Residents press Newark council on eviction, slumlords, public safety and youth services during lengthy public comment period

Dozens of residents and community leaders spoke during the Newark Municipal Council’s public-comment period on March 19, focusing on housing affordability, landlord accountability, homelessness, rec center programming, and public safety after recent violent incidents.

Illegal conversions and landlord accountability

Several residents described what they said were unsafe or illegal conversions and chronic landlord neglect. Sean Paul, who identified his address as 80 Grand Avenue, said a legally permitted four-family building had been converted to an 11-family property “without permits, without anything,” and asked the city to address that specific property. Manager and program developer Jimmy White urged the council to hold landlords to higher enforcement standards and proposed increased fines and more frequent inspections: “Support initiatives for NJ Department of Community Affairs to increase inspections to every two years rather than every five years,” he said.

Public housing, homelessness and rehabilitation

Public commenters focused heavily on housing scarcity and the scale of need. Manera/Monera Albomani and other speakers said Newark faces an “eviction tsunami” and cited a client report that they said called for 16,000 low-income units. Several residents asked how the city prioritizes people for rehabs and new units and pressed the administration for a larger, long-term plan.

Senior and community services

Multiple speakers supported continued senior programming but asked why the city would pay for services at tax-exempt churches. Public commenters asked whether the Bethany Baptist Church senior lease referenced in the meeting was already rendered and who would pay; Melvin Waldrop, chief of staff to the business administrator, said the money would come from the Recreation budget.

Public safety and recent loss of an officer

A number of speakers referenced recent violence and the unexplained death of an officer, urging solidarity across the city. Several urged investments in youth programming, recreation and prevention work. Latoya Jackson Tucker told the council that “trauma and recovery” should be addressed as public health issues and asked city institutions to avoid widening community divisions.

Youth training and workforce services

Speakers praised local training programs and asked for more of them. Akeem Miller described a Wilhelmina Holder Fellowship he is creating to train young leaders and said the program will include stipends and partnerships with Rutgers and other groups. Karen Gaylord, executive director of the Newark Workforce Development Board, told the council the One-Stop career center has expanded hours and now offers drone pilot training, GED classes and OSHA and CPR certifications.

Why it matters: Residents used the hearing to press for concrete steps on housing safety and affordability, accountability for landlords, and more youth and workforce programming. Council members and administration staff acknowledged the concerns and, in several cases, asked for follow-up meetings or committed to provide additional information to the public.

What’s next: Council members asked the administration to produce follow-up materials on several topics raised in public comment (inspection schedules, program details and allocation criteria for housing rehab), and several speakers asked for town-hall-style follow-up so concerns could be addressed in more depth outside the five-minute public-comment format.