Jersey City council president endorses McGreevey for mayor

Jersey City Council President Joyce E. Watterman endorsed former Gov. Jim McGreevey for mayor Monday morning, taking sides in the runoff between McGreevey and Jersey City Councilman James Solomon. 

Watterman finished fifth in this month’s mayoral election with about 4% of the vote.

“Jim McGreevey has spent his life lifting up those too often left behind,” Watterman said. “As Mayor of Woodbridge, he rebuilt neighborhoods and balanced budgets with compassion. As Governor, he expanded access to education and environmental protections. Through the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, he has provided over 25,000 men and women returning from prison with a genuine path to employment, healthcare, and dignity.”

Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, the third-place finisher, endorsed Solomon this week. The Solomon-McGreevey battle is another in the fight between Jersey progressives and their establishment-backed foes. Senator Andy Kim, whose Senate bid helped eliminate the county organization line, endorsed Solomon on Saturday.

Solomon finished first in last week’s non-partisan election with 18,339 votes (29%) to McGreevey’s 15,760 (25%) in a seven-candidate field.

McGreevey thanked Watterman, the first Black council president in Jersey City, for her endorsement.

“Joyce Watterman has been a voice of conscience and compassion in Jersey City,” McGreevey said in a release. “Her leadership as the city’s first African American Council President has brought faith and fairness into government. She understands that our city’s strength comes from its people, from every neighborhood and every family. I am deeply honored by her endorsement, and I look forward to working with her to build a Jersey City that is more affordable, more just, and more united.”

Watterman specifically praised McGreevey’s leadership of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, which she credits with giving jobs, healthcare, and second chances to people reentering society from prison.

“Jim leads with his heart, and he understands that public service is about people, not power,” she said.