James Solomon, left. (Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images) Emily Jabbour, right. (Courtesy of Emily Jabbour) Graphic by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.
A new era is on the horizon for Jersey City and Hoboken, and mayor-elects James Solomon and Emily Jabbour will be leading it.
The two Hudson County towns announced their new mayors and city council people following the Dec. 2 runoff; Solomon will be stepping in for three-term Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Jabbour takes over for two-term Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. Both Solomon and Jabbour said the real work begins now.
“[I will be] working each and every day to make our city a better place,” Solomon told Slice of Culture in an email interview. “Our transition team has been working hard already. We will shortly be announcing policy committees, implementation plans and community meetings. Inauguration is on Jan. 15!”
Also in an email interview with Slice of Culture, Jabbour wrote, “Reach out with your ideas! I love to hear from residents and love learning based on other people’s experiences… I am excited to increase the number of opportunities for residents to engage with me as Mayor, and the City!”
Taking a step back from the numbers, Solomon and Jabbour described how they both felt in the moments after they were declared the next mayor-elects.
“The moment the results came in, I felt a mix of gratitude, humility and determination. Knowing that the residents of Jersey City placed their trust in me is an incredible honor,” Solomon wrote.
“When the results were confirmed on Tuesday, I actually started crying!” Jabbour added. “It was a mix of emotions and a sense of fatigue coming together after having announced my campaign in January. Then I got super excited and hugged everyone around me!”
Jersey City’s Next Chapter
Solomon will be trading in his Ward E councilman title to be the city’s mayor-elect come Jan. 15. He will replace Fulop, who lost his bid to become New Jersey’s next governor and will now lead a New York business company.
The Hudson County native has been serving on city council since 2017. His victory on Tuesday marked a loss for former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who advanced to the runoff with the second-highest amount of votes on Nov. 4. McGreevey trailed at 25% of the votes to Solomon’s 29% in November, but on Dec. 2, the gap grew; Solomon finished with 68.16% of the votes while McGreevey had 31.84%.
In Hudson County, to win an election a candidate must rack up 51% of the votes.
“It’s a mandate for progressive governance to make Jersey City affordable. Voters are tired of the old politics where developers and bosses called the shots,” Solomon said.
“We are going to deliver a government where the people of Jersey City are placed at the forefront.”
Last Wednesday, McGreevey published a letter on Facebook congratulating Solomon and announcing his next steps.
“I congratulate Mayor-elect Solomon and wish him well as he takes on this responsibility. Serving this city is an honor and a serious commitment,” he wrote. “… My full focus now returns to the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, where every day we help men and women fight for a Second Chance at stability, work, and dignity. That work is where I will continue to serve our city and state in a real, hands-on way.”
In an email last Thursday, Solomon announced his transition leadership team to bring “decades of city government and public service experience, which will ensure that Mayor-Elect Solmon can deliver an affordable Jersey City.” It includes:
- Co-Chairs: County Commissioner Bill O’Dea; Jim Johnson, COO, Trinity Church; and Hetty Rosenstein, Labor Activist.
- Executive Director: Keshav Poddar
- Political Director: Stuart Thomas, Campaign Manager, James Solomon for Jersey City.
- Transition Counsel: Scott D. Salmon, Esq.
A transition team helps prepare the new administration develop policy and hiring recommendations, among other things.
“I want them [residents] to hold me and my team accountable to deliver on our commitments to Jersey City. Second, we want them to be part of our transition and city teams. We will have information shortly on how to get involved!”
– James Solomon
Other wins in the city included:
- Council At-Large: Rolando Lavarro, Michael Griffin, Mamta Singh
- Ward A Councilperson: Denise Ridley (re-elected)
- Ward B Councilperson: Joel Brooks
- Ward C Councilperson: Tom Zuppa
- Ward D Councilperson: Jake Ephros
Solomon and the new administration will be sworn into Jersey City’s City Hall on Jan. 15.
Moving Hoboken Forward
Jabbour is also swapping her city council title.
Instead of Hoboken councilperson-at-large, she is now Hoboken’s mayor-elect. Current mayor, Bhalla, was elected to be General Assembly of the 32nd Legislative District, alongside Katie Brennan, back on Nov. 4.
Jabbour is originally from Boston, according to her campaign bio. She moved to Hoboken in 2008, and ran for city council in 2017; she was victorious. In 2021, she was re-elected to another four-year term as councilperson-at-large.
Throughout her campaign, Jabbour implemented informative videos on her social media, showing and explaining to residents different things like riding around in the free bus system, the Hop, and local bike lane concerns. The mayor-elect told Slice of Culture that she looks to continue that type of content during her term.
“I love that the content we put out about how to learn about what’s going on in the city or better utilize community resources was useful to people! I had so many people tell me that they ‘met’ me through my videos and appreciated that I met people where they are at in doing so,” Jabbour wrote to SOC.
“I’m so grateful to the amazing social media team who helped make this content possible – Kathleen, Tammy, and Chesleigh!”
In the Nov. 4 election, when she took a further step to become the Mile Square City’s next mayor, she bested six candidates and advanced to the runoff with fellow Ward 3 councilman Michael Russo. She finished with 27% while Russo had 24%.
On Dec. 2, Jabbour’s win was more defining with a 53.85% of the vote compared to Russo’s 46.15%.
“It means everything – I am so humbled by the support that I’ve received on this journey and feel overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility because of the trust that’s been placed with me”
– Emily Jabbour
According to NJ.com, Hoboken and Jersey City hold runoffs between the top two candidates “when the first-place general election finisher fails to get above 50% of the vote. Elections are nonpartisan, meaning that political parties play no official role.”
Following the results, Russo congratulated Jabbour on Facebook and assured residents that his team’s vision remains “strong.”
“Unite Hoboken. Care for our neighbors. Relentless positivity, always,” he wrote.
Other wins in the city included the bid for city council at-large, which oversees the whole city instead of the six wards, which went to Caitlin Layson, Steve Firestone and Joe Quintero.
Jabbour and her administration will also be sworn in on Jan. 15.
“I’m putting together a plan for the transition that will include residents and a number of professionals who I think can contribute new ideas in terms of how to move the City forward,” Jabbour said in a written response. “Looking forward to announcing that plan in the coming days!”
If you’d like to reach out to Jabbour, you can email [email protected].
Your local catch-up! Sign up for our biweekly newsletter now!
If you voted on Nov. 4 and/or on Dec. 2, we’ve created a free, exclusive wallpaper to celebrate those who made their voices heard by voting!
There are two versions: “PEOPLE OVER POWER” and “NJ OVER EVERYTHING.” To claim your free wallpaper, just direct message us on Instagram or email us at [email protected] with a selfie of you with your “I Voted” sticker.
And we want to hear from you! Tell us how you feel about the outcome of the Nov. 4 elections and/or candidates in the Dec. 2 runoffs through Instagram or email.
