Three Individuals Vying For Newark's Mayoral Seat

July 18 will mark the first steps toward a massive change in Newark’s leadership.

It will be two months since longtime Mayor David Smith for another term, and the day when candidates vying for his seat can officially file nomination papers.

So far, three individuals have announced their decision to run for mayor: Ana Apodaca, Al Nagy and Ray Rodriguez.

All three are no strangers to the Newark community — or to one another — and each is concerned about similar issues that the town is facing.

Apodaca, 38 and a Newark native, has served on the city council with Nagy since 2005. Nagy, 69, has been on the council since 1980. Rodriguez, 65, is a longtime trustee of the Newark Unified School District Board of Education.

Public safety and economic development were among the top priorities each of the candidates mentioned.

Public Safety

For Apodaca, this would mean looking at how to ensure quick response time and evaluating the how effective consolidated efforts — such as the consolidation of fire services with the Alameda County Fire Department made in 2010 — are for the city.

Nagy said he hopes to utilize resources such as implementing improved technology “that provide our public safety staff with the latest equipment and best tools available to do their jobs.” He added that programs such as Newark’s Neighborhood Watch, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Citizen’s Police Academy and the Police Volunteer Program are also significant tools in policing.

Rodriguez would like to see fewer cases of violence and to be able to establish a sense of safety in every area of town. He’d also like to see the implementation of a program in which police officers adopt each Newark school, including private institutions, in order to curb violence. In June, the Newark City Council passed a budget amendment that allows for an Adopt-A-School program.

Economic Development

Each candidate also hopes to focus on economic development if elected.

Apodaca said working with developers, finding development that is the right fit for Newark and maintaining dialogue with Newark residents about what they want are key. She said she hopes to use more tools in order to inform residents of community meetings and information. 

Nagy said his campaign will focus around economic development since it is “fuel” in creating jobs and producing revenue for the city. He hopes to help attract businesses and get the word out that Newark is a “a great place to do business.”

Rodriguez also has development on his mind. However, he hopes to be mindful of the environmental impacts in certain areas. He also hopes to revamp Old Newark into a downtown-like area and transform the Newark Community Center into a center for performing arts.

All three candidates also hope to establish a better relationship with Newark Unified School District.

The nomination period for most offices on the Nov. 8 ballot runs from July 18 through Aug. 12. Nominations for the mayoral seat, however, run through Aug. 17 as the incumbent is not seeking re-election.