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Newark mayor Cory Booker has helped residents survive blizzards and hurricanes, helped dogs get out of the freezing cold, and on Wednesday night, he helped a young couple get engaged.
Israel Burns, 26, a lawyer in New York City who went to law school in Newark between 2009 and 2011, wanted to propose to his girlfriend Misha Wright, who is also a lawyer. He told BuzzFeed that he tweeted at Booker, a famously prolific Twitter user, Tuesday morning, asking the mayor if he could lend a hand. Booker responded 10 minutes later:
(MORE: Newark Mayor Cory Booker Rescues Freezing Dog, plus 6 Other Heroic Feats)
I am a romantic. Please DM me. Sounds fun RT @israelburns Is it possible for you to lend a hand with a marriage proposal idea?
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Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 26, 2013The two followed up over the phone. Burns wanted to pop the question to Wright during the Asian American Bar Association of New York’s annual dinner in Midtown Manhattan; the two first met at the same event last year. Booker couldn’t attend personally, so the two decided the mayor would talk to Wright on the phone.
Burns told BuzzFeed:
“At the event, I’m going to tell her I’m going to the bathroom and have her hold my cell phone. At 6:50 p.m., Cory is gonna call and tell her that he found me at the event and that she should come upstairs to the second floor, at the VIP section.”
The plan went off without a hitch, and when Wright arrived, she found Burns with two glasses of champagne, a ring, and a poem that he composed. Oh, and she said yes. The two jetted off to the Dominican Republic Thursday morning for a vacation.
That was the first time Booker had ever played a role in a marriage proposal, he told BuzzFeed:
Israel! Congrats on ur engagement. Thanks 4letting me play a small part in the proposal. May ur love 4 each other ever increase @israelburns
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Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 28, 2013MORE: South By Southwest: When Politicians Tweet — TIME to Present Conversation with @CoryBooker
