Many Choices for Newark Voters and a New Archbishop

It’s Election Day across the state on Tuesday! Voters will be asked to pick a governor, members of the state Legislature and to approve a question on whether to raise the state’s minimum wage by one dollar. Another question asks whether money from certain forms of gambling -- like bingo and lotto -- can be used to support the activities of veterans groups.

In addition, Newarkers will be asked to vote on some local issues. Three candidates are running for a vacant seat on the municipal council -- Yvonne Garrett-Moore, John Sharpe James and Linda Lloyd. Newarkers will also decide on a question to create an open space trust fund. Paid for with a property tax amounting to one cent for every $100 of assessed value, the fund will be used to purchase new land for recreation in the city and to upgrade existing parks.

Also this week, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark welcomes a new archbishop, Bernard A. Hebda, who will be installed during a special Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Tuesday. Hebda, a 54-year-old former bishop from a diocese in northern Michigan, will serve alongside John J. Meyer. The mass will be held Tuesday and is expected to draw more than 1,000 people, including 33 bishops from across the country.