About The Honorable Ted R. Green

Ted R. Green was raised in East Orange, New Jersey and attended East Orange Public Schools. He graduated from East Orange High School in 1981 and furthered his education by attending Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, where he majored in Business Management. He then attended Rutgers University where he received his certification as a Housing Counselor. Over the past 20+ years, he has distinguished himself as a professional in the field of Property Maintenance and Housing Revitalization. From 1990 until 1997, Ted Green served as the Assistant Compliance Officer for the City of East Orange. From 2002 until 2006, he was the Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Irvington Townships’ Housing Division. In 2011, Ted Green graduated from Lincoln University and received his Master of Arts Degree in Human Services.

Ted Green has been active in East Orange political and civic affairs for over 25 years. He is a member of the Third Ward Democratic Municipal County Committee and is active in East Orange Block Associations and Civic Groups. He is also a former Aide to New Jersey State Senator Richard Codey and served as an appointed member to the East Orange Housing Authority to which he would also serve as Council Liaison.

On January 1, 2006, Ted Green was sworn in as a member of the East Orange City Council representing the Third Ward — a major milestone in a career that has been dedicated to public service.  As Third Ward Councilman, Ted Green served as Chairman of Business and Development for the City, and on January 1, 2015, he was elected as the Chairman of the East Orange City Council, a position he held for two years. On January 1, 2018, he was sworn in as the 14th  Mayor of the City of East Orange after winning an overwhelming 96% of the vote.

Mayor Green recognized in his early years the need for positive programs and activities for youth in East Orange. In response to this need, in 1990, he founded the Green’s School of Martial Arts.  Not only does he provide instruction and discipline of martial arts, he also offers enrichment and mentoring programs, as well as cultural activities for his students.  As an elected official, he has expanded his scope of involvement and has implemented community outreach initiatives and sponsored multiple pieces of legislation, including:

• Ordinance 41:2015 prohibiting the sale, offer or possession of any toy gun or imitation firearm which looks real to a minor or adult within the City of East Orange. This legislation was endorsed by now Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and presented on the State Senate Floor.
• Legislation to protect homeowners from foreclosure through the City’s Moratorium Act and sponsored a resolution through the Law and Legislative Committee to provide tax abatement assistance to East Orange residents.
• Co-Sponsored legislation for funds received from the federal stimulus plan to include job training and apprenticeship programming for local residents.
• Sponsored a resolution in support of President Barack Obama’s gun control and mental health initiative.
• Developed and instituted an expungement programs for ex-offenders in an effort to incorporate them back into the community and to make them assets to the community.
• Sponsored a Back to School initiative and the “Fathers Walk” to give the fathers of East Orange School District students the opportunity to walk their children to school on the first day of school and meet their teachers, classmates and other fathers in the community.

Mayor Green has received a plethora of citations, awards and accolades for his exemplary commitment and dedication to community service. A select few of them are:

• 2003 HANDS Incorporated Award for Community Leadership and Service.
• 2004 Golconda Temple #24 Community Service Award.
• 2004 M.A.U.I.I. Community Service Award.
• 2004 New Jersey Governors State Public Service Recognition Award.
• 2007 NAACP of the Oranges and Maplewood President's Award.
• 2009 East Orange YMCA Minority Achiever of the Year Award.
• 2016 President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Service Award.
• 2017 1000 Shades of Women Community Empowerment Award.
• 2018 Upsilon Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s NJ Outstanding Public Official Award.
• 2018 Project Re-Direct Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2018 St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church Men’s Day Award.  

While on City Council, Mayor Green also has effectively served as a member of every standing committee including Liaison to the Mayor, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the New Jersey Legislature, the United States Congress, the East Orange Parking Authority, the Board of School Estimates, the Personnel Committee and Negotiations Team. Mayor Green currently oversees a $150 million budget, and within his first year in office as Mayor, has saved the city over $140,000 by bringing street sweeping back “in house” as opposed to paying a contractor to clean the streets in the community.

Mayor Green also developed the hugely successful and widely-recognized “Mayor on the Block” clean up and community engagement initiative. With members of Property Maintenance, Public Works, Health and Human Services, Public Safety, and Constituent Services, Mayor Green walks through sections of each ward on a bi-weekly basis to assess needs and concerns of residents and address areas that need cleaning, rehabilitation and improved safety. The goal of Mayor Green is to cover every block in every ward. In 2018, Mayor Green covered more than 65% of the city.

Under his administration, crime decreased an additional 17% between 2018-2019 with more than 50 new police officers on the streets, while an unprecedented $1 billion of private capital is currently being invested in the city.    

A proud member of the Eta Pi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Mayor Green is married to June Green and is the father of sons Eric Lamar and Salahuddin and the grandfather of four.