Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has endorsed Deborah Engel, a former deputy mayor of Maplewood, for one of four at-large Essex County Commissioner seats.
Baraka is already backing Marques-Aquil Lewis in a six-candidate race that includes four candidates who won the Essex County Democratic convention: Verona Councilwoman Christine McGrath, Livingston Mayor Shawn Klein, West Orange Democratic Municipal Chairman Abdur R. Yasin, and incumbent Wayne Richardson.
“Deb Engel understands the real challenges working families and small businesses across Essex County are facing right now,” Baraka stated. “She knows that issues like affordability, infrastructure, flooding, and transportation don’t stop at municipal borders, and she understands the importance of bringing communities together to solve problems.
Engel, running with the Essex Reform Democrats slogan, has the backing of South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and a group of current and former elected officials in Maplewood, Bloomfield, and South Orange.
She said Baraka’s endorsement “represents something bigger than politics as usual.”
“It reflects a belief that Essex County is strongest when our communities work together instead of operating in silos, and that the challenges facing our residents, from affordability to flooding to transportation, do not stop at municipal borders,” said Engel. “We need county leadership that builds stronger connections across Essex County and brings people together as one Essex County.”