By David Cruz
Correspondent
Ordinarily when a mayor makes a $5,000 presentation to a prominent cultural institution like the Puerto Rican day Parade, you can’t keep the politicians away. Today was supposed to be that kind of day, but what ultimately transpired was a short, painfully awkward press conference where neither the mayor or any elected Newark officials for that matter, nor the representatives of the parade were in attendance.
“Today Ms. Shavon Harris will be the only person making remarks about the presentation to the Puerto Rican day Parade,” said Mayor Ras Baraka’s Press Secretary Marjorie Harris.
“Due to the enormous amount of funding we have received for our Latin festival, we have decided to provide a $5,000 donation to the Puerto Rican Day Parade. We wanna thank everybody for coming and have a nice day,” said Believe in Newark Foundation Executive Director Shavon Harris.
The back story is that the Puerto Rican parade committee, headed by Nelson Nieves, an aid to Councilman Luis Quintana, is at odds with Mayor Ras Baraka over the mayor’s appointment of this woman — Jacqueline Quiles — as deputy mayor, ostensibly as liaison to the city’s Puerto Rican and other Latino communities. But Quiles, who until she was appointed by Baraka this year, lived in Perth Amboy, has become a lightning rod for criticism of what some see as the administration’s attempt to secure its own share of loyal Puerto Ricans.
“She ran this organization for six years. I was one of her advisors for the first four years and then, noticing all the mismanagement that she was doing, I had to pull myself out. And I pulled myself out and when she finally exited this organization, she left it in ruins. She left it with a reputation that, til today, me, as president, is dealing with those questions and answers to this day,” said Nieves.
Quiles, who was on site before the press conference started but disappeared before it began, denies those charges. Nieves also said his criticism of Quiles prompted a threat from Amiri Baraka Jr., the mayor’s brother and his chief of staff. Fire Nieves, he says Baraka told Quintana, or we’ll withhold your appointment to the Passaic Valley sewerage Authority. It’s a charge that Baraka has denied, although Quintana’s appointment was officially made by the governor’s, not the mayor’s office.
“Why is the mayor keep on protecting her? You know why? Because he really thinks he got the golden goose and he doesn’t. Till the day that she walked in here and made a threat to this organization this has been a living hell for this mayor because I have not stopped, to the point where they threatened my job,” Nieves said.
The mayor isn’t up for election until 2018, but he did not do well amongst Latinos here, many of them Puerto Rican. Quiles, who was brought in to shore up that political deficit, now threatens to dig a deeper hole. Despite a press release saying he would be making the presentation, Baraka’s office says he was “in conference today” and that Quiles was likewise, unavailable. The check, it sat on an easel, unclaimed.
As for the $5,000 Nieves says he’s inclined to give it back. Rather than a heartfelt contribution to an important cultural institution, he says it feels a lot like hush money.