After leaving municipal office, Mr. Hawkins spent several years working for the New Jersey Department of State in a Community Outreach capacity and as Director of Policy, Operations & Governmental Affairs/Legislative Liaison.
He moved on to secure an additional undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas Edison State College and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with a Management concentration from Seton Hall University.
Having moved to Orange, he was preparing to run for the City Council in the May 2008 municipal elections when the incumbent mayor, Mims Hackett was indicted for bribery in a federal corruption probe.
Hawkins’ reform campaign won the support of State Senator and former Governor Richard Codey, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Assemblywoman Mila Jasey and two members of the Orange City Council.
[13] Hawkins successfully sought designation as a “Transit village”, triggering state technical and financial help for transit-oriented development around Orange's two train stations.
He partnered with the St. Barnabas Health Care System to provide health care services to residents of senior citizens’ housing;[17] recruited the Heinz Foundations to develop and finance a program of low cost prescription drugs,[18] and created a partnership with the Profeta Urban Investment Foundation, Seton Hall University Business School and the Intersect Fund to provide technical assistance and loans to Orange entrepreneurs.
In the aftermath of a $3 million-dollar reduction in state aid to Orange,[19] Hawkins sought to increase the ability of New Jersey cities to cut spending through pension and health benefit changes, civil service and collective bargaining reforms, and relief from unfunded mandates.
[20] He was named as Chairman of the Management Reform Committee of the NJ League of Municipalities and led his fellow mayors in lobbying for changes in state laws.
[32] Another major factor was a $100,000 campaign of mailings, television commercials and paid canvassers by several public employee unions, who opposed Hawkins' advocacy of higher pension and health benefit payments by government workers.
[34] Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. began his training in Chinese Kenpo-Kung Fu as a youth and made Black Belt in June 2001 under now Professor Harry Baker, 10th Dan.
Here, Hawkins’ martial arts lineage runs through his teachers to Grand Masters Ed Parker & Kalaii Kano Griffin, as well as Professors Moses Powell & Ronald Duncan.
Hawkins specializes in various martial arts weapons and is a 7th Degree Black Belt in the tournament system American Style Nunchaku (ASN) founded by Grandmaster Michael Burke.