newarking

The race for Mayor of Newark will be decided next Tuesday, and if you’re a resident of Newark and a registered voter in the State of Delaware, you can help decide who our next Mayor will be.

Who’s Running?

The incumbent, Vance A. Funk, III, has just finished his first term, and is running for re-election.

His opponent is Tom Wampler, who is a former member of the City Council, and represented District 4 from 1993 to 2003.

There were Council positions up for re-election, but the incumbents had no challengers, and will be sworn in to new two year terms after the election next week.

• District 1, held by Paul Pomeroy
• District 2, held by Jerry Clifton
• District 4, held by David J. Athey

What’s at Stake?

Newark’s day-to-day operations are administered by a City Manager, but the Mayor of the City does play an important role.

The Newark City Council includes six council members and the Mayor, and each of them has one vote. The six council members are elected from separate districts and serve staggered two-year terms. The Mayor is voted for by all of the residents of the city, as opposed to people from just one district, and serves a three-year term.

When to Vote

Title: Election Day
Date: April 10, 2007
Time: Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

Where to Vote

Polling locations are as follows:

• District 1 – Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1325 Barksdale Road
• District 2 – Aetna Fire Station #8, Ogletown Road
• District 3 – Aetna Fire Station #7, Thorn Lane
• District 4 – St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 276 S. College Avenue
• District 5 – First Presbyterian Church Memorial Hall, 292 W. Main St.
• District 6 – First Church of the Nazarene, 357 Paper Mill Road

Voting

If you’ve registered for State and Federal elections and a resident of Newark, you should be registered to vote in the local Newark election (see requirements below). You do need to bring identification with you to vote.

For absentee ballots, you should contact the City Secretary’s Office at (302) 366-7070.

It appears that you can also show up in person and vote at the City Office:

You may stop by the office between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, where you may vote in person and have your ballot notarized.

Requirements to Vote

• You must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.
• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must have established residency in the city for at least 24 days prior to the election.

Who to Contact if You Have Questions:

• For further information, you may call the New Castle County Department of Elections at (302) 577-3464.
• If you have specific questions about city elections, you may call the City Secretary’s Office at (302) 366-7070.

Rachel Kipp at the News Journal is reporting today on efforts to attract and retain jobs in Newark, in her article - Mapping out Newark’s future a team effort.

With closings of the Chrysler plant and the Avon distribution center in Newark, the local economy could be feeling the impact. So, what can be done?

Positive About Aberdeen

She starts off by noting that there are thousands of new jobs being created in nearby Aberdeen, Maryland, but doesn’t go into a lot of detail on why. Aberdeen is about 40 minutes away down Route 95, and is expected to surge in population because of the closing of a New Jersey military base, and the reassignment of many people to the Aberdeen proving grounds. According to the Baltimore Business Journal:

“We are going to go from a very balanced population to one that is predominately civilian-oriented,” Wright said Wednesday morning.

That shift will intensify with the federal military’s Base Realignment and Closure plan, which will move APG’s Ordnance Center and School and its 5,000 military soldiers to Fort Lee in Virginia. Another 8,000 jobs will be coming to APG from Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, but nearly all of those will be filled by civilian workers.

(more…)

A friend forwarded an email about an open forum hosted by Paul Pomeroy, who is the representative for Newark City Council District One.

The meeting is referred to as a Community Update and Open Forum

The email asks to “Please bring concerns or questions regarding any topic of interest, including the Reservoir, the proposed Home Depot, questions on City services, etc.”

Meeting specifics:
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
7:00pm-8:30pm
Council Chambers - City Hall