Newark in the Last Days of COVID: Webcams of Equity, Rhetoric of Justice
The Coronavirus pandemic was a gut check to the mid-sized city, which stands in the shadow of one of the largest, most densely populated cities on earth. Newark had solved its long neglected lead water issue by receiving a no interest loan of $120M from Essex County, and seemed poised to address Gentrification in the near future. However, unlettered and frequently incomprehensible messaging from Washington DC forced every State, every County, every municipality to fend for itself in the midst of the pandemic. And with the help of competent leadership from Governors Cuomo and Murphy, Newark has done as well as anyone would expect a city of its capacity to do.
One policy to regain some traction in the wake of this pandemic is Universal Basic Income (UBI). It is a policy championed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka long before former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed the 1980 Libertarian idea. According the Yang 2020 website, UBI “would replace the vast majority of existing welfare programs. If someone is working as a waitress or construction worker making $18,000 he or she would essentially be making $30,000” (Yang 2020). Milton Friedman, in the 1980s, argued rapaciously for UBI and the Negative Income Tax, as have other Libertarians in the last few decades, largely as a means of eliminating welfare altogether — for individuals at least. It is likely that Mayor Baraka will have a slightly more liberal version of UBI than Yang or Friedman. And it’s almost certain that the Mayor would point to Martin Luther King Jr. or the Black Panther movement as predecessors of the idea — which is true. Regardless, Mayor Baraka’s stalwart approach to UBI in Newark is itself commendable.
With an average household income of $35,000 and a nearly 80% renting population, Newark was rated “The most House-Poor city in the Northeast”, beating out NYC and Boston, in a 2019 HomeTap study (Globe Newswire). It should come as no surprise that housing affordability is the elephant in the room for most Newark residents and any policy maker worth her or his salt. The inherent universal nature of a global pandemic has forced a us to heighten our rhetorical appeals for equitable policies. Yet, political leaders seem thoroughly perplexed on how exactly to proceed. Granted, if one did not know where they stood policy-wise before the Coronavirus, it may be overly ambitious to assume they would know where they stand during a pandemic. Those of us that live in the here and now rightfully demand an appropriate response from publicly elected officials, whether they are the Essex County Freeholder making $38,000 (NJ.com) or the Newark Councilmember making $105,000 (Associated Press).
In an earnest effort to discover what the appropriate response might be, research teams have been formed to bridge the knowledge gap. In Newark, that manifested in the “Equitable Growth Advisory Commission”. Established in mid-2019, it was largely a reaction to a growing hunch that gentrification existed and was indeed happening in Newark. Rutgers CLiME provided the totality of Newark-based research and sent recommendations to the city in late 2017. One of the most pressing realizations of the CLiME report was that 59% of renters and 57% of homeowners in Newark were paying 30% to 50% or more of their income in rent or mortgage (Rutgers CLiME). In 2019, Newark unveiled its “Guaranteed Income Task Force” with the job of figuring out if a basic income pilot would make sense for New Jersey’s largest city.
There is nothing inherently wrong with creating research teams. But they should not be held up as a replacement nor example of leadership by people elected to a policy office. It does about as much good as a politician personally handing out food or masks or gloves, when they literally sit in a position to direct and implement actual legislation. Even worse is when research teams are mentioned only as a means of delaying a policy choice that is fully understood, such as reparations for slavery. You either agree with the policy or you do not. Newark residents do not need a commission to be established to be told of the condition in which they live everyday.
Podcasts and streaming services have been a huge benefit to our society. They have given platforms and provided information to hundreds of millions of people that otherwise might not have had the opportunity. Today, this means of socializing serves as a sanctuary for many as we collectively work our way through unprecedented times. An additional net positive is that we are able to watch elected officials and self appointed community leaders in their virtual meetings. What started out as a fun, well intentioned new way of engagement, quickly turned into a meandering jumble of feelings, personal anecdotes, and the occasional thought experiment. Again, this is fine and should be encouraged as a way of expression — not as a substitute for policy. No tax paying resident needs to watch people with titles, elected or otherwise, shoot the breeze. Not during a pandemic.
More productive discussions about policy implementation for Newark should include: how are we going to activate/create town squares, what is the baseline of community benefits for new development, which regulations should be cut to increase housing affordability, is a “build first” policy necessary, would taxing land at a higher rate than property benefit Newark, in what ways is Newark becoming a legitimate regional player, etc. Engaging in politics can be a scary thing. It can be intimidating to put forth policies you believe in as they will be critiqued and quite possibly be wrong. But when you are elected to a policy office or represent a political advocacy group, you owe it to people to be honest with them and tell them where you stand. That’s vulnerability. Not some practiced anecdote you can pull, not a hymn you can sing, or a quote you can recite, but a policy on which you can deliver. That’s leadership.
Newark is the most important city in New Jersey. It rightfully stands next to the Capital of the world. In order for us to command regional leadership we have to get serious about our politics. New Jersey, as much as any state, has suffered from poor federal leadership. People are no longer here due to the aggressive ignorance and practiced obstinance from our most influential policy leaders. We cannot allow this pandemic to come and go without learning something. It’s not about conferencing virtually, but implementing policy in reality. To paraphrase the old stoic, Marcus Aurelius: “Let us waste no more time talking about an equitable city. Simply be one”. Newark is perpetually on the cusp of being everything it was promised to be. Together we can achieve that goal.
