Shanique Speight

Shanique Davis Speight (born November 14, 1978) is an American politician of the Democratic Party serving as the State Representative for the 29th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018,[2] replacing Blonnie R. Watson, who chose not to run for reelection.[3] Speight served briefly on the Municipal Council of Newark after being nominated by then-Mayor Cory Booker in November 2012 to fill a vacant seat, but was forced to vacate the seat the following month after a judge ruled that Booker lacked the authority to cast a vote given the circumstances.

Shanique Speight
Member of the New Jersey Assembly from the 29th Legislative District
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2018 Serving with Eliana Pintor Marin
Preceded by	Blonnie R. Watson
Personal details
Born	November 14, 1978
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Andre Speight[1]
Children	Four[1]
Residence	Newark, New Jersey
Alma mater	Lincoln University
Website	Legislative web page

A resident of Newark, Speight graduated from Lincoln University with a Master of Arts in Human Services. An officer in the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Speight was first elected to the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board in 2007, and served as the board's vice chair from 2007 to 2012. She was an aide to Senator Teresa Ruiz from 2009 to 2010.[2][1]

After Donald Payne Jr. vacated his at-large seat on the Newark City Council after being elected to succeed his father in Congress, Speight was nominated by Mayor Cory Booker at a contentious November 2012 council meeting and sworn in to fill Payne's vacant seat, resulting in what The Star-Ledger described as a "near-riot".[4] After the nomination, residents charged the sitting council members and Speight was knocked down.[5] In December 2012, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled that Booker did not have the power to cast a deciding vote under the circumstances that prevailed at the meeting in question, forcing Speight to vacate the seat.[6][7] In July 2013, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division affirmed the decision that Booker did not have the authority to vote to nominate Speight; a special election to fill the vacant seat was to be held in November 2013, with the council left in a four-four deadlock on the nine-member council until the seat would be filled.[8]

In the November 2017 general election, with Blonnie Watson not seeking re-election, Speight (with 18,308 votes; 43.0% of all ballots cast) and her running mate, incumbent Eliana Pintor Marin (with 19,088; 44.8%), defeated Republican challengers Charles G. Hood (2,622; 6.2%) and Jeannette Veras (2,574; 6.0%) to win both Assembly seats from the district for the Democrats.[9]

Speight serves in the Assembly on the Health and Senior Services Committee; the Housing and Community Development Committee; and the Women and Children Committee.[2]

District 29

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 29th District for the 2018–2019 Legislative Session are:[10][11]

• Senator Teresa Ruiz (D) and
• Assemblyman Eliana Pintor Marin (D)

References

1. "Speight Sworn in to Represent 29th Legislative District", Assembly Democrats press release dated January 8, 2018. Accessed January 18, 2018.
2. Legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 16, 2018.
3. Johnson, Brent. "Meet your brand-new state Legislature taking office today, Jersey", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 9, 2018. Accessed January 29, 2018. "Blonnie Watson, a Democratic member of the Assembly from Essex County who did not seek re-election after less than a year... Shanique Speight, a Democrat who will succeed Watson in north Jersey's 29th District"
4. Giambuso, David; and Queally, James. "Citizens rush council members as chaos erupts at Newark City Hall meeting", The Star-Ledger, November 20, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2018. "http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2012/11/newark_city_hall_disturbance_c.html "A behind-the-scenes political maneuver by Newark Mayor Cory Booker to fill a vacant council seat with his choice led to a near-riot in city hall tonight, with dozens of residents rushing the council stage and police responding with pepper-spray. After weeks of jockeying for Rep. Donald Payne’s successor, Booker made an unprecedented personal appearance to cast the deciding vote with his council allies for Shanique Davis Speight, a longtime ally of power broker Stephen Adubato, over the angry objections of residents.""
5. Zerinke, Kate. "Melee at Newark Council Meeting Shows Rift in Mayor’s Support", The New York Times, November 21, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2018. 'If Mr. Booker runs in 2013, he will need the support of the city’s political boss, Steve Adubato, who backed the Council’s choice of Shanique Speight.... As Mr. Booker cast his vote for Ms. Speight, the scene turned into chaos. Eventually, residents charged council members, knocking down Ms. Speight."
6. Giambusso, David. "Judge rules Cory Booker did not have authority to vote for open Newark council seat", The Star-Ledger, December 11, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2018. "The court had to decide whether Mayor Cory Booker had the power to vote for Shanique Davis Speight, and give her the five votes needed to join the City Council. Carey reversed Booker’s vote today, saying the mayor did not have the authority to vote on the issue.... Now the city’s legislators are divided, 4-4, and the seat vacated by Donald Payne Jr., the former council president, will probably remain vacant until a special election can be held next year."
7. Pizarro, Max. "Breaking: Judge’s decision reverses Speight seating on Newark City Council", New York Observer, December 11, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2018. "Responding to a challenge by West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice and other council people, a judge this morning ruled that the Newark City Council did not technically record a tie vote and so therefore threw out the legitimacy of how Mayor Cory Booker and the council sat At-Large Councilwoman Shanique Speight. The decision by Judge Dennis Carey renders the council seat vacant."
8. Giambusso, David. "Appellate court affirms Booker had no authority to vote on council seat", The Star-Ledger, July 5, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2018. "A New Jersey Appellate court has upheld a ruling that Newark Mayor Cory Booker did not have the authority to vote for a replacement on the Newark City Council.... A special election to fill the council seat will be held in November."
9. Official List Candidates for General Assembly For General Election 11/07/2017 Election, New Jersey Department of State, dated November 29, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2018.
10. Legislative Roster 2018–2019 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 16, 2018.
11. District 29 Legislators, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 16, 2018.