"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With these famous words always in mind, Douglas H. Palmer took the helm of leadership in New Jersey's capital city on July 1,1990. He became Trenton's first African-American mayor.
He was born Douglas Harold Palmer on October 19, 1951 and raised in his family home on Edgewood Avenue in Trenton. Mayor Palmer attended Trenton Public Schools during his formative years and graduated from Bordentown Military Institute in Bordentown, NJ. He is a college graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management in 1973. Mayor Palmer played football and baseball while in college and was named to the all-conference baseball team in 1970, '71 and '72.
Since being elected, Mayor Palmer has made tremendous strides in re-building his hometown. He has implemented changes and improvements in every area of city government. Mayor Palmer has orchestrated plans that have increased affordable housing, expanded recreational programs, improved healthcare (particularly for children, the elderly and poor) and established partnerships that have resulted in numerous economic development projects that have created jobs for residents.
Some of the Mayor's most outstanding achievements and awards include:
Building the city's first hotel conference center;
Established the largest scale of neighborhood revitalization with decent affordable housing for working families in more than a decade (1,200 units built);
The first program in the City's history designed to ensure that local businesses receive more City contracts;
Becoming the state's leading award-winning municipality in recycling;
Creating a year-round city-wide cleanup program called "Cleaner Visions" to help keep streets and neighborhoods cleaner;
Starting a male role modeling program and an achievement awards program for students who excel in academics and extracurricular activities;
Establishing the city's annual Senior Citizens' Gala;
Winning the city's first national "City Livability Award" which is a very prestigious award given annually by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to recognize mayors for exemplary leadership in the development of effective programs that improve the quality of life in their cities;
Receiving Hampton University's outstanding "Twenty-Year Alumnus" award which is given to a 20-year alumnus who has excelled in his profession and brought honor to himself and the university by making a positive impact in the community;
Receiving the "Spirit of St. Francis" award from St. Francis Hospital in Trenton for his outstanding leadership and dedication in the field of healthcare;
Receiving the "Equal Justice Medal" from Legal Services of New Jersey for his leadership and aggressive policies in the areas of affordable housing, welfare, and other issues affecting the disadvantaged;
Receiving the 1993 State of Israel Peace Medal Award for his efforts to increase and improve relationships between the African-American and Jewish population; and
Receiving the 1993 "Tending the Garden State" Community Development Leadership Award from Worldworks Foundation of New Jersey for outstanding achievements in developing successful strategies for permanent solutions to ending hunger.
Mayor Palmer's accomplishments also are reflected in his personal life. He is active in numerous organizations, serves on several boards, is an active community leader and organizer and is a dedicated Little League Baseball supporter, following years of playing baseball and being a prospect of the Major League Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball team.
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Posted By: Joah King
Tuesday, November 1st 2005 at 3:03PM
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