Biography of New Jersey Voter Information :: Legislative Races 2003 (original) (raw)

Biography:

Sheila Y. Oliver has been involved in state government for over 30 years and has a long history of leadership in Essex County politics where she continues to be an ardent and articulate voice for the inclusion of women at all levels in local, county and state government. In 1997, she became the first woman to launch a competitive campaign for the Mayor in the City of East Orange, New Jersey, losing the election by a mere 51 votes.

As an activist and advocate for disenfranchised populations since 1968, Sheila was one of the founders of the Newark Coalition for Low Income Housing, an organization that successfully sued the Newark Housing Authority (NHA) an the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in federal court to block the demolition of all publicly subsidized low income housing in Newark. This action was necessary because there was no plan in place for the construction of replacement housing for low-income Newark residents. As a result, the Newark Housing Authority was directed by a federal consent order to build one-for-one replacement housing for low-income residents. The townhouse developments that have been built by the NHA in the past eight years are the direct result of the Coalition�s efforts.

Sheila was a member of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1996 � 1999 and is currently the director of Essex County Department of Citizen Service and Department of Economic Development, Training and Employment.

This information is based on a submission to the Eagleton Institute of Politics by the candidate.