Chigozie U. Onyema, seen here speaking at a No Kings Rally, has just passed the 100-days milestone in his new position.
Chigozie U. Onyema recently passed the 100-day mark in his tenure as the representative of the 28th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly.
“It’s been a good three months,” Onyema said. “We’ve got some exciting things coming down the pike.”
Onyema won election in the fall with Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker after a June primary in which they defeated incumbent Assemblywoman Garnet Hall. They represent the Essex County towns of Irvington, Maplewood, South Orange, part of Newark and the Union County town of Hillside.
Onyema, 39, is unmarried, living in Newark’s West Ward and working as a consultant for Policy Link, a national nonprofit based in Oakland. He previously worked for Policy Link as senior director for sustainable cities, where he led a program where the goal was to drive change at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social justice in city planning.
Born in Newark, he spent his early years in the former Hill Manor Apartments, an affordable housing complex, before moving to the Hilton Neighborhood in Maplewood.
He graduated from Columbia High School and unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education just after graduation.
Onyema went on to graduate from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Afro-American Studies and earned a law degree at the New York University School of Law.
He worked as a staff attorney for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, seeking to remove employment barriers for individuals with criminal convictions. Under Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver, he was the assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, leading a policy team that evaluated the impact of state and federal legislation on the department’s programs and objectives.
As a legislator, Onyema said his agenda going forward is centered around affordability and that he and others are taking aim at three specific areas: Rent/property taxes; grocery prices; and childcare.
“We want to ban surveillance pricing in the grocery industry,” Onyema said, explaining this is where online grocery platforms use an individual’s personal data to adjust prices. “We are fighting for the strongest ban around.”
Also being targeted is the practice of landlords colluding on prices so they can get the highest rent possible.
Regarding childcare, Onyema said a bill is being developed that would make childcare more affordable, possibly by changing who qualifies for subsidies but also being looked at are ways to encourage the development of more child care facilities.
“How do we increase affordability, it could be state sponsored or subsidy based,” Onyema said.
Onyema is currently serving on three committees: Commerce and Economic Development; Consumer Affairs; and Transportation and Independent Authorities.
He has a full-time staff of two; a legislative director and a constituent affairs manager.
“I’m very meticulous and care deeply about our legislative agenda,” he said. “I pay very close attention to the bills we are putting forward, reading every bill we put forward.”
Onyema said that he is planning a Utility Relief Tour for next month, planning to visit churches, libraries, recreation centers and other places to talk to people about utility bills and what to do if you are having trouble paying those bills.
“We want to make sure people have access to utility relief,” Onyema said. “We want to hit every part of our district with the Utility Relief Tour.”
On a big picture basis, Onyema wants to attack systematic inequalities in the state.
“Big tech is really reshaping our economy,” he said, adding it’s important for legislators to be mindful of this and thoughtful about privacy laws
He also said it’s important for states to do this since the federal government has abdicated its responsibilities in this area.
“Somebody has to stand up for the little guy,” Onyema said. “Corporations have lobbyists . Legislators have to advocate for the working family.”
The 28th District is somewhat unique in that it covers both urban and suburban areas.
“We have nearly everything inside of our district that is not rural,” he said. “Go down South Orange Avenue and you see the range of socioeconomic” circumstances.
That uniqueness, however, presents a unique opportunity to think about the challenges and how to make life better for all families, he said.
“We intend to be fully present in the district,” Onyema said. “We intend to fight for working people. We want to bring some creativity to this work.”
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