.[29]

Mayoral election 2014

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Main article: 2014 Newark mayoral election

Quintana's term ended on June 30, 2014.[23] He declined to run for mayor 2014 elections.[2] Quintana was seen as an ideal interim mayor because he was "someone who wasn't planning to run and is well-steeped in the minutiae of running Newark." None of the mayoral candidates sought the position since not only "would it be difficult to run the city for the first time while campaigning, it would be hard to demand change in a city while running it."[30] "I am not considering a run for mayor of Newark, and I've said that before,..My only mission is to be the gatekeeper, and to give the citizens of Newark a model for future mayors to come." said Quintana in December 2012.[31]

As quoted in the Newark-based newspaper, the Star-Ledger, Rutgers University professor Clement Price characterized the election as the "first mayoral race after the long drama associated with the ending of Mayor Sharpe James' last term and the national ascent of Cory Booker" and "wonders whether the local and national attention in this campaign will be anywhere proximate to the life and times of Cory Booker and Newark."[32] Booker's departure prompted an earlier than normal start to electoral campaigns.[33]

Municipal elections in Newark are nonpartisan[34] and are held the 2nd Tuesday in May[35] (May 13, 2014).[36] Booker's election, and eventual departure, as well as shifting demographics, have been instrumental in changing the political climate and political alliances in Newark.[37] The percentage of Latinos in Newark has grown considerably between 1980 and 2010, from 18.6% to 33.8%; that of blacks has slightly decreased from 58.2% to 52.4%. While municipal elections have seen black-Latino coalitions, voting tends to remain racially polarized.[38][39][40][41]

