Sabre Burroughs

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Sabre Burroughs

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 7, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

The College of New Jersey, 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Newark, N.J.

Profession

Co-founder of the Newark Water Coalition

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Sabre Burroughs (Democratic Party) ran for election for an at-large seat of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders in New Jersey. She lost in the Democratic primary on July 7, 2020.

Burroughs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sabre Burroughs was born in Newark, New Jersey. She earned a bachelor's degree from the College of New Jersey in 2013. Burroughs' career experience includes being the co-founder of the Newark Water Coalition.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Essex County, New Jersey (2020)

General election

General election for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patricia Sebold (D)	19.6	247,302
✔		Brendan Gill (D)	19.4	245,701
✔		Rufus Johnson (D)	19.3	244,645
✔		Romaine Graham (D)	19.1	241,755
	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi (R)	5.8	73,053
	Submit photo	Monique Headen (R)	5.6	70,949
	Submit photo	Gynise Gotto (R)	5.6	70,797
	Submit photo	Bernarda Quezada (R)	5.6	70,475

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,264,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Romaine Graham	22.4	78,221
✔		Patricia Sebold	21.2	74,055
✔		Brendan Gill	20.5	71,657
✔		Rufus Johnson	20.5	71,533
		Simone Jelks-Bandison	5.3	18,546
		Anthony Diaz	5.2	18,022
		Sabre Burroughs	4.9	17,170

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 349,204
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

Alexandra Campisi, Monique Headen, Gynise Gotto, and Bernarda Quezada advanced from the Republican primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi	25.4	9,559
✔	Submit photo	Monique Headen	25.0	9,432
✔	Submit photo	Gynise Gotto	25.0	9,425
✔	Submit photo	Bernarda Quezada	24.6	9,282

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 37,698
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sabre Burroughs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Burroughs' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Sabre Burroughs. I am a Newark, New Jersey based community advocate and educator in social justice and vegan nutrition. As co-founder of the Newark Water Coalition, I have engaged with residents in and around my home city on issues of water rights since 2018, as well as affordable housing with Newark Homes for All. Currently, I am running for Freeholder-at-Large in Essex County (line B).

Throughout my childhood, I grew up in a family of activists and organizers, which gave me early training in effective community engagement and methods of building social cohesion. I first began to apply and build on these skills in my role as Vice President of my high school class, and later as Vice President of the Amnesty International chapter at the College of New Jersey. In addition, I also was a student-leader of PRISM (an on-campus LGBTQIA advocacy organization), leading public relations and communications.

I hold a dual BA in English and Women & Gender Studies (Political Science minor), from the College of New Jersey where I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I also competed a certification in Sports Nutrition with the International Sports Medicine Association (AAAI/ISMA). I am an alumni of INROADS, a multinational non-profit organization apart of business, community and corporate networks.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The top thing I want to accomplish as Freeholder is to raise the standard for transparency with County expenditures.
• We need fiscal oversight for public health and environmental justice issues.
• We deserve public accountability and reallocation of funds for law enforcement at the municipal and county levels, including contracts with ICE.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Essex County has more cases of asthma in adults and children than the rest of the state. We need to invest in green initiatives. I want to improve the transparency on decisions that have an environmental impact. For this we need more public conversations, proper oversight and audit.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

What is unique about this office is being able to see where the money for the county is invested. It is so important to know who is in charge of the funding and how it is allocated to the different cities in the county to ensure equity.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Shirley Chisholm is a giant in my eyes. She ran a fierce campaign grounded in public policy and calculated timing. I model my own campaign admiring her intellect and audacity. She was representative of what needed to be said for the for the era, though her words are timeless. In her determination she served as a prime model for a candidate of the people.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Jackson Rising by Kali Akuno & Ajamu Nangwaya Cooperation Jackson, has provided examples of how residents can organize shared services and cooperatives to have greater power in their own communities.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was about 9 years old when the destruction of the World Trade Center changed the conditions of privacy and travel for the entire world.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 16 when I first started working at the New Community Extended Care Facility, on South Orange Avenue in Newark, NJ. The official job title was assistant to the Director. What I actually did over that summer was revise and edit the entire Employee Handbook. The first copy was created on a type writer and needed a new pair of eyes and a person who was quick on the computer.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Escape by Rupert Holmes.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

A struggle in my life, as a vegan nutritionist, has been seeing so many families in low income situations suffer health complications because they lack the resources to commit to better eating habits to improve the lives of themselves and their families.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Residents ought to know that the Freeholder can pass ordinances and resolutions in the county. It is my belief that the meetings would be better attended if residents were made fully aware of that power.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is important for any person holding office to have a strong, informed team of people who know the law and have roots in the community. It is beneficial for holders of this office to have a keen eye for detail and ears that stretch large to comprehend the voices in each corner of the county.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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