Sharpe James

Sharpe James
New Jersey State Senator for the 29th Legislative District
In office June 21, 1999 – January 8, 2008
Preceded by	Wynona Lipman
Succeeded by	Teresa Ruiz
35th Mayor of Newark
In office July 1, 1986 – July 1, 2006
Preceded by	Kenneth A. Gibson
Succeeded by	Cory Booker
Personal details
Born	February 20, 1936 (1936-02-20) Jacksonville, Florida
Political party	Democratic Party

Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936) is a Democratic politician and convicted felon from New Jersey, who served as State Senator for the 29th Legislative District and was 35th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. James was the second African American Mayor of Newark and served five four-year terms before declining to run for re-election. From June 1999 until leaving his position as Mayor in July 2006, James simultaneously served as Mayor of Newark and New Jersey State Senator. He declined to run for re-election to the State Senate in 2007; his term as Senator expired in January 2008. Prior to politics, James worked as a teacher, athletic director and professor at Essex County College.

On July 12, 2007, following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal grand jury sitting in Newark indicted James on 25 counts that include mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. James pled not guilty and his trial on five counts of fraud began March 4, 2008.

On April 16, 2008, James was convicted of five counts of fraud by a federal jury. On July 29, 2008, he was sentenced by Judge William J. Martini to 27 months in prison.

Education

James earned a B.A. in education from Montclair State University and a M.A. in physical education from Springfield College. He received the 1961 Department of Physiology Award from that school, and later completed postgraduate studies at Washington State University, Columbia University, and Rutgers University. He also served with the U.S. Army in Germany. In 1988, James was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Montclair State University, and, in 1991, an Honorary Doctorate from Drew University.

Public office

Sharpe James was first elected to public office in 1970 as South Ward Councilman. He was first elected Mayor of Newark on May 13, 1986, and was sworn into office on July 1 of that year. He was the first Newark mayor to run unopposed when he sought re-election in 1990 and handily won re-election in 1994 and 1998. Sharpe James became Newark's longest-serving mayor when he was re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term in 2002, a year after being named Mayor of the Year by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.

In December 1992, James was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket.

In June 1999, while serving as Mayor, James was appointed to the New Jersey Senate to fill out the unexpired term of the late Senator Wynona Lipman, and won election to that seat the following November. He was re-elected for a full term in November 2001 and continued to hold both offices. His Senate district encompassed part of Newark in Essex County and all of the Township of Hillside in Union County.

Sharpe James became known in his early years as mayor for often wearing jogging suits in public and making high-profile efforts to attract development to Downtown Newark. In 1997, Newark saw the completion of the acclaimed New Jersey Performing Arts Center. In 2006, James championed the relocation of the New Jersey Devils to the City of Newark. The Prudential Center is the newest arena in the Newark metropolitan area.

In terms of housing, James' policy in the 1990s was to demolish Newark's massive, but mostly abandoned, housing projects, and replace them with small scale public housing or market rate middle class residences.

Political life

1986 was James's closest election. He challenged and defeated Kenneth Gibson, Newark's first African American Mayor.

James has become known as an example of "machine politics." Running dirty campaigns, using the police force as his own army of intimidation, and attacking the heritage of his opponents is the only way James retained power.

On March 16, 2006, James filed for reelection. On March 27, 2006, James announced that he would not seek a sixth term. On April 9, 2007, James said that he would not seek re-election to his State Senate seat.

Fraud conviction

On April 16, 2008, Sharpe James was convicted on five counts of fraud by a federal jury for conspiring to rig the sale of nine city lots to his mistress, who quickly resold them for hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. James (federal inmate number 28791-050) served his 2-year prison sentence in a federal prison camp in Petersburg, Virginia.

James' co-defendant and former girlfriend, Tamika Riley, was also found guilty on those five counts and eight others, including tax evasion.

The United States Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey was led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who at the time was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. The judge presiding over James' case was William J. Martini, a former New Jersey congressman.

After 18 months in prison, James was released on April 6, 2010. While in prison, he wrote a 17 chapter book titled "A Sharpe View."

See also

• List of mayors of Newark, New Jersey

External links

• New Jersey State Senate: Sharpe James Entry
• Street Fight Website
• Senate Democrats Biography of Sharpe James
• North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority: Board Members Entry for Sharpe James

Political offices
Preceded by Kenneth A. Gibson	Mayor of Newark 1986–2006	Succeeded by Cory Booker
New Jersey Senate
Preceded by Wynona Lipman	New Jersey Senate 1999-2008	Succeeded by Teresa Ruiz