LINDEN, NJ — Mayor Derek Armstead will be honored as a 2023 NJBIZ Icon during a ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
The NJBIZ ICON Award recognizes leaders older than the age of 60 from New Jersey industries, such as accounting, architecture, real estate, law, government, hospitality and more. Honorees will also be profiled in a future publication inserted in NJBIZ.
Armstead is a lifelong resident whose family has lived in Linden for almost 100 years, according to a press release from the mayor’s office, which said he is a strong advocate of fairness, and equal educational and economic opportunities for all Linden residents. Throughout his childhood, his grandparents, Linden Democratic Committeewoman Jimmie Lee Armstead and Linden Democratic Committeeman Henry Creed Armstead, instilled the core values of government existing to serve the people, not just the privileged.
In 2010, Armstead waged his own insurgent primary election campaign, to become the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for mayor in Linden.
In 2014, he waged successful contested campaigns in both the Democratic primary and general elections for mayor.
“I am honored and humbled to be receiving this recognizable award,” Armstead said. “Being a great leader means caring about the people you’re leading. I plan on continuing to build respectable relationships with the surrounding communities. True leadership is an action, not a position.”
The event takes place at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Somerset.