NEWARK – Mayor Ras Baraka and his ticket mates appeared at City Hall this morning, smiles crinkling their eyes above masks, acknowledging cheering and clapping, walking single file in the long wraparound hallway toward the clerk’s office like a crew of astronauts on their way to a deep space launch.

Actually, they were just submitting close to 20,000 petition signatures, but the palpable energy around them at the crowded event signaled decided citywide strength.

Baraka reshuffled the team this year, as he seeks to secure a third, four-year term on May 10th.

He doesn’t have a significant challenger, or so say the signs around him, but a few of his allies are likely to find themselves in key battles, especially in a couple of the wards.

Five new candidates accompanied the mayor and his other allies to deposit their petition signatures to qualify to appear on the ballot in the coming contest. As expected, the mayor supplanted John Sharpe James with Pat Council as his third ward candidate; Joe McCallum with DoItAll Kelly as his West Ward candidate; Mildred Crump with Larry Crump for one of four at-large seats; At-Large Councilman Eddie Osborne with Louise Rountree; and, in place of retiring East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, former policeman Louis Weber.

Four others: Central Ward Councilwoman Lamonica McIver, At-Large Councilman Luis Quintana, North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, and At-Large Councilman Carlos Gonzalez, remain in place on the ticket.

“They bring new energy,” the mayor told InsiderNJ. “New people bring new ideas. We want to try to give an opportunity to other folks it, and it brings excitement to the campaign.”

A longtime ally of Baraka, Council heads the city recreation department.

“Patrick Council has been a staple of the South Ward for a long time, with programs like Jackie Robinson Little League; all the recreation in some way has been impacted by Reverend Council,” said Baraka, reflecting on his choice for the mayor’s home ward. “This gives him an opportunity to spread his wings after all the time he has been taking a back seat to everybody else.”

Kelly in the west represents another key change in direction for Team Baraka, as he hopes to replace Councilman McCallum, who got jammed up on corruption. “I am very disheartened that situation happened,” Baraka said. “My prayers are with Joe and his family, but we’re not going to tolerate that.

“Dupre Kelly is a kid from the west ward, born and raised in the West Ward,” the mayor said of the rapper and community activist who joined him today with other slate mates.

Facing his third term in office, Baraka hailed the acceleration of affordable housing in Newark, with an inclusionary zoning ordinance by requiring developers to set aside 20 percent of their residential units for affordable housing, in projects that consist of 30 or more new or substantially rehabilitated units.

As a consequence of that ordinance, “So much more is going to happen to create new affordable housing  as the city grows,” the mayor said. “Now it’s happening on its own, as a result of that ordinance; it’s on auto-pilot. What we are doing is organizing development in a way so that it doesn’t push everybody out.”

Baraka also welcomed the federal infrastructure act’s impact on Newark, and said the city intends to use those dollars to assist people with their mortgage payments, expand broadband to every house in the city. in much the same way that Newark has replaced its lead service lines, and supplemented its budget to avoid the layoff of fire, police and sanitation workers.

“We were able to reduce taxes in the budget – a very small reduction, but it’s the first reduction in 34 years,” the mayor said. “We are also excited about building two more [homeless] shelters, which we anticipate will help alleviate a lot of the trouble around the train station.”

The candidates on the mayor’s ticket appeared excited.

“This administration has done such phenomenal work; I want to be a part of it,” said Rountree.

“Being present shows power; just being present with the residents and the business owners of the West Ward,” said Kelly.

First elected to the city council in 1994, Quintana, with the retirement last year of Mildred Crump, his slate mate of that same year, is now the longest-serving councilman. Quintana also did an eight-month stint as mayor of the city (2013-2014) when Cory Booker moved from the mayoralty to the United States Senate.

“The mayor’s very willing to listen and work with us,” Quintana said of Baraka, “probably more so than any other mayor.”

Larry Crump, son of the retired councilwoman, takes his mother’s place on the ticket.

“My mother was in service for the people and I believe in doing the same thing,” Crump told InsiderNJ. “It’s important we take care of our residents, including our seniors, because we stand on their shoulders, and our youth because they’re our future.”

Central Ward Councilwoman McIver said she doesn’t know if former Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins will oppose her this year.

“It’s a democracy, where people are free to run,” McIver said.

For her part, she said she prides herself in being visible and accessible to her constituents.

Newark insiders expressed surprise at the time with news that Osborne – a labor leader with LIUNA – will not occupy a place with Team Baraka. But perhaps the most significant shift this year comes with the retirement from city politics – at least for now – of South Ward Councilman James, son of former Mayor Sharpe James.

“Amazing kudos to Councilman James,” Council told InsiderNJ.

The city recreation director – who stood beside legendary Weequahic High School Football Coach Brian Logan, who heartily endorsed him – confirmed Mayor Baraka’s enthusiasm for new energy on the ticket, and said he plans to supply some in the south.

“I have probably been the most present and active person in the South Ward, not just youth football and little league baseball but also pastoring in the South ward, and serving as the former vice chair of the Newark Public School Board, and as president of the preschool council. It’s always about activating people in the community and giving them a voice. This is giving them a voice. I look forward to working with the residents of the South Ward and more importantly having the residents work to build and refocus and reimagine a better South Ward.”