Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Ceremonial Street Designation
Honoree: Rolando Velasquez
Date(s): TBD
Official Street Name(s): Intersection of Summer Avenue and Verona Avenue
Ceremonial Intersection Name: Rolando Velasquez Boulevard
Sponsor: Council Member, Luis A. Quintana
Additional Information:
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WHEREAS, Ordinance 6PDF-e, adopted on May 20, 2015, authorizes the designation of an intersection, for honorary and ceremonial purposes; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Rolando Velasquez, a lifelong resident of Newark’s North Ward, was a prominent leader in New Jersey’s and the City of Newark’s Puerto Rican community for over fifty (50) years; and
WHEREAS, after returning to Newark from his service during the Vietnam War, Velasquez became passionate about political change and was a prominent voice in the City of Newark’s historic Black and Puerto Rican Convention, which forged an alliance that produced the election of the City’s First African-American Mayor, the Honorable Kenneth A. Gibson; and
WHEREAS, Velasquez worked for over twenty-five (25) years with the New Jersey State Department of the Public Defender’s Office and served as Chairman of the Board of the Newark Housing Authority, in addition to serving as a Trustee and Commissioner at the ASPIRA, Inc,; and
WHEREAS, a founding member of numerous Puerto Rican and Hispanic organizations and causes, Velasquez was an iconic presence in Newark’ social and civic circles where he remained unpretentious and unselfishly participated in many Newark civic, business and religious organizations over the years and received numerous community and humanitarian service awards for his dedication to Newark’s progress.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council hereby authorizes the honorary and ceremonial renaming of the intersection of Summer Avenue and Verona Avenue as “Rolando Velasquez Boulevard”.
2. The official name of the said streets shall remain Summer Avenue and Verona Avenue.
STATEMENT
This resolution authorizes the renaming of the intersection of Summer Avenue and Verona Avenue as “Rolando Velasquez Boulevard” for honorary and ceremonial purposes.