During a secretly recorded conversation, Linden's first black mayor DEREK ARMSTEAD, a Democrat, expressed his desire for local residents to have first crack at positions in the school system and to keep the city from "being taken over by guys with big hats and curls.”

Publicly, Armstead has had a close relationship and lengthy family history with the Jewish community in Linden. The mayor’s grandparents resided above the first butcher shop in Linden.

Source: NJ.com