About Council Member
Darrin S. Sharif

Contact: (973) 733-5870

Councilman Sharif was elected as the Central Ward Council Member in June 2010. He was born and raised in Newark, attending Newark Public Schools, and eventually graduating magna Cum Laude from Rutgers University-Newark campus.

Over the last 33 years Councilman Sharif has been actively involved with public service and electoral politics. After an early introduction to the political process, he has since played critical roles in campaigns to elect local officials to the Newark Public School Board and the Newark Municipal Council. He also developed a detailed knowledge of county government while serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Confidential Aide to former Essex County Executive Nicholas A. Amato and as an Assistant to the Director of Administrative Services for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. His understanding of the complexities of local government increased during a two-year period from 1998 to 2000 when he served on the Newark Municipal Council staff.

His experience is not limited to the political arena. He worked as an Accounting Assistant for the Newark Board of Education for five years. Councilman Sharif also worked as a Teacher’s Assistant for the Bruce Street School, a school for the hearing impaired housed in George Washington Carver Elementary School. For the last five years, he has served as the Director of Operations for the Urban League of Essex County, one of America’s most respected civil rights and social service agencies. There, he works directly with kids, their parents and residents who need job training and other assistance.

Councilman Sharif’s plans for his tenure include building strong partnerships that enable neighborhoods to solve their own problems. His political, community and government experience has given him a deep understanding of the tough challenges ahead of us, and how we must work together to overcome them.