Crump was the first Black woman to serve on the Newark City Council and first woman Council President

Trailblazer Mildred C. Crump, 86, died this morning. She was a popular and beloved Newark leader and activist known for her compassion who became the first Black woman to serve on the City Council.

During her nearly four decades in politics, Crump championed better health care, public schools, and housing for her constituents.   Her spirituality was deeply connected to her faith.

“A model public servant, Mildred deftly advocated for the most vulnerable in her community, working to uplift New Jersey’s women, children, senior citizens, families, and residents with disabilities. Her impact was felt around the world, which is why she was called Mother Africa,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.  “She will be remembered for her unwavering dedication to improving the lives of her constituents and will be deeply missed.

Her protégé, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) called Crump “a visionary leader whose wisdom, guidance, and unwavering belief in justice profoundly helped shape my life and career.”

“Mildred was a relentless advocate and champion for people, a brilliant community strategist, and a source of unwavering support for so many of us who had the honor of learning from her,” said McIver.  “She broke barriers and demonstrated a steadfast commitment to equity, justice, and community empowerment.”

Crump made her first bid for public office in a May 1986 non-partisan election as a candidate for an at-large city council seat in an election that featured Sharpe James’ historic defeat of four-term Mayor Kenneth Gibson.

She made it to a runoff but lost to incumbents Donald Tucker, Marie Villani, and Ralph Grant, and former Councilman Earl Harris.   She finished fifth, about 2,100 votes out of fourth place, and slightly ahead of Anthony Imperiale, a former city councilman, assemblyman, and state senator.   Ironbound Community Corporation director Vic DeLuca, who later became mayor of Maplewood, ran sixth.

In a special election that followed Harris’ death in 1989, Crump lost to Harris’ son, Gary, by a 51%-38% margin in a three-candidate race.

Crump ran again in 1990 and finished sixth in a field of eleven candidates, about 100 votes behind the fifth-place candidate, Deputy Mayor Luis Quintana.  The incumbents – Grant, Tucker, Gary Harris, and Villani – were in the top four slots and faced a runoff in a race that included DeLuca, and Newark Teacher’s Union President Carol Graves.  Crump ran roughly 4,000 votes behind Grant and less than 2,000 votes behind Villani, who was in fourth place.

All four incumbents won the runoff: Villani narrowly defeated Quintana, and Crump ran a solid sixth place, just 915 short of winning a seat.

Villani resigned from the council in January 1994 following her conviction on federal fraud charges.

Crump was elected on her fourth try in 1994.

Grant, Tucker and Harris and fifteen others field for the four at-large seats, including Crump, Quintana, school board member Bessie Walker, Essex County Jail Warden Geraldine Foushee, former Villani aide Saundra Addison-Simpson, and two future councilmembers, Gayle Cheneyfield and Augusto Amador.

Grant and Harris ran despite indictments on federal bribery and conspiracy charges.

With a large field, none of the candidates won 50% outright.

Crump emerged from the May election as the top vote-getter for an at-large council seat with about 14,863 votes, followed by Tucker (12,997), Quintana (11,863), and Harris (10,309).  They were followed by Grant (9,822), Walker (8,413), Chaneyfield (6,134), and Forest Hill Community Association President Frank Petolino (5,726).

In the June runoff, Crump was the top vote-getter with 13,306 votes, followed by Tucker (11,707), Quintana (11,542), and Harris (8,70); Grant finished fifth with 8,082, marking an unusual happenstance of two incumbent co-defendants, one won and the other was defeated.   Trailing were Walker (8,089), Chaneyfield (7,789) and Petolino (5,118).

Crump gave up her seat in 1998 to run for mayor, finishing third with 17% in a race against incumbent Sharpe James (56%) and State Sen. Ronald Rice (27%).

In 2002, her son, Larry Crump, sought a council seat on a slate with Central Ward Councilman Cory Booker, who was challenging James in the mayoral race.  James’ slate won.

She returned to public office in 2006 as one of twelve candidates for her old at-large seat.

The May election produced no clear winner, with Crump advancing to the runoff, along with Quintana, incumbent Ras Baraka, future Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., Carlos Gonzalez, Norma Gonzalez, Walker, and Cheneyfield.

Booker, elected mayor in 2006 on his second try, endorsed Crump, Quintana, Payne, and Gonzalez in the runoff.

Crump finished first with 18,174 votes, followed by Quintana (17,081), Payne (16,143), and Gonzalez (15,189).  Baraka came in fifth with 11,194, followed by Walker (6,999) and Cheneyfield (6,413); Norma Gonzalez had dropped out.

She became the first woman to serve as city council president in 2006 and held the post for four years; she became council president again in 2013 after Booker resigned to become a U.S. Senator and Quintana left the council presidency to become mayor.  She remained in that post until 2021.

“To be the first is a privilege, and Mildred did not shy away from this responsibility when she became the first Black woman elected to the Newark City Council and the first woman to serve as the governing body’s president.  She opened the doors of opportunity for so many and demonstrated unwavering commitment in her decades-long service to the City of Newark, delivering meaningful, material improvements for all of us that call Newark home,” said Bookler.  “Mildred was a mentor, colleague, and friend to me—an example of leadership and public service.  She will be sorely missed, but her legacy as the Matriarch of Newark will endure.  It is my hope that we may all live up to the standards that Mildred set for us.”

All four incumbents avoided a runoff election in 2010 after defeating five challengers, including John Sharpe James, the son of the former mayor, and Graves.  Crump finished second.

In 2014, when Baraka and Shavar Jeffries faced off in a race for mayor, Crump, Patrick Council, and Eddie Osborne ran on the Baraka slate; Gonzalez, former Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, and Linda Lloyd were allied with Jeffries.  Quintana, the acting mayor, didn’t take sides.    Crump (16,065), Quintana (13,223), Gonzalez (10,355), and Osborne (10,305) led Council (9,399), Caraballo (8,736), Lloyd (8,681), and seven others, including future Essex County Surrogate Alturrick Kenney.

Crump sought her fifth non-consecutive term in 2018 and won easily in a ten-candidate field.   She finished second with 16,694 votes – 240 behind Quintana – followed by Gonzalez (13,252) and Osborne (12,003).  They defeated two former councilmembers, Walker (5,395) and Hector Corchado (4,375), along with future Councilman Dupre Kelly (3,551) and three others.

Essex County Democratic State Chairman LeRoy Jones, Jr. called Crump “a long-time friend and mentor and has always been one of the first people I think of when reflecting upon what it means to truly be a public servant.”

“Mildred poured her heart and soul in service to her community in Newark and beyond, and her legacy will endure,” he said.  “Mildred epitomized the best of the human spirit and is truly among the best humanity has produced.”

She resigned from the council in 2021, citing health reasons, and her son replaced her.

Crump also served as a longtime commissioner of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.

A Detroit native and the daughter of a union organizer, Crump taught Braille at the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She graduated from Wayne State University and received her master’s degree from Ruthers-Newark.   Crump founded the New Jersey Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Newark Women’s Conference.

Crump’s husband, Cecil, a former Green Beret and manager at AT&T Communications, died of lung cancer in 1993.  In addition to her son, who was elected to a four-year term in 2022, she is survived by her daughter, Sherri, and her grandchildren.