Al Nagy Elected As Newark's First New Mayor in 33 Years

Councilman Al Nagy has won the most votes in the first mayoral race since 1978 without David Smith, Newark's mayor for the past 33 years, according to final results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

Nagy won with 46 percent of the votes cast.

Fellow councilmember Ana Apodaca garnered 32 percent of votes, while Ray Rodriguez, who serves on the Newark Unified Board of Education, got 21 percent.

"I feel good," Nagy said after unofficial final results came out Tuesday night. "What can I say. It was because of a lot of people's [hard] work."

Nagy said he ran a strong campaign in the past months, knocking on residents' doors. He credited his campaign team for his success.

"They did one heck of a job," Nagy said. "In Newark, nothing really beats standing in front of residents and talking with them."

Nagy has been a councilman since 1980. The focus throughout his campaign was about providing Newark with leadership, experience and dedication with an emphasis on public safety, fiscal management — particularly in economic development.

"That's what Newark needs. We need jobs. We need to put people into those [vacant] buildings," Nagy said. "You have a whole city. It's multi-faceted. I feel my priorities are in the right place with public safety and economic development."

Apodaca, a councilwoman since 2005, who trailed behind Nagy by 14 percent, led a hard campaign advocating for public safety, economic development and improving communications from the City of Newark. Her goals are to maintain Newark’s small-town feel while moving the city into the future by working with regional agencies.

This was Rodriguez’s first shot on the city side of the town’s politics. Rodriguez, who has served on the Newark Unified Board of Education since 1996, ran a campaign in which he named safety, business and supporting the arts as his top priorities.

Nagy will become Newark’s first new mayor in 33 years, succeeding Smith, who announced on May 18 that he would not seek re-election, noting his desire to spend more time with his family.

A total of 5,954 Newark residents cast votes in the mayoral race. According to the Registrar's Office, there are 18,982 registered voters in Newark, which calculates to a 31 percent voter turnout. Turnout was estimated at 27 percent countywide, according to the Registrar of Voters.

For complete results, click here.