Crowded field of mayoral, council candidates in Jersey City

Jersey City will select its first new mayor in twelve years in November, and seven candidates have filed to run for the seat held since 2013 by Steven Fulop, according to an unofficial list of contenders.

Running for mayor are former Board of Education President Mussab Ali, former Gov. James E. McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, City Councilman James Solomon, and Council President Joyce Watterman, along with two others: Christina Freeman and Kalki Jayne-Rose.

Fifteen candidates are seeking three at-large seats, with Daniel Rivera, the lone incumbent in the race, running on a slate with O’Dea.  Watterman is running for mayor, and another embattled incumbent, Amy DeGise, is walking away.

DeGise never formally announced her plans, but her political future ended in July 2022 when she was cited for leaving the scene of an accident after a car she was driving collided with a Jersey City man on a bicycle.   In a Jersey City surveillance video, Andrew Black is shown running a red light and then getting hit by DeGise’s SUV.  DeGise never stopped and didn’t report the collision until later that day.  Black is suing DeGise and Jersey City, and a trial is set to begin on October 27.

Joining Rivera on the Solomon ticket are Kristen Zadroga Hart, a former teachers’ union leader, and Saundra Robinson Green. Israel Nieves, Jennise Sarmiento, and Meredith Burns are running with McGreevey; Mamta Singh, Michael Griffin, and Roland Lavarro, a former city council president, are allied with Solomon. Watterman’s at-large ticket includes Rev. Tami Weaver Henry, Dr. Floyd Jeter, and Kenny Reyes.  Other candidates include Ira Guilford, Nina Nalls, and Saundra Robinson-Green.

Five candidates have filed to challenge Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, who is seeking re-election on the Solomon ticket: Dave Carment (Watterman), Pam Johnson (O’Dea), Brandi Warren (McGreevey), and Lamont Wade.

Ward B Councilwoman Maureen Hulings, who was appointed in May after Mira Prinz-Arey resigned to run the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, will not seek a full term.  Seeking her seat are Lorena Loaya (Solomon), Efrain Orleans, Jr. (McGreevey), and Iris Zahidi (Ali).  Joel Brooks is running independently, but he and O’Dea have endorsed each other. Travis Heller and Dannon Hill are also running.

In Ward C, veteran Councilman Richard Boggiano is running on the McGreevey slate.  He faces Dawn Giambalvo (Solomon), Shahab Kahn (Ali), and Tom Zuppa (O’Dea).  Zuppa had challenged Boggiano in 2021 and then endorsed him in the runoff.

Five candidates filed for the Ward D seat of Councilman Yousef Saleh, who gave up his seat to seek the Democratic nomination for State Assembly: Veronica Akaezuwa (Solomon), Patrick Ambrossi (Ali), Elvin Dominici Encarnacion, independent Jake Ephros, and Catherine Healy (McGreevey), the daughter of former Mayor Jeramiah Healy.

Eleana Little, who won 45% in a Democratic primary for Hudson County Commissioner in 2020 and then 24% in the Democratic primary for Hudson County Executive in 2023, is running on Solomon’s ticket for his open Downtown Ward E council seat.  She faces:  Ryan Baylock (McGreevey), Alexander Hamilton (Watterman), Daniel Israel (O’Dea), and Stacey Lawrence (Ali).

In Ward D, Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore faces Rev. Keith Howell Garvin (O’Dea) and Gloria Walton (McGreevey).  Gilmore is running on his own, but he and Solomon have endorsed each other.

Fulop was elected in 2013, defeating Healy, and re-elected in 2017 and 2021; he sought the Democratic nomination for governor in June.

In West Orange, seven candidates have filed for the one-year unexpired term of Councilwoman Asmeret Ghebremicael, who resigned in June for health reasons involving her and her family, including two former councilmembers.

Tammy Williams lost her bid for re-election to a second term in November 2024, and Bill Rutherford, who was council president, fell three or four (depending on how the threshold was rounded) petition signatures short of making it on the ballot at all.

They face’ Justin Goldsman, who served as an aide to the late Rep. Donald Payne, Jr.; accountant Kenneth Gibbons; David Allan-Matheson, a U.S. Army reservist who works in the pharmaceutical industry; Edison police detective Jennifer Iorio; and Jerry Companion, the head custodian at the Hazel Avenue School.

Five candidates are seeking three township council seats in Verona, including incumbents Jack McEvoy, Cynthia Holland, and Christopher Tamburro, the current mayor.  Also in the race: Liz Hynes, a transportation planner, and newcomer Paul Petrangeli.