Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker told Elon Law students his political success has been due to his unwavering focus on ethics and purpose.
Meeting with first-year law students Feb. 3, prior to delivering his Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Leadership Lecture, Booker discussed his views on leadership and his experiences running New Jersey’s largest city.
“The most important thing I’ve found is to fiercely adhere to your values and your calling,” Booker said. “Stay loyal to that which motivates you the most. The best thing you can do when you take on any endeavor is to keep a singular focus on where you want to go and what you want to achieve. When you pursue the ends that you want with all your might, even if you fail, it will make you stronger and more prepared for the next challenge.”
Since becoming Mayor of Newark in 2006, Booker has restructured and increased the size of the city’s police department, deployed surveillance cameras across Newark, and established ongoing dialogue with communities citywide, all contributing toward a 30 percent reduction in the city’s homicide rate in 2008.
Booker told Elon Law students that he seeks to avoid entrenched partisan debate when working to achieve policy change. “I’m always looking for what the way forward is on controversial issues. Most problems in American are not left or right, but are we going to move forward or back.”
Seeking to set a national standard for urban transformation, Booker has designed public/private partnerships to revitalize the city’s parks, doubled affordable housing production, and developed programs dealing with at-risk youth and ex-offender community reentry that are considered national models.
He told Elon Law students that the changes taking place in Newark are not occurring through his leadership alone, but that they were the result of working pragmatically across old political affiliations and through building coalitions with thousands of city residents who shared his determination to achieve lasting change.
“No matter what position you ascend to, you are not alone,” said Booker. “There will always be people with you providing a reservoir of strength to do incredible things against incredible odds.”