Jersey City Councilman James Solomon is expected to announce his bid for mayor of Jersey City on September 19, making him the fifth candidate to enter the race.
The two-term downtown councilman and progressive leader is inviting people to a campaign kickoff at the Jersey City Theater Center.
“I’m excited to share that our team has mas major news we’re announcing at our upcoming event,” Solomon said in a text message.
Solomon would join former Gov. James E. McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, City Council President Joyce Watterman, and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali in the race – the first open seat since 2001.
The incumbent, Steve Fulop, will not seek a fourth term; he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Solomon, a college professor who once worked for the mayor of Boston, was elected to the city council in 2017, winning an open seat against Rebecca Symes, who ran on the Fulop slate. He was re-elected in 2021 against Jake Hudnut, the city’s municipal prosecutor; Hudnut was also allied with Fulop.