NEWARK – Catacorner to the  balloon wreathed podium where Mayor Ras Baraka made his reelection announcement to much fanfare sat a familiar tanned face crowned by a shock of bright white hair.

It was former U.S. Senator Bob “The Torch” Torricelli, who continues to make the rounds of political events ahead of next year’s U.S. Senate contest. Unlike a lot of the other people in attendance at the event, Torricelli – like former Governor Dick Codey – was an early Baraka supporter.