Cory Booker: Egomaniac?

Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Michael Luciano, a conservative writer at PolicyMic, argues yes: "Unsurprisingly, Newark's mayor was not actually in Newark for a whopping 21.7% of the days between January 2011 and July 2012, according to the Star-Ledger. Booker also has the annoying habit of transforming others' personal distress into fuel for his personal marketing machine. After a snowstorm struck the city in December 2010, he answered some pleas from residents who were snowed in. In a few cases, Booker himself helped shovel people out, and he was eager to tweet his good deeds to the world. Of course, as the New York Times pointed out, Newark 'streets remained impassable for days because the city had no contract for snow removal.' That's because Booker sells the sizzle, not the steak."

Mr. Luciano continues his commentary about the moderate-liberal Democratic politician: "In April 2012, Booker rescued his neighbor's daughter from a burning house. Heroic as this was, he undermined his brave act by immodestly holding a 20-minute press conference about it. And once again as the Times observed, Booker's theatrics served to obscure an inconvenient reality: the city 'had eliminated three fire companies after the mayor’s plan to plug a budget hole failed.'"

More from Mr. Luciano: "By now, Booker's barely-restrained egomania should be apparent even to casual observers of his mayorship, and this trait lends itself to taking certain liberties that can cause serious trouble for politicians. Given the city of Newark's dire financial situation and atrocious poverty rates, it needs a full-time mayor — not a celebrity interested in building his own brand."