Newark Council Candidate ‘Running For The Cause, Not Applause’

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark native is taking another shot at landing a seat on the City Council.

Earlier this month, Terrance Bankston announced that he is running for city council in the South Ward in 2022. The seat is currently occupied by John Sharpe James.

Bankston – one of the youngest candidates ever to seek an elected seat on the local school board in Newark – ran unsuccessfully against James in 2018, getting the second-highest total of votes. But according to Bankston and his campaign team, they’re hoping that 2022 will be his year.

“I’m running for the cause, not the applause,” he said.

Bankston officially announced his candidacy at a campaign launch and fundraiser on Nov. 9 at the New Jersey Historical Society.

According to his campaign team, here are some of Bankston’s qualifications:

“Terrance L. Bankston was born and reared in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated in 2000 from Arts High School as a television communications major. Terrance attained a bachelor of arts degree in political science, with a concentration in public administration from Bloomfield College in 2004. Mr. Bankston attained his master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2007.

“Between 2005 and 2010, Terrance was hired as a political operative for the then-mayor and now U.S. senator, Cory Booker, as well as a host of other local, county and state officials. Between 2006 and 2013, he served as a director of constituent affairs for the City of Newark and then director of the Newark Youth One Stop Career Center. Mr. Bankston led the agency to the status of #1 youth one-stop statewide. Under Terrance’s leadership, the agency not only met and exceeded all federal and state Workforce Investment Act (WIA) measurements, but also exceeded the state’s literacy rate. Since then, Terrance has served as the lead consultant for local and international nonprofit organizations, such as Clean Water Action, the South Ward Clinton Hill Community Action Group, NewarkDIG, NJ/NY Baykeepers, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and serving as Director of the Parent Coalition of Excellent Education (PC2E).

“Most recently, Terrance Bankston served as the director for Student Leadership and Engagement & Special Programs at Bloomfield College, making it the fifth directorship of his career. In 2008, Ebony Magazine recognized Terrance Bankston as the top 30 under 30 leaders on the rise in the USA, which was a perfect prediction for his present position as a well-respected public servant and 2022 South Ward councilman candidate.”

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