Gus Newport

Eugene "Gus" Newport (April 5, 1935 – June 17, 2023) was an American politician who was the mayor of Berkeley, California, from 1979 to 1986. He later worked to help the Gulfport, Mississippi, community rebuild in the wake of damage from Hurricane Katrina.[1] He was the second African American mayor of Berkeley.[2]

Gus Newport
Mayor of Berkeley, California
In office
1979–1986
Preceded byWarren Widener
Succeeded byLoni Hancock
Personal details
Born(1935-04-05)April 5, 1935
DiedJune 17, 2023(2023-06-17) (aged 88)
Political partyBerkeley Citizens Action

Mayoralty

Newport was elected mayor in 1979 with the backing of Berkeley Citizens Action, a coalition of progressives, radicals and reformers. The BCA ran on a campaign of economic reform, inspired by a 1976 document, "The Cities’ Wealth: Programs for Community Economic Control in Berkeley, California."[3][4] He held the mayoralty from 1979 to 1986.[5][6]

Political views

Newport endorsed U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.[7][8][9]

Personal life and death

Newport was born on April 5, 1935.[10] He died on June 17, 2023, at the age of 88.[11]

See also

Notes
  1. New Economics Institute, "Interview with Gus Newport" Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Murphy, Tim (February 24, 2016). "Meet the Ex-President Stumping for Sanders". Mother Jones. A former black nationalist, he and Sanders became friends while they were both serving as mayors in the 1980s.
  3. Stephen Barton, "Progressive Cities and Neighborhood Planning: Berkeley, CA" http://progressivecities.org/project/cities/berkeley-ca/
  4. Pierre Clavel, "Activists in City Hall: The Progressive Response to the Reagan Era in Boston and Chicago"
  5. David Mundstock, "Berkeley in the 1970s" http://berkeleyinthe70s.homestead.com/
  6. David Mundstock, "Berkeley in the 1970s" http://berkeleyinthe70s.homestead.com/files/v-7980.htm
  7. Graves, Lucia [@lucia_graves] (23 Feb 2016). "Former mayor of Berkeley Gus Newport stumping for Sanders in SC: "This is a revolution about love...so get ready to march you all."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Wiener, Aaron. "Is Bernie Sanders a NIMBY?". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  9. "Actor Danny Glover, Gus Newport to Campaign in Tulsa For Bernie Sanders". kjrh.com. Scripps Local Media. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. "Norman ("Gus") Newport". embracingelsalvador.org. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  11. "Former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport, global social justice activist, dies". East Bay Times. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.


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