In Essex County on Friday night, it was the changing of the guard in more ways than one with Irvington City Council President Renee Burgess being elected by Democrats to be the State Senator of the 28th Legislative District.
Any suspense was gone when Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-28), the preferred candidate by Ronald Rice to replace him after 36 years in the seat, rose to announce that she would be supporting Burgess.
With that, Burgess was the unanimous special convention winner held on the campus of Bloomfield College Sept. 9. Now State Sen.-elect Renee Burgess (D-28) will be sworn in sometime later this month, and face voters in one of the state’s most Democratic districts for the first time this November in a special election.
Burgess praised both Rice and Tucker in accepting the nomination.
Burgess Praises Rice, Tucker
“Many people have said you can’t fill his shoes, and you know what, I can’t,” Burgess said. “I’m not going to try. But I damn sure will have a pair right next to yours, and with everybody in this room, I will do my very best to do what I need to do to move this 28th district forward.”
Burgess added that “Assemblywoman Cleo Tucker has been my mentor for years…She supported me, and I’ve supported her. I’m looking forward to meeting with her very soon.”
Issue of Newark Representation
The victory makes the first-ever senator from Irvington and halves the number of Senators from the state’s largest city to one—State Senate President M. Teresa Ruiz.
“It’s all in working together, no matter how it turns out,” said the 51-year-old of representing New Jersey’s largest city. “As long as we’re … loving each other, doing what’s right for the community, that’s all I care about right now.”
Burgess won the seat in no small part due to the backing of key and local lawmakers, including Gov. Phil Murphy, the 29th legislative trio of Ruiz, and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor-Marin and Shanique Speight as well as State Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones Jr.
Powerful Backers
Ruiz, Pintor-Marin and Speight in a statement released the day before the vote that they welcomed “another strong woman whose work has demonstrated she will fight for all of our children and familie. At a time when women’s rights are again under attack and continue to be eroded, we need Council President Burgess leadership….We stand ready to work alongside her and welcome her voice to continue to fight to make New Jersey a stronger and fairer place to call home. ”
Jones added he didn’t think Burgess’ hometown would stand in the way of delivering for all of her new constituents.
“It’s not about where you live, it’s about your heart and soul in service to the people in this district,” Jones said. “Renee Burgess will be that.”
A New 28th
Burgess emerged in the last month as the choice. While the 79-year-old Tucker had expressed interests —and had the backing of Rice and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka—Assemblyman Ralph Caputo pulled his name out of the running early in the process due to him not representing the district starting next year and believing the seat should be filled by a person of color.
With a Buress win likely in November to fill the remainder of Rice’s term, she will face a redrawn district that has South Orange, Maplewood and Hillside replacing Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Nutley. Her running mates in the 28th would be Tucker and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, currently the representative of the 27th.
Redistricting in 2023
The redrawn map has led to a series of musical chairs in the 27th, 28th and 34th districts.
Caputo will switch to the 34th district, which currently has Nia Gill as State Senator with Assembly members Thomas P. Giblin and Britnee N. Timberlake. The current 27th team with Jasey is State Sen. Richard Codey and Assemblyman John McKeon.
The new map has the hometown of both Codey and Gil in the 27th—Livingston, Millburn, Roseland, and West Orange with Montclair and Clifton—with Giblin and McKeon for the Assembly. That leaves the Senate seat for the 34th, which encompasses East Orange, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Orange and Nutley, open. Timberlake is expected to get the party nod, leaving an Assembly seat open on a ticket with Timberlake and Caputo.
