Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936) is an American former Democratic politician who served as the 37th mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1986 to 2006, and as a state senator for the 29th legislative district from 1999 to 2008. He is a subject of the 2005 feature-film Street Fight.
On July 12, 2007, James was indicted on federal corruption charges, and on April 16, 2008, was convicted of five counts of fraud and was subsequently sentenced to 27 months in prison. Prior to politics, James worked as a teacher, athletic director and professor at Essex County College.
Early life and education
James was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1936. He has been a resident of Newark since 1940. He graduated from South Side High School (since renamed as Malcolm X Shabazz High School), 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.
Political career
City council
James was first elected to public office in 1970 as South Ward Councilman. He was reelected to the council in 1974, defeating his sole opponent by a ten-to-one margin. He was elected to a third term in 1978, and in 1982 he became the first ward councilman elected to an at-large seat. As a councilman, he chaired New Jersey's Black and Hispanic delegation. In 1977 he led an effort to halt landings of Concorde jets at Newark International Airport, claiming it would add to air and noise pollution in the area. In 1983, after talk show host Phil Donahue made comments about Newark being "a place foreigners wouldn't want to visit", James demanded for an apology. In response, Donahue sent James a letter apologizing for the remark.
Mayor of Newark
On January 30, 1986, James announced he would run for Mayor of Newark to challenge four-term incumbent Kenneth A. Gibson. James won the May 13 election 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. 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. His 2002 reelection campaign, against then-Councilman Cory Booker, was documented in the 2005 feature film Street Fight.
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. James became known as an example of "machine politics". He had a reputation for questionable campaign tactics, including alleged use of the police force for his own purposes, intimidating supporters of his opponents and attacking his opponents' heritage.
In 1987 and 1988, James served as the New Jersey chairman of Jesse Jackson's campaign for the 1988 Democratic Party presidential nomination.
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 1996, James's chief of staff, Jackie Mattison, was charged in federal court with receiving over $17,000 in bribes from an insurance broker from Millburn. He was later sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. He was released in 2000.
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.
Following the September 11 attacks, James offered to assist nearby Jersey City in providing aid for New York City where the attacks occurred.
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.
On March 16, 2006, James filed for reelection as mayor, but announced eleven days later he would not seek a sixth term.