Michael Silva elected East Ward Councilman

Michael Silva declared victory in the East Ward this Tuesday evening over  Anthony Campos shortly after polls closed, leading 1,509 votes to 1,131 votes with 22 of 23 districts reporting.

Silva, a 28-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, advanced to the runoff after he was the top vote-getter in the city’s May nonpartisan municipal elections, where he received 35.62% of the vote. Campos, a former public safety director, trailed close behind, receiving 34.46% of the vote.

In the weeks leading up to the runoff, Silva received key backing from notable elected officials in Newark. He also received support from the powerful North Ward Democratic Committee, perhaps Newark’s most powerful and influential political organization. 

Upon claiming victory in the East Ward runoff contest, Silva thanked his supporters for electing him to the council seat.

“There’s no way I could have ever envisioned this. I’m blessed. I’m grateful to all of you,” Silva told his supporters at an election night event at Adega Bar and Grill in the Ironbound. “This community, along with my family, is now the most important thing in my life. And I will make sure that from this day forward that every ounce of my heart goes toward making the East Ward, the Ironbound, a better place for all its residents.”

Silva and Campos vied for an open seat after incumbent Augusto Amador, who held the post for close to a quarter of a century, declared in September 2021 that he would not run for reelection.

The closely contested East Ward race emulated the 2018 election between Amador and Campos, which advanced to a runoff after neither candidate received the 50% plus one vote needed to win the seat outright. In the runoff, Amador bested Campos to win the council seat by a razor-thin margin.

With Silva elected to the seat, he will shoulder the responsibility of representing the East Ward for the next four years and will play a critical role in overseeing the neighborhood’s changing landscape. The ward is already undergoing significant redevelopment, with the potential to attract more developers given its proximity to Newark Penn Station.