Seriously, Your Voice Matters: Learn About The Jersey City Mayor And Council Candidates

Photo by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.

Over the last few years, many Jersey City locals have identified some changes as improvements, while many others have labeled the Hudson County town as an ever-changing city that doesn’t seem to include them.

But this coming Nov. 4, 2025, residents will have a chance to make their voices heard and “make it yours.”

Last month, Jersey City Moms, an online parent group established in 2007, hosted a “Community Town Hall and Mayoral and Council Candidate Meet-And-Greet” to continue their ongoing efforts to connect parents and locals to those looking to become the next mayor and accompanying city council.

The mayoral candidates include: former state Gov. Jim McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, current Council President Joyce Watterman—who was not present at the community town hall for unknown reasons—, former Board of Education President Mussab Ali and current Ward E Councilman James Solomon.

In exclusive interviews with Slice of Culture, they all said they want an inclusive Jersey City, no matter what ward residents are from.

Each mayoral candidates’ teams are beginning to roll out meet-and-greet and panel events throughout the city for the summer. You can find more information on Slice of Culture’s Community Calendar or their respective social media accounts.

Residents Don’t Want To Move Out, But Sometimes Have To

The median household income from 2019 to 2023 was $94,813 in Jersey City, according to census,gov. This shows a stark contrast to the 1990 median household income, which was $29,054.

Lydiana Diaz, the moderator of the town hall, opened up the evening with a question regarding property taxes, coupled with many residents’ concerns of overdevelopment.

Question: Property taxes. What specific measures can we expect from your administration to address these issues? Additionally, can you commit to holding the overdevelopment in our city and reassess the tax agreements being granted to development?

A Tale Of Two Cities

While it would take some time to pinpoint how much money the city government has allocated to specific areas of Jersey City, longtime residents and natives have frequently voiced that they can see and feel where the majority of investments have gone over the last several years.

Question: Many residents in the West Side [and] in Greenville areas have voiced their concerns about quality of life issues such as safety, open air and narcotics activity, public urination, access to public services and lack of community resources. What [will you do] to enhance the quality of life in these neighborhoods and ensure equitable investment in their [areas]?

All Local Youth Deserve Better Schools

Students previously talked with Slice of Culture and explained the differences they saw compared to other high schools throughout Jersey City.

“There were clear differences at Innovation compared to the rest of the Jersey City high schools,” said Ali Ishag, a 2023 graduate of Innovation High School, which shares a building with Snyder High School.

“But it kind of felt like Jersey City was just so overpopulated. Every high school had a different thing going on. Innovation, Liberty and Infinity were kind of smaller, intimate schools. And then you had Lincoln, Snyder, Ferris and Dickinson: extremely rowdy. You kinda just heard stories, you know, from their schools. I couldn’t even imagine going to a school like Dickinson that has like 3,000 students.”

Question: What are your thoughts on the state of Jersey City’s public school system? How can we ensure our public schools, not only [inaudible] better, but also truly serves all of our students, offering greater support and opportunity for local youth across every neighborhood?

Climate Issues Are Real, What Can Jersey City Do?

Climate change continues to affect the world, but locally, in Hudson County, 32% of homes would be at risk of major flooding by 2050.

And while Jersey City has what seems to be a Resiliency Plan to prepare for climate-related issues, it hasn’t been updated since 2019.

Audience question: What are you guys planning to do around the increased flooding and climate related issues impacting the various neighborhoods in Jersey City, like floodings really impacting downtown and causing flood insurance to go up for homeowners? I’m just curious. I know Hoboken implemented a ton of infrastructure that’s really helped. I’m curious what your plan is for that.

For a deeper dive into the candidates’ candid answers on overdevelopment, equitable investment, public schools and climate-related issues, you can go through the full transcript here.

In May, Jersey City Mamas hosted a “Jersey City Mayoral Candidate Forum” where they focused on topics including education, housing, affordability and how residents can hold the candidates accountable.

To read more information on the upcoming election and to ensure you’re registered to vote, you can visit the Hudson County Elections Office here.

Below, you can also find the link to each of the mayoral candidates’ campaigns: