Mayor Wilda Diaz

News Release
NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Urban Mayors’ Association (NJUMA) has recently transitioned to new leadership with the installation of Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz as the new president and chair of the association.

“I am sincerely honored to join the executive team of an organization that has not only impacted urban cities across the state, but all of New Jersey,” said Diaz, the first woman to serve as president of the NJUMA. “Together, we’ll continue to carry out the mission of uniting our leaders, developing our communities and best serving our residents, with our joint efforts in lobbying, providing educated feedback and shedding light on issues through open communication. I also want to thank Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith for his dedication and commitment to our urban communities.”

Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, former NJUMA chair who was recently elected president of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, said the NJUMA has a bright future under Diaz’s leadership.

“We are excited about the new leadership of Mayor Diaz as she assumes the Office of Presidency of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association,” he said. “She brings a unique perspective as a woman and Latina chief executive officer of one of New Jersey’s growing municipalities.”

In addition to Diaz, new officers include:

• Vice President – New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill
• Chair, Public Safety Committee – Pleasantville Mayor Jesse Tweedle Sr.
• Chair, Housing and Economic Development Committee – Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren
•  Chair, Public Health and Social Welfare Committee – Asbury Park Mayor Myra Campbell
• Chair, Intergovernmental Relations Committee – Roselle Mayor James Holley

Barbara George Johnson, executive director of The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy of Thomas Edison State College – which has been providing policy analysis and applied research for urban municipalities and the NJUMA since 1991 – said the institute looks forward to working with Diaz to continue its work to chart new paths to economic sustainability for New Jersey’s urban communities.

“We have had the privilege to guide the mission of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association with thoughtful and visionary leadership from former Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, the first president of NJUMA, to Mayor Wayne Smith, its outgoing president,” she said. “The NJUMA, under Mayor Smith’s presidency, emerged as a leading voice in urban municipal matters across the state. We are excited about the continued impact of NJUMA on state policy with the leadership of Mayor Diaz, who will lead the organization with grace and wisdom.”

The New Jersey Urban Mayors’ Association is dedicated to working with state and federal lawmakers and officials to develop appropriate and effective public policy measures that benefit the state’s urban centers and to help lawmakers understand how public policy affects New Jersey’s cities and municipalities.