I’m Jhamar Youngblood, a proud Newark, NJ native with a deep passion for entrepreneurship and educating and inspiring the youth. I attended Newark Public Schools for grammar school and St. Benedict’s Preparatory School for middle school, where I began developing the discipline and drive that would shape my future. Basketball became a major part of my life in Newark and helped open academic doors, earning me a scholarship to play for the renowned St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth. My continued dedication and hard work earned me another basketball scholarship that paved the way for both my academic and athletic career at the collegiate level.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I furthered my academic journey at Dartmouth College, where I pursued a master’s degree in Globalization Studies. This experience not only expanded my understanding of global issues but also equipped me with the insights necessary to address local challenges in my community. By applying global perspectives to local contexts, I was able to create impactful, socially-conscious solutions through activism and entrepreneurship that directly benefit the people of Newark. For example, I partnered with the Newark Board of Education to build software that enabled public high school students to communicate with their mentors during the pandemic and secured a $50,000 grant from the city of Newark to develop a safety feature in one of my apps designed to protect women and teens from domestic abuse and street attacks.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve focused on developing innovative software that addresses real-world challenges. Now, I’m combining my experiences in sports, education, and business to run for local office in my hometown of Newark, NJ, while also serving on the board of my high school. My mission is to inspire the next generation and lead Newark into a future where opportunity and growth are accessible to all.
Ending corruption starts with full financial transparency so residents can clearly see how public money is being used. The city should publish all spending, contracts, and payments in real time on a public website. This should include detailed line items showing exactly which vendors are paid and for what. Instead of waiting for yearly reports, the city should release simple monthly updates that explain where money is going. The contracting process must be open and easy to understand. All contracts should be posted before they are approved, and the city should use a clear scoring system to decide who wins each bid. Every decision should come with a written explanation. No-bid and emergency contracts should only be allowed in real emergencies, with clear proof and public notice. Pay-to-play practices must be stopped. Contractors, developers, and vendors doing business with the city should not be allowed to donate to political campaigns. All donations connected to city business should be publicly listed. If a company that donated is awarded a contract, it should automatically be reviewed to make sure the process was fair. The city should create an independent Inspector General with the power to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse. This office should not report to the mayor. It should report directly to the public and provide regular updates. There should also be a safe and anonymous way for workers and residents to report wrongdoing. The purchasing process should be upgraded using a digital system that tracks every step. Each action should be recorded and time-stamped so it can be reviewed. Different people should be randomly selected to review bids to reduce favoritism and increase fairness. Strong conflict of interest rules must be enforced. Top officials should share their financial information every year. If they have a personal or financial connection to a decision, they must step away from it. The city should keep a public record of these disclosures and recusals so residents can review them. Whistleblowers need strong protection. Workers who report corruption should be protected by law and allowed to report anonymously. Every report should be reviewed within a set time so issues are not ignored or delayed. City departments should be measured by clear results. Each department should have goals, and the public should be able to track performance through simple dashboards. If a program is not working, it should be reviewed and fixed or replaced. All meetings with lobbyists and developers should be made public. Officials should report these meetings within 48 hours, including what was discussed and what decisions were made. This prevents secret deals and builds trust. There must also be real consequences. Officials under serious investigation should be suspended while the case is reviewed. Companies involved in corruption should be banned from city contracts, and any stolen money should be recovered. The goal is simple: every decision and every dollar must be visible, tracked, and accountable to the public.
Cleaning streets starts with clear responsibility and consistent service. The city should assign specific teams to defined areas so every block has a known schedule for cleaning. Residents should know exactly when their street will be cleaned each week, and that schedule should be easy to access online and posted in neighborhoods. Sanitation services should be modernized with better equipment and tracking. Garbage trucks and street sweepers should use GPS so the city can confirm routes are completed on time. Public dashboards should show which streets were cleaned and when, so there is accountability. If a route is missed, it should be flagged and completed within 24 hours. Trash collection needs to be more reliable and frequent in high-traffic areas. Busy corridors, commercial zones, and areas with heavy foot traffic should have daily or near-daily cleaning. Public trash cans should be placed where they are actually needed and emptied regularly to prevent overflow. Illegal dumping must be addressed with strong enforcement and fast response. The city should install cameras in known dumping areas and issue fines to offenders. At the same time, there should be simple and legal ways for residents to dispose of large items, such as scheduled bulk pickup days and accessible drop-off locations. Residents should be able to report issues easily. A mobile app or text system should allow people to report trash, missed pickups, or dirty streets in seconds. Each report should create a ticket that is tracked publicly so residents can see when it will be resolved. Property owners and businesses must also be held accountable. Clear rules should require them to keep sidewalks and areas in front of their buildings clean. Fines should be enforced for repeated violations, especially for businesses that generate large amounts of waste. The city should invest in prevention, not just cleanup. This includes public education on proper trash disposal, more recycling options, and incentives for reducing waste. Schools and community groups can be involved to build long-term habits around cleanliness. Performance should be measured and shared publicly. Each sanitation zone should have clear standards, and results should be posted regularly so residents can see which areas are meeting expectations and which are not. Supervisors should be held responsible for maintaining clean streets in their assigned areas. Finally, there must be consequences for failure. Missed routes, delayed responses, and poor performance should lead to immediate correction and review. The goal is simple: every street should be clean, every day, with a system that residents can see, trust, and rely on.
Creating jobs requires the city to take a more active role in building and controlling its own economy. One key step is increasing insourcing, which means bringing work that is currently outsourced to private companies back into city operations. This includes areas like maintenance, technology services, customer support, and construction support. By doing this, the city can create stable jobs for residents, reduce costs over time, and keep more money circulating within Newark instead of sending it outside the city. The Newark water system and watershed should be expanded into a stronger economic engine. The city already controls valuable water infrastructure and land through its watershed. This can be used to generate revenue by improving water management, investing in infrastructure upgrades, and exploring opportunities to provide services beyond the city when possible. These efforts would require engineers, technicians, environmental specialists, and maintenance workers, creating a wide range of jobs for residents while strengthening a critical public asset. The watershed itself can also be developed in a responsible way to support job creation. This includes environmental management, conservation work, and controlled public access projects such as trails or educational programs. These initiatives create jobs in environmental services, tourism support, and public programming while protecting the land and maintaining water quality. Transportation expansion is another major driver of job growth. The city should actively lobby for the expansion of the Newark Light Rail to better connect neighborhoods, business districts, and regional transit hubs. Expanding transit access makes it easier for residents to reach jobs and encourages businesses to invest in Newark. Construction of new lines and stations also creates immediate jobs, while long-term operations provide permanent employment opportunities. The city should also prioritize local hiring across all projects. Any major development, infrastructure project, or city-funded initiative should include clear requirements for hiring Newark residents. Training programs should be aligned with these projects so residents can gain the skills needed to fill these roles, ensuring that job creation directly benefits the local community. Finally, the city should track job creation and economic impact with clear data. Public dashboards should show how many jobs are being created, where they are located, and who is being hired. This ensures accountability and allows residents to see whether these efforts are actually improving economic conditions. The goal is to build a system where Newark creates, supports, and sustains its own jobs while strengthening key public assets and infrastructure.
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!