NEWBURGH – In Shakespeare’s play Juliet asks Romeo,
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
In the case of a newly sworn in Newburgh city councilman, there may need to be an explanation.
The councilman, born Raymond Bryant Jr. goes by the name of Omari Shakur. Bryant is on file as a registered voter at the Orange County Board of Elections. Shakur is not. “Omari Shakur, that’s my name. Raymond Bryant is my original name, but from my days working with the Black Panther Part, Assata Shakur and Mutulu and Afena Shakur, I changed my name to Shakur,” he said. “So basically that came out of my activism days so that’s my name now, Omari Shakur,” he said.
Democratic Elections Commissioner Louise Vandemark explained that Shakur filed the appropriate legal paperwork with the board to run in November under his adopted name, which is now on his city council nameplate.
City Comptroller Todd Venning did not return a call as to what name appears on the city’s payroll.
