Elsie Foster is a Jamaican-born American politician serving as Mayor of Highland Park, New Jersey since 2023. [1]
Foster migrated from Trelawny, Jamaica, to Newark, New Jersey, while in her teens in the 1970s. [2] Her neighborhood in Newark suffered from crime, division, and racism. [2] When President Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976 and took office peacefully, she was relieved to avoid the chaotic, often violent political transitions she knew in Jamaica. The positivity of that process made her "fall in love with the idea of America". [2] She attended Essex College of Business in Newark and went on to earn her MBA in Global Management. [3]
Foster was a founding partner at a consulting firm and chaired a nonprofit for international student housing. [3] After her activism opposing a developer who moved to fence off neighborhoods in Highland Park, Foster was recruited to the borough's planning board. She joined the council's Democratic Committee in 2000. [2] She served as public safety chair and then borough council president. [3] Foster directed consumer affairs for Middlesex County. [3] In January 2023, the borough council elected her mayor to fill the seat vacated the prior month. [3] [4] [5] In 2023, she campaigned to continue serving as mayor [6] and won the November election by a large margin. [7]
Foster was commended for her efforts to maintain cohesiveness in her community following the October 7 attacks [8] and for her diplomacy in navigating controversy over Pride flags in front of Orthodox synagogues. [9] In June 2024, Foster reportedly hand delivered news that four Israeli hostages had been rescued to every synagogue in the community, since observant Jews would not otherwise hear the news on Shabbat. [10] [11]
Foster was described as an "active and 'cool' parent" at her son's school. She mentioned her religious faith as a source of balance. [2]