East Orange’s annual Tree-lighting and Toy Giveaway is mayor’s final holiday event

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor presided over his fourth and final annual Tree-lighting and Toy Giveaway at City Hall Plaza on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m.

“Everybody say, ‘Thank you, Mayor Taylor,’ for all the things that he has done for this city and this community, including this annual Tree Lighting and Toy Giveaway,” said Recreation Department and Cultural Affairs Director Osner Charles at the event. This led to a rousing cheer from the hundreds in attendance.

“Today is our annual Tree-lighting and Toy Giveaway, so we have hundreds and hundreds of children and families here, to just kickoff the holiday season. It’s the season of giving and that’s what we’re here for and what we’re doing: giving back to our community.”

Taylor, who attended the event with his wife, Bibi Taylor, and their two children, reciprocated by thanking the East Orange community for allowing him and his family to represent them for the last four years.

“Hashtag urban excellence. That’s all I can say,” said Taylor on Tuesday, Dec. 5. “I will admit that this year is a bit bittersweet. I have three weeks and five days left on my term as mayor. I’m very proud about the accomplishments that we have enjoyed over the past four years. This right here kind of tops it all off. Children around here with their families; the weather cooperated — it’s not raining, it’s warm out here. And so I’m just very happy that people are out enjoying the holiday season in a very safe city, a city that represents urban excellence and a city that has so much to be proud about.”

Taylor also took a little time from the celebration to enumerate his administration’s various accomplishments during the last four years.

“We have $750 million in investment in our city. We have development happening in every single ward of our city; something for everyone,” said Taylor. “We’re not gentrifying East Orange, we’re adding to our population, growing our population, growing our economy. I just thank the residents for having the faith and confidence in me to represent this great city.”

As children and adults filled City Hall Plaza and lined up to greet Santa Claus and receive gifts from him and the Recreation Department’s Team EO youth volunteers, the mayor led the countdown to Santa’s actual arrival atop one of the East Orange Fire Division’s trucks, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Santa shook hands and posed for pictures with everyone waiting on line in City Hall Plaza, before leading everyone inside to Council Chambers, where the Cicely Tyson Elementary School chorus performed Christmas carols and other seasonal songs. After this, the Cicely Tyson Middle School chorus, which had set up on the steps in the City Hall Rotunda, began to sing its own set of seasonal songs, while 4th Ward Councilman Casim Gomez, Recreation Department employees and volunteers began giving away toys, hot chocolate, cookies and other refreshments.

“We’ve all got to have a passion and it’s got to be focused toward our kids, toward our city, period,” said Khalfani Alleyne, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent 2nd Ward Councilman Romal Bullock for his seat in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 6. Alleyne has remained active in the city community with events such as the recent “Snacksgiving,” where he hand-delivered snacks to city schoolchildren during the school day, as well as the Tree-lighting and Toy Giveaway.

“We got some things coming up, but after the New Year. On Thanksgiving, I was with the 3rd Ward councilman-elect, Bergson Leneus, handing out soup joumou, a really popular Haitian soup that we were giving out to the less fortunate. Wherever positivity is being spread and being shared, I’m all about lending myself and my resources to that purpose,” Alleyne said.

Naimah Hall of the Passion For Purpose nonprofit organization was also at the event, and agreed with him: “If you enjoy it, you’re going to love doing what you do.” She added, “On Dec. 16, I will be with Joi’s Angels. I am one of their sponsors. I will be down at Essex County College, where we are having a carnival for the youth, and also on Christmas morning, Passion For Purpose will be in University Hospital giving toys to all the children in the hospital.”

Kaleena Koon, a clerk in the recreation department, said she was optimistic that the changes Taylor has made to transform East Orange into a destination city will continue after he has left office.

“It will be sad, especially to see the mayor go. He’s been a great influence to the city. I just hope that we can continue on striving for excellence in the city with our new administration,” Koon said Tuesday, Dec. 5.

  Bibi Taylor, Mayor Lester Taylor, Naimah Hall