See also

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  • "Meet The Man Expected To Fill Cory Booker's Shoes In Newark". Huffington Post. October 30, 2013.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Luis A. Quintana". City of Newark. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Longtime Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana Slated To Take Over Mayor's Spot". Fox News Latino. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  3. ^ Tuttle, Brad R. (2009), How Newark Became Newark: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American City, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 9780813544908
  4. ^ Giambusso, David (September 19, 2013). "Luis Quintana voted Newark Council president and possible interim mayor". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  5. ^ "Quintana, Luis A (career profile)". Candidate Summary. Follow the Money. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  6. ^ "NJ State Senate 29". Our Campaigns. June 9, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  7. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election Archived August 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed 2013-11-29
  8. ^ http://newarkpdonline.org/tempuploads/Letter%20to%20All%20Candidates%20re%20Unofficial%20Results%20of%20Municipal%20Election.pdf[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Sherman, Ted. (November 4, 2013). "Luis Quintana sworn in as Newark's first Latino mayor, filling unexpired term of Cory Booker". The Star-Ledger (nj.com).
  10. ^ "With Booker leaving, who will run Newark?: Council President Luis Quintana expected to act as interim mayor; Booker to be sworn in as U.S. senator Thursday". FIOS1. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Lee, Eunace (October 30, 2013). "See Cory Booker's resignation letter as he bids farewell to Newark City Hall, goes to Washington". The Star-Ledger. nj.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  12. ^ 2013 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed May 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Giambusso, David (October 25, 2013). "Quintana looks like a lock to become interim mayor of Newark". The Star-Ledger. nj.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  14. ^ About Mayor Booker Archived July 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, City of Newark. Accessed August 6, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Giambusso, David (June 9, 2013). "Questions, suspicion dominate debate over Booker's replacement in Newark". Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "Heated Newark council battle has been building for months". The Star-Ledger. December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  17. ^ Giambusso, David (November 18, 2012). "Speculation grows over Newark City Council seat held by Payne". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  18. ^ Giambusso, David; and Queally, James. "Citizens rush council members as chaos erupts at Newark City Hall meeting", The Star-Ledger, November 20, 2012. Retrieved 2013-12-06. "After weeks of jockeying for Rep. Donald Payne's successor, Booker made an unprecedented personal appearance to cast the deciding vote with his council allies for Shanique Davis Speight, a longtime ally of power broker Stephen Adubato, over the angry objections of residents."
  19. ^ Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division (July 5, 2013). "CORY BOOKER ROBERT MARASCO ANIBAL RAMOS JR AUGUSTO AMADOR CARLOS GONZALEZ LUIS QUINTANA SHANIQUE DAVIS SPEIGHT v. RONALD RICE RAS BARAKA MILDRED CRUMP DARRIN SHARIF". DOCKET NO. A–2413–12T4. Find a Law. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  20. ^ Giambusso, David. "Judge rules Cory Booker did not have authority to vote for open Newark council seat", The Star-Ledger, December 11, 2012. Accessed December 12, 2012. "The court had to decide whether Mayor Cory Booker had the power to vote for Shanique Davis Speight, and give her the five votes needed to join the City Council. Carey reversed Booker's vote today, saying the mayor did not have the authority to vote on the issue.... Now the city's legislators are divided, 4-4, and the seat vacated by Donald Payne Jr., the former council president, will probably remain vacant until a special election can be held next year. "
  21. ^ Giambusso, David (September 19, 2013). "Luis Quintana voted Newark Council president and possible interim mayor". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  22. ^ Ted Sherman (November 4, 2013). "Luis Quintana sworn in as Newark's first Latino mayor, filling unexpired term of Cory Booker". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  23. ^ a b Suarez, Monica (November 4, 2013). "Luis Quintana sworn in as Newark's first Latino mayor". NBC Latino. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  24. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Newark city, Essex County, New Jersey". Census 2010. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  25. ^ Haddon, Heather (November 29, 2013). "Newark Gets Shift in Style Interim Mayor Luis Quintana Goes in Different Directions Than Cory Booker". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  26. ^ Zezima, Katie (December 7, 2013). "Newark's interim mayor is shaking up City Hall". NJ Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  27. ^ Giambusso, David (December 5, 2013). "State warns Newark mayor his staff moves may not fly". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  28. ^ Giambusso, David (December 10, 2013). "N.J. rejects Newark mayor's picks to replace Booker staff". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  29. ^ "State denies Newark hires, announces a new audit of city finances". NJ.com. January 7, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  30. ^ "As Cory Booker Heads For Washington, Newark Council Must Choose Interim Leader Luis Quintana Favorite To Assume Role". CBS Local. October 30, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  31. ^ Bonamo, Mark (December 4, 2013). "Quintana says he's not running in 2014 Newark mayoral election, but leaves door open". Politeckernj. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  32. ^ Giambusso, David (June 2, 2013). "With three major candidates declared, Newark braces for mayoral race". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  33. ^ Giambusso, David (December 8, 2013). "Newark mayoral campaigns heat up on the streets". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 7, 2013. With former Mayor Cory Booker leaving office early to become a U.S. senator, political factions in Newark mobilized much earlier than they would have in a normal campaign.
  34. ^ Pomper, Gerald M. (1988), Voters, Elections, and Parties: The Practice of Democratic Theory, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 0-88738-160-X
  35. ^ Moszczynski, Joe (September 26, 2010). "N.J. municipalities consider moving non-partisan elections from May to November". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  36. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Bill Wohlsifer". www.OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  37. ^ Milo, Paul (June 20, 2013). "Who Comes Next After Booker at City Hall?". Newark Patch. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  38. ^ Perry, Ravi K (editor); Gillespie, Andra (2013), "Beyond Booker: Assissing the Prospect of Black and Latino Mayoral Candidates in Newark, New Jersey", 21st Century Urban Race Politics: Representing Minorities As Universal Interests, Emerald Group Publishing, ISBN 9781781901847 {{citation}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  39. ^ Gillespie, Andra (2012), The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America, New York University Press, ISBN 978-0-8147-3244-1
  40. ^ Giambusso, David (September 22, 2013). "With Newark council president vote, Ras Baraka could win Latino support". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 4, 2013. For Baraka's political opponents it blunts a potential weapon in the mayoral race, as Ramos seeks to become the first Hispanic mayor of Newark."Tonight, the Newark City Council made history with our majority vote of Luis Quintana as council president," Baraka said Wednesday. "Councilman Quintana is well qualified to lead our Council during the coming months of transition in Newark." The Ramos campaign said the move would do little for Baraka. "If this was Ras Baraka's desperate ploy to conceal his history of divisiveness in this city, then it won't work because Newark voters won't be fooled," said Ramos spokesman Bruno Tedeschi. "There is no question that Anibal Ramos is the only uniter in this race who will be a mayor for everyone in Newark."
  41. ^ Wharton, Jonathon L. (2013). A Post-Racial Change Is Gonna Come Newark, Cory Booker, and the Transformation of Urban America. Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 978-1-137-27771-8. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
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