Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was transported to Beth Israel Hospital by Ambulance after suffering an unknown medical condition according to a source at the hospital during the mayor's arrival.
The source said James arrived to the hospital located a short distance from his house shortly after 11:30 p.m. with his son South Ward Councilman John Sharpe James. The Mayor appeared fine and was in "good spirits" the source said. The mayor's wife arrived to the hospital a short time later according to the source.
The "community mayor" known for the city's renaissance, was first elected to public office in 1970 as South Ward Councilman. He later elected Mayor of Newark on May 13, 1986. Mayor James ran unopposed when he sought re-election in 1990, easily winning re-election in 1994 and 1998. Sharpe James became Newark's longest-serving mayor when he was re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term in 2002, a year after being named Mayor of the Year by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
Accomplishments of Mayor James include transforming the city's housing opportunities and creating a "new look" for the city. Mayor James' policy in the 1990's was to demolish Newark's massive housing projects and replace them with small scale public housing or market rate middle class residences.
The medical condition of Mayor James is not immediately known.