Melvin Randolph "Randy" Primas, Jr. (August 31, 1949 – March 1, 2012) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

from 1981 to 1990. He was succeeded by fellow African American Aaron A. Thomson.

Biography

Early life

Primas was raised in

as a member of one of the city's most prominent families. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1971. Primas then joined the Black People's Unity Movement when he returned to Camden. Before becoming mayor, Primas was the Vice President of Burger King Entities, an economic-development program sponsored by the Black People's Unity Movement.

Political career

Primas was elected to the Camden City Council when he was just 23 years old, quickly rising to become the council's president. In the early 1980s, Camden Mayor

Angelo Errichetti Angelo Joseph Errichetti (September 29, 1928 – May 16, 2013) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and in the New Jersey Senate before being indicted during Abscam. Early life Angelo Joseph Err ...

was indicted by U.S. federal authorities in the wake of the

Abscam Abscam, sometimes written ABSCAM, was a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members from both chambers of the United States Congress and others for bribery and co ...

scandal and Primas subsequently won the 1981 mayoral election, becoming the first African-American mayor in the city's history. He was 31 years old at the time of his election. Primas would be elected to three consecutive terms in the mayor's office, serving until 1990. However, his support for several

urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

projects, including the construction of the now demolished

Riverfront State Prison Riverfront State Prison (RSP) is a former prison in Camden, New Jersey, that was operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections from August 12, 1985, to 2009. It was located in the neighborhood of Cooper Point at the intersection of Delawa ...

, earned him criticism from some community leaders and residents. Primas left office in 1990 when

New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Jim Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dis ...

appointed to him as the Commissioner on the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

, succeeding Anthony M. Villane.Gonzales, Patrisia
"Primas Job May Go To Thompson Council Makes Its Pick Today"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', January 17, 1990. Accessed September 1, 2016. "Primas succeeds Anthony M. Villane Jr. of Monmouth County, who headed the agency since July 1988 after six terms in the General Assembly." He served as a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

for

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. Founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents, the scho ...

from 1993 to 1999. Primas worked as an executive for Commerce Capital Markets, which was part of Commerce Bank at the time, during the early 2000. In 2002, Primas was appointed the first

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

(COO) of Camden by the state government, shortly before New Jersey took control of the city. He retired from the post in 2006 following a public dispute with Community Affairs Commissioner

Susan Bass Levin Susan Bass Levin is the current President and CEO of Cooper University Health System's Cooper Foundation. Levin is a Democratic Party politician in New Jersey, and previously served as First Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New ...

over a memorandum of understanding which Primas had refused to sign. Primas moved to

Fort Mill, South Carolina Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 24,521. Some businesses and residents in th ...

, following his retirement. He was later diagnosed with bone-marrow cancer and died at a hospital in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, on March 1, 2012, at the age of 62. He was survived by his wife, Bonita, and two sons, Melvin Primas III and Craig Primas. Primas' funeral, which was held at the St. John Baptist Church in East Camden, was attended by numerous Camden and New Jersey political dignitaries, including Camden Mayor

Dana Redd Dana L. Redd (born March 7, 1968) is an American Democratic politician who was the Mayor of Camden, from 2010 to 2018. Redd was in the New Jersey Senate from January 8, 2008, to January 5, 2010, representing the 5th Legislative District. Educa ...

, former Mayor

Gwendolyn Faison Gwendolyn A. Faison (February 14, 1925 – July 10, 2021) was an American Democratic politician. Faison held the office of Mayor of Camden, New Jersey from 2000 to 2010. She was the city's first female mayor, as well as the first African-America ...

, U.S. Rep.

Rob Andrews Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. He is a membe ...

, Former Governor Jim Florio, state Senator

Donald Norcross Donald W. Norcross (born December 13, 1958) is an American politician and labor leader who is the U.S. representative for in South Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross was first elected to this congressional seat in 2014, followi ...

, and state Assemblyman Gilbert "Whip" Wilson. Camden Mayor Redd ordered all municipal flags to fly at half staff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primas, Randy 2012 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey Mayors of Camden, New Jersey New Jersey city council members New Jersey Democrats African-American mayors in New Jersey Howard University alumni People from Fort Mill, South Carolina 1949 births Commissioners of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs African-American state cabinet secretaries Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States American chief operating officers 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians