Donald Page

Eldridge Hawkins at the opening of Obama HQ in Newark, with Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith (background, left).

ORANGE – In the city a little over a year, young Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., ran as the Obama of Orange – a new messenger intent on change in the wake of another public man’s wreckage.

As he observed his older opponent on Election Day, Hawkins brazenly likened the campaign of At-Large Councilman Donald Page to a shopworn Hillary Clinton, and compared his own to that of the hard-charging, inspirational Barack Obama.

But more than five months into his term of office as mayor, Hawkins’s critics object to what they call the 29-year old executive’s early failure to deliver the city convincingly from the era of Mims Hackett, who’s soon to be serving time in a federal pen for corruption.

A proposed $57.2 million budget is up $3.6 million from last year’s, and residents face a significant tax increase. Meanwhile, even new furnishings at City Hall can’t camouflage an entrenched cast of old regime characters. 

Judge Michelle Hollar-Gregory swears in Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, left, as Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) looks on. 

ORANGE - The son of a former beauty queen and crusading Civil Rights attorney, Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., took the oath of office today as Mayor of the City of Orange in a well-attended and star-studded ceremony in the Middle School auditorium.

"On Day One of our new administration, I don’t say to you, 'Just watch what I can do in City Hall,'" the new mayor challenged the crowd. "Instead, I say, 'Get involved in every way that you can.' Together we will create new ways for you to participate in the building of a better and more prosperous Orange.

"And I say, 'Come with me to City Hall, and together, we’re going to turn our city around!' The future is now!"

Elected two months ago to replace the now convicted Mayor Mims Hackett, Hawkins literally walked up a red carpet rolled out onto the concrete in front of the school, and faced a sea of Orange residents and luminaries that included singing star Dionne Warwick.

ORANGE - The City Council last night voted 5-2 to retain Council President Lisa Perkins as the city’s acting mayor.

Councilmen Ed Marable, Jr. and Hassan Abdul-Rasheed voted to replace Perkins with Mayor-elect Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., due to her close relations with former Mayor Mims Hackett, who left office on the day he pleaded guilty to attempted extortion.

ORANGE - City Council allies of Mayor-Elect Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., intend to try to vote him into office as acting mayor at a special meeting tonight, a month prior to his swearing-in ceremony.

ORANGE - Two days after Election Day, At Large Councilman Donald Page said he has not yet conceded victory to West Orange Patrolman Eldridge Hawkins in their Orange At-Large Councilman Donald Page on Election Daymayoral contest.

Hawkins beat Page on Tuesday night by a margin of 30-27%, but Page said he’s not so sure.

"We have some questions about what happened on Election Day," said the candidate, who huddled today with lawyers to examine the results.

"I’m not at liberty to say right now exactly how we’re going to pursue this," Page added.

Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., and his sister, Hillary, moments after they learned of victory. 

ORANGE - A few Orange city blocks separate the campaign headquarters of Donald Page and Eldridge Hawkins, but a wide gulf of emotion opened up after 9 p.m. when the results of the mayor’s race came down from City Hall and Hawkins won.

In a six-way race, Hawkins defeated Page by a margin of 30-27%, or 1,061 to 942 votes, to deal a heartbreaking loss to the forces of the long-serving councilman.

"We did it," said a jubilant Hawkins, surrounded by family and supporters, including state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) in his campaign headquarters behind Sandwiches Unlimited on Center Street.

"He was a great candidate," said Codey, an Orange native who backed the 28-year old West Orange patrolman amid controversy about the candidate’s short-time residency in Orange.

Orange Mayor-elect Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. will replace Mims HackettORANGE -Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., a West Orange police officer, defeated At-Large Councilman Donald Page and a field of four other candidates to become the new mayor of Orange.

Hawkins earned 1,061 votes or 30% of the votes, compared to 942 or 27% for Page.

Coming in third was North Ward Councilwoman Tency Eason with 564 votes, followed by Zoning Board Chair Janice Morrell with 417 votes, activist Betty Brown with 285 votes, and Planning Board Chair Dwight Holmes, 212 votes.

Morrell campaign manager Peter Learmont, left, and Morrell supporter Royland Cain 

ORANGE - In front of the Love of Jesus Church, Peter Learmont, campaign manager for Janice Morrell, urges a Donald Page supporter to abandon her backing of the long-serving councilman and side with the Morrell campaign.

He meets resistance.

"When they tried to raise my taxes, Donald Page voted 'no,'" Ollie Marshall-Rico says.

Councilman Donald Page and Orange resident Kettely Austin 

ORANGE - Running for mayor, At-Large Councilman Donald Page voted at 7 a.m. at the YMCA on Park Avenue and High Street.

Now he drives from one polling place to the next while his campaign manager Michael Vieira puts yellow-shirted Page soldiers on the streets.

The camp is confident.

"We had some problems with some of the machines - one at Love of Jesus Church and another at the Elks, but otherwise things have gone well," said Page, a 14-year veteran of the council.

ORANGE - Newark Mayor Cory Booker todayNewark Mayor Cory Booker lent his public support to the mayoral candidacy of Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

"I know what it takes to restore hope and a new direction to a city in crisis," Booker wrote in a message to Orange voters that appeared on Hawkins campaign mailers throughout the Essex County city on the eve of the last weekend before Election Day.

"Eldridge Hawkins has the competence, good ideas and determination to create a bright future for Orange," Booker wrote of the 28-year old West Orange police officer.