With Cory Booker sworn into the United States Senate, the city of Newark has a new leader with Luis Quintana now taking over as the acting mayor. He told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that he never imagined that he would become mayor.
“It’s a great feeling. I’m used to calling to other persons mayor and I would never imagine that I could be called mayor,” said Quintana. “It sounds good, it sounds different, but I feel good.”
When Booker resigned as mayor to become New Jersey’s newest Senate representative, an emergency vote to select the interim mayor was scheduled, but did not go on as planned. Some members of the City Council had previous engagements that prevented them from attending the vote, according to Quintana.
In order to be selected as the interim mayor to finish off Booker’s term, Quintana needs five votes from the City Council. Just four council members attended the emergency session. Now that the council’s vote is on hold, Quintana says he doesn’t know if politics had to do with the vote not going through as scheduled. He hopes that the reason for the delay was not about politics.
The vote to elect Quintana as interim mayor will now take place Monday morning around 10 a.m., according to Quintana.
“I hope that my council colleagues will continue to give me the support that they have given me and I trust in them and I believe in them,” said Quintana.
If the vote does not occur on Monday, Quintana says that the members of the council will have to make a decision on what direction the city will go.
“I’m asking all my colleagues, can they extend and give me their support?” Quintana said.
Quintana says most of the council members have been supportive and that they would give him the support necessary for him to become the interim mayor. Politics aside, Quintana says he is ready to serve as the mayor of Newark and is ready to take on the challenge.