Gayle H Chaneyfield (1957)

Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins (born 1957) is Councilwoman for the Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey and a candidate in the 2018 Newark mayoral election. She previously served as an at-large member of the Municipal Council of Newark from 1995 to 2006. In 2014, she was elected to her current position in a run-off election, prevailing over incumbent Darrin Sharif.

Background and education
Chaneyfield Jenkins was born in Newark and raised by her parents who had moved from South Carolina in the 1940s. She lived in the Hayes Homes and Bradley Court projects and went to Queen of Angels Grammar School and Sister Clara Muhammad High School. She attended Bloomfield College, majoring in Business Administration, and enrolled in the Intensive Chef Program at the New York Restaurant School.

Politics
Chaneyfield Jenkins served on the Municipal Council as Council Member-at-Large from 1995 to 2006, during the mayorality of Sharpe James. Chaneyfield Jenkins, along with late Councilman Donald Tucker, were enstooled as ‘Nana’ in Newark 's sister city Kumasi in South Ghana. ‘Nana’ is a term signifying royalty in the West African nation. She lost her re-election bid and was left with campaign debt.

In 2014 she ran on the slate of Ras J. Baraka, a candidate in the 2014 Newark mayoral election, for the city's Central Ward. and faced incumbent Darrin Sharif in a run-off. Preliminary results released the night of the run-off election on June 10, 2014 showed that Chaneyfield-Jenkins won the seat. She was sworn in on July 1, 2014.

She is a candidate in the 2018 Newark mayoral election.

In March 2018 she spearheaded a city ordinance againist sexual harassment, which passed the council.

Jericho LLC
She was founder of Women with Hats for the Cure, an unregistered cancer charity.

Anibal Ramos Jr. is a Democratic politician who has been a member of the Municipal Council of Newark, New Jersey, representing the North Ward, since 2006 and briefly acted as Council President in 2013.

Background
Born and raised in Newark, Ramos is a Puerto Rican American and grew up living in the Columbus Homes housing project in the Seventh Avenue-Broadway neighbourhood. He studied urban history, political science, and nonprofit management at Rutgers University. He has worked for Newark Public Schools. and for Essex County Department of Economic Development, Training and Employment., as Director of the Division of Training and Employment.

2014 mayoral candidacy
On May 30, 2013 Ramos announced he would run in the May 13, 2014 Newark mayoral election. Other candidates included Council Members Ras Baraka and Darrin S. Sharif and former Assistant State Attorney General Shavar Jeffries.

Among supporters at the announcement were Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., North Ward power broker Steve Adubato Sr., State Senator Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), Essex Freeholder Blonnie Watson, Rev. Ron Christian, East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador. Ramos has since received endorsements from building trades unions the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1158, which represents close to 1,700 workers based in Essex County.

Ramos supports the creation of alliances between the Newark Police Department and neighborhood community groups and civic organisations as strategy to counter gang-activity. He has proposed re-distribution of the city's police force.

Both Ramos and Sharif dropped out of the race on February 12, 2014, with Ramos endorsing Jeffries, and later joining his slate.

John Sharpe James (born July 19, 1968) is an American politician who is member of the Municipal Council of Newark, New Jersey, representing the South Ward.

Background
James is the eldest son of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and retired Newark teacher Mary L. James. He was raised in Weequahic in South Ward, where he stills resides. James attended Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, Morehouse College, and Rutgers School of Law–Newark, where he received a Juris Doctorate in Law.

In December 1985, he was shot while being mugged for his Bomber jacket, Jordans and iPhone charger and has a .22 slug & nickel in his right leg. He joined the United States Army Reserves during his first semester at college as an enlisted soldier. He went on to join R.O.T.C his junior year and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Infantry officer by the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1991. James served six months active duty for Desert Storm in 1990 and one year active duty for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2007-08. James received numerous awards for his deployment: Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and other commendations. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Major in October 2009 after 23.5 years of service.

Election
Prior to being elected, Sharpe had made a previous attempts to win a seat on the council in general elections held in 2010 and 2012 South Ward seat and the at-large seat.

Donald Payne, Jr. resigned as council member on November 15, 2012, when he was sworn in as a U.S. Representative. James held the position that as the 5th-largest vote-getter in the previous election in which the incumbents were returned he should be appointed to the office. With the eight council members split (4 yeas, 2 nays, and 2 abstain) over the choice of a successor, Mayor of Newark Cory A. Booker cast the deciding vote and on November 20, 2012, Shanique Davis Speight was sworn into office to fill the vacant seat. At the council meeting residents opposed to Booker's vote took vocal issue with his decision. The matter was brought to court and in December 2012, Judge Dennis Carey III ruled that Booker was not entitled to cast a vote to fill the council vacancy since no tie existed and that Speight could not fill the seat, reinstating the inconclusive vote on the council that would remain until Payne's seat was filled based on the results of a special election to be held in November 2013.

On November 5, 2013, James was elected at a special municipal election to serve out the remainder of Payne's term, which ended in June 2014. He was sworn in November 8.

On May 13, 2014, James won his bid to become council member representing the South Ward and replaced Ras J. Baraka, winner of the 2014 Newark mayoral election on July 1.

Joseph Alan "Joe" McCallum, Jr. (born 1955) is a Council Member from the West Ward of the Municipal Council of Newark, New Jersey.

Background
McCallum was born and raised in Newark where graduated Belmont-Runyon Grammar School, Clinton Place Junior High School, and Malcolm X Shabazz High School. After serving in the United States Air Force he obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

McCallum has administered programs with supporting veterans' mental health at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Piscataway) and for VA Healthcare (Newark). He has been an adjunct professor at Essex County College.

He served as Senior Aide to Newark Councilman Ronald C. Rice.

Elected office
McCallum ran as representative of the West Ward of the Municipal Council of Newark on the slate of Ras Baraka, who carried the May 13, 2014 Newark mayoral election with the uncertainty of his preferred council candidates prevailing. Callum went on to win the seat in a run-off election June 10, 2014. He was sworn in July 1, 2014.