The Municipal Council is the legislative branch of government for Newark, New Jersey.
Newark was governed by a mayor and common council from 1836 to 1917 and then by a five-member commission until 1954.
Effective as of July 1, 1954, the voters of the city of Newark, by a referendum held on November 3, 1953, and under the Optional Municipal Charter Law (commonly known as the Faulkner Act), adopted the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) Plan C as the form of local government.2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 125.
There are nine council members elected on a nonpartisan basis at the regular municipal election or at the general election for terms of four years: one council member from each of five wards and four council members on an at-large basis. The mayor is also elected for a term of four years.The Municipal Council , City of Newark. December 4, 2013.
Municipal elections in Newark are nonpartisan and are held on the second Tuesday in May. A council candidate seeking a post in a ward must receive more than 50 percent of the vote. If a candidate does not receive a majority, a run-off election is held with the two candidates with the greatest number of votes.
Council members choose their own president and until 2014, when the position was eliminated, vice president.
Members As of July 1, 2026 council members were:
Luis A. Quintana (Council President & Member-at-Large) Amina Bey (Council Member, Central Ward) Patrick O. Council (Council Member, South Ward) C. Lawrence Crump (Council Member-at-Large) Donna Jackson (Council Member-at-Large) Dupré L. Kelly (Council Member, West Ward) Anibal Ramos Jr. (Council Member, North Ward) Louise Scott-Rountree (Council Member-at-Large) Michael J. Silva (Council Member, East Ward)
Mayor
The mayor may cast a tie-breaking vote on the municipal council when there is an equal number of yes and no votes. The Mayor can also call for meetings of the council outside those regularly scheduled.
The Newark mayoral election took place May 13, 2014 and was won by Ras Baraka. Luis A. Quintana had stepped down as Council President to be sworn in as mayor on November 4, 2013, following the resignation of Cory Booker, completing the term which ended June 30, 2014. Baraka also won the 2018 election and the 2022 election.
Council members since 1954
Council presidents John A. Brady, 1954–1958 Michael A. Bontempo, 1958–1962 Ralph A. Villani, 1962–1970 Louis Turco, 1970–1973 Frank G. Megaro, 1973–1974 Earl Harris, 1974–1982 Ralph T. Grant Jr., 1982–1986 Henry Martinez, 1986–1990 Ralph T. Grant Jr., 1990–1991 Donald Tucker, 1991–1992 Donald Bradley, 1992–1993 Gary Harris, 1993–1994 Donald Bradley, 1994–2006 Mildred C. Crump, 2006–2010, 2013–2021 Donald Payne Jr., 2010–2012 Luis A. Quintana, 2013, 2021–2022, 2026- LaMonica McIver, 2022–2024 C. Lawrence Crump, 2024–2026
Council vice presidents Luis A. Quintana, 2006–2010, 2018–2021 Anibal Ramos Jr., 2010–2013 Augusto Amador, 2013–2014 Position temporarily eliminated late 2014 – May 2015. Augusto Amador 2015–2018 LaMonica McIver, 2021–2022 Position eliminated, 2022
Council members at-large Michael A. Bontempo, 1954–1966, 1970–1974 John A. Brady, 1954–1966 James T. Callaghan, 1954–1962, 1966–1968 Jack Waldor, 1954–1958 Raymond V. Santoro, 1958–1962 Anna Santoro, 1962 Anthony Giuliano, 1962–1968 Ralph A. Villani, 1962–1973 Leon Ewing, 1968 Anthony J. Giuliano, 1968–1978 Anthony Imperiale, 1968–1970 Calvin D. West, 1966–1970 Sharpe James, 1982–1986 Earl Harris, 1970–1982, 1986–1988 Marie L. Villani, 1973–1993 Ralph T. Grant Jr. 1978–1994 Gary Harris, 1988–1995 Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins, 1995–2006 Mildred C. Crump, 1994–1998, 2006–2021 Donald K. Tucker, 1974–2005 Luis A. Quintana, 1994–2013, 2014– Bessie Walker, 1998–2006 Ras Baraka, 2005–2006 Carlos M. Gonzalez 2006–2026 Donald M. Payne Jr., 2006–2012 Eddie Osborne, 2014–2022 C. Lawrence Crump, 2021– Louise Scott-Rountree, 2022– Donna Jackson, 2026-
North Ward council members Mario V. Farco, 1954–1958 Joseph V. Melillo, 1958–1970 Frank G. Megaro, 1970–1974 Anthony Carrino, 1974–2002 Hector M. Corchado, 2002–2006 Anibal Ramos Jr., 2006–
East Ward council members Phillip Gordon, 1954–1968 Louis Turco, 1968–1974 Finney J. Alati 1974 Henry Martinez, 1974–1998 Augusto Amador, 1998–2022 Michael J. Silva, 2022–
West Ward council members M. Joseph Gallagher, 1954–1958 Frank Addonizio, 1958–1970 Michael P. Bottone, 1970–1982 Ronald L. Rice, 1982–1998 Mamie Bridgeforth, 1998–2006 Ronald C. Rice, 2006–2014 Joseph A. McCallum Jr., 2014–2022 Dupré L. Kelly, 2022–
South Ward council members Samuel Cooper, 1954–1957 Sophie Cooper, 1957–1962 Lee Bernstein, 1962–1969 Horace P. Sharper, 1969–1970 Sharpe James, 1970–1982 Donald M. Payne Sr., 1982–1989 Donald Bradley, 1989–2006 Oscar S. James, II, 2006–2010 Ras Baraka, 2010–2014 John Sharpe James, 2014–2022 Patrick O. Council, 2022–
Central Ward council members Irvine I Turner, 1954–1970 Dennis Westbrooks, 1970–1974 Jesse Allen, 1974–1978 Benjamin F. Johnson, III, 1978–1982 George Branch, 1982–1998http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/george_buddy_gee_branch_former.html George Branch obit Cory Booker, 1998–2002 Charles A. Bell, 2002–2006, 2008–2010 Dana Rone, 2006–2008 Darrin S. Sharif, 2010–2014 Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins, 2014–2018 LaMonica McIver, 2018–2024 Amina Bey, 2025-
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