By David Cruz
NJ Today
When you’re a media superstar like Cory Booker, your fans can come to expect super powers. It’s true he has saved people from burning buildings, dug people out of snowstorms and even saved a freezing pooch. But as his campaign for Senate has heated up, critics have started to notice the mayor’s absences, especially when there’s violence in the city, as there was last night when another person was shot and killed.
“When the mayor’s not here, when he’s out in Hollywood, when he’s out in San Francisco with all his Hollywood friends, the city is suffering and that’s proven in the statistics,” said Steve Lonegan, Booker’s Republican opponent in next month’s U.S. Senate race. “An unemployment rate of over 14 percent, continued murders, just like another one last night, as well as economic issues and high property taxes, there’s so many indicators that the city is failing.”
It’s true that in a city where downtown parking is at a premium, Booker’s City Hall spot is one spot that has been available all week. Booker was out of town for the ribbon cutting at the new Panasonic building this week, a project he has touted repeatedly. His staff says Booker is fundraising on the West Coast this weekend, but a spokesperson says Booker is hands on, wherever he is, but insists that, in fact, Booker is in the city much more often than he’s not.
“I think there is a mis-perception that he’s not here,” said James Allen. “Mayor Booker’s very involved with the day-to-day operations and I think it’s important for any mayor to hold his people accountable and that’s what the mayor does. This week he happens to be traveling which you’ve asked about and he’s as always talking to his police director, his BA, his chief of staff, all of his senior team frequently.”
Lonegan dismisses that as propaganda from a paid staffer, saying “Oh, that’s interesting; how do you manage to campaign across Hollywood and San Francisco in California and still be a hands-on mayor?”
Rahaman Muhammad is president of the municipal workers union. He’s been at odds with Booker for almost his entire term in office, including most infamously last year when he opposed Booker’s choice for a city council appointment last year. Nowadays he supports Booker, reasoning that on his worst day, Booker is better than Lonegan on his best.
“I actually think that it’s a good thing that he’s out there campaigning hard to ensure that we don’t get another Tea Party guy to join the who’s the nuttiest tea party pageant that going on in Congress because that’s what’s going on right now,” he said.
In and around City Hall, the mayor’s absence seemed to be a non-issue. Said one city worker, “Everyone here’s too busy working to worry about where the mayor is.”
Shootings in this city — as well as the everyday non-violent hustle and flow of a municipality — occur whether the mayor’s here or not. The Newark Police Department announced two arrests in last night’s shooting, which was accomplished with Mayor Booker 3,000 miles away.