Business View Magazine - June 2016 135
was the cleanest city in the country,” he says. “We’re
a safe city and that’s something that we need to rec-
ognize. Not all urban cities are plagued with some of
the challenges or problems that we hear about across
the country.” In a community that is over 85 percent
African-American, East Orange’s police force touts
similar percentages. “Our police department is 80 per-
cent African-American,” says Taylor. “And that’s why,
not only are we one of the safest communities with our
demographics in the state, if not the country, we also
don’t have a lot of the issues of alleged brutality and
abuse of power that you see, in part, because our men
and women who protect our community are aware of,
and respect, the culture and the people they serve.”
As East Orange embarks on its resurgence under its
bold new leadership, Taylor reflects on how he sees
his administration confronting the challenges ahead.
“I think we represent transformational leadership,” he
says, making sure to give credit to a City Council that
strongly supports his initiatives. “I think we represent
how municipal government should be operated just
like a for-profit enterprise that understands what busi-
ness and service you’re offering; finding out the best
ways to deliver that service in a cost-efficient and ex-
pedient manner; and also evaluating what works and
doubling down on it, and what doesn’t work and being
brave enough to acknowledge that there’s a different
and better way of doing things.”
Finding a better way of doing things is how East Or-
ange, New Jersey is “setting the standard for urban
excellence.”
PREFERRED VENDOR
American Wear
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East Orange hired a new team of employees solely dedicated to cleaning up
vacant and abandoned properties in the city
