Appointment of Interim Newark Mayor Delayed by Lack of Quorum

The Newark Municipal Council failed to appoint an interim mayor during a hastily called special meeting early Thursday, but another vote may take place as soon as next week.

The meeting was called after Mayor Cory Booker officially resigned Wednesday to take office as US Senator.

Under council rules, the governing body’s president, Luis Quintana, will serve as acting mayor for the next month. The council can choose someone from outside government to serve as “interim mayor,” a person who will serve until mayoral elections next spring.

Quintana, however, has emerged as the consensus choice, partly for his experience and partly because he has no interest in entering the mayor’s race, which includes three other council members, Anibal Ramos, Darrin Sharif and Ras Baraka.

The vote Thursday could not be held because of a lack of a quorum, however, with only four of the nine members present for a vote, NJ.com reported.

While some council members present criticized the no-shows, Ramos said in a statement it was only the hasty scheduling that prevented him from taking part Thursday. Several council members were also in Washington for Booker's swearing-in. 

“Voting for an interim mayor is one of the most important votes that this council will make for the remainder of this year. It would be a travesty to the democratic process to have this vote take place without the full council in place. There was no reason to call this emergency meeting at the last minute. Councilman Quintana is the acting mayor and will be for the next 30 days without any action from the council. City business is not affected in any way by whether he is interim or acting mayor,” Ramos said.