Newark Mayor Vetoes Councilman’s ‘Community Board’ Law: Report

NEWARK, NJ — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has vetoed Councilman Dupré Kelly’s recently passed ordinance, which would have created a “community board” in the West Ward to advocate for residents at City Hall, a report says.

Earlier this month, Kelly – the rap icon who was elected after a runoff election in June – recorded his inaugural legislative victory when city council approved his first local law. Read More: Rapper-Turned-Councilman In Newark Passes His First Law

According to Kelly, the West Ward Community Area Board would give residents and business owners a way to offer city officials input about the overall well-being of the Fairmount, Ivy Hill, Roseville, Vailsburg and Westside neighborhoods. The goal? To make planning and development more “equitable” to the people who live in the West Ward, he said.

However, Mayor Baraka has now vetoed the ordinance on the grounds that it would give the West Ward an unfair advantage over the other wards of the city, TAP Into Newark reported. Read the full article here.

“To be clear, the (community board) is not dead,” Kelly told TAP Into Newark. “It will operate as a stand-alone, community based-organization instead of a governmental board.”

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