James Solomon secures Jersey City mayor post, turning back former governor

James Solomon has been elected mayor of Jersey City thwarting former New Jersey Gov Jim McGreeveys bid for a political comeback Solomon a city council member since 2017 defeated McGreevey on Tuesday in a runoff after they finished first and second in a general election last month with seven candidates on the ballot Neither man received more than 50 per cent of the November 4 vote sending the contest to an extra roundSolomon 41 said he ran for mayor to make New Jerseys secondlargest city more affordable echoing national concerns about the cost of living New development catering to affluent New York City commuters is driving overall prices higher and the city is struggling with a budget shortfall that threatens to hike property taxesSolomon has vowed to take on developers and special interests invest in public safety and work with the independent board of education to improve the citys schools He said he plans to build on legislation he passed as a council member including banning renthiking algorithms and ensuring that tenants have a right to legal counselThe Jersey City race gained national attention because of McGreeveys candidacy It was the first time he was running for public office since resigning as governor in 2004 a stunning announcement remembered mostly for the spectacle of him declaring I am a gay AmericanMcGreeveys exit was driven in part by controversy over his decision to hire a man he said was his lover former Israeli naval officer Golan Cipel as the states homeland security adviser in 2002 despite Cipels lack of qualifications and inability to obtain necessary security clearancesSolomon said McGreevey represents the politics of the past and that while the exgovernor touted his experience its experience we dont want There were just scandal after scandal after scandal Solomon said in a recent interview That to me is disqualifyingJersey City a swath of highrises and immigrant neighborhoods has about 303000 residents and a municipal budget of about 700 million Across the Hudson River from Manhattan its in an area sometimes referred to as the Sixth Borough New York Citys mayorelect democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won last month on an affordability platform over another exgovernor looking to make a comeback Andrew CuomoThe current mayor Steven Fulop made an unsuccessful bid for governor and declined to seek a fourth term Solomon and McGreevey both vowed to stand up to President Donald Trump whose administration is suing to end Jersey Citys socalled sanctuary city protections for immigrants If Donald Trump chooses a fight were not going to back down Solomon saidSolomon grew up in nearby Millburn has a masters degree from Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government and was an aide to former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino He moved to Jersey City in 2013 is married and has three daughters In 2015 about a month after his wedding he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma Now in full remission he said that challenge inspired him to run for public officeI had one of these lifeisshort moments Solomon said I was like you know I think I can do something I can give back to Jersey City because Jersey City really had my back during my toughest time Solomon said he plans to hire 100 new police officers and supports creating a civilian complaint review board for Jersey City akin to the police oversight agency in New York City which would give residents an hand in investigating police misconductHe said hell appoint a deputy mayor for education to coordinate between the city and the school district which is independent of the municipal government After the race narrowed to a runoff Solomon received endorsements from three of the other candidates He was also backed by US Sen Andy Kim and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Even McGreevey got in on the act saying at a recent debate James Solomon is an incredibly likable young guy And in four years hell be a great mayor On Tuesday voters declared that Solomons time is nowThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever