Photo by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.
It’s been a few days since newly elected Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour and Jersey City Mayor James Solomon were sworn into their respective new positions within their Hudson County towns. And Tuesday, Jan. 20, marked the inauguration of the new Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
Behind the swear-ins and formal speeches lies a recurring theme for all New Jersey residents: hope for a better tomorrow.
Slice of Culture attended the Hoboken and Jersey City inauguration ceremonies on Thursday, Jan. 15 where both Jabbour and Solomon outlined goals of putting the people first. Their words of promise echoed throughout their packed auditoriums. After the applause faded and ceremonies wrapped up, Jabbour and Solomon continued to underline their pledges to fight on behalf of residents.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk with the residents of Hoboken over the last year about what they care most [about] and to have listen[ed] to so much of that and now we’re going to get to work in addressing all of those concerns,” Jabbour told Slice of Culture.
Also after his inauguration ceremony, Solomon told Slice of Culture, “Trust is earned and I don’t view it as my job to say-the-right-thing, I view it as do-the-right-thing. So if you’re at home and you’re saying, ‘You said some things I like, but I’m not sure’ or ‘I don’t know if I even like some of the things you said’… Just see the work that we’re gonna do and we’re always gonna be honest. We’re always gonna tell you what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Jabbour and Solomon won in their respective runoff elections that happened on Dec. 2, 2025. If you missed the ceremonies, you can catch the livestream for Hoboken here and Jersey City’s here.
‘Mayor Emily’
Jabbour was sworn in as the 40th mayor of Hoboken beside her family, and Sherrill issued the ceremonial oath at DeBaun Auditorium at Stevens Institute of Technology.
“When our public servants take the oath, it’s a commitment to serve all of you and to make sure that whatever is keeping you up at night, they are here to have your back,” Sherrill said.
“Every time I witness that oath, it gives me a chill, because it represents a promise—no matter what else is happening—to stay focused on the needs of the community and the people they serve.”
The crowd roared as Jabbour finished the pledge. Sherrill—who was inaugurated as the 47th governor of New Jersey and second woman to do so—embraced the new mayor and congratulated the rest of the council, which included the City Council Members At-Large Steve Firestone, Caitlin Layson and Joe Quintero.
Other attendees included: Solomon; Ravi Bhalla, the newly-elected 32nd District Assemblyman and 39th Hoboken Mayor; Moms Demand Action Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala; New Jersey Congressman Rob Menendez Jr.; New Jersey State Sen. Raj Mukheriji; Hudson County Executive Craig Guy; newly-elected Hudson County Sheriff and former Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis; plus performers from Hoboken High School’s Select Choir and Barbershop Quartet, among others.
Local children’s book author and activist Raakhee Mirchandani emceed the ceremony and held a vote on what to call Jabbour in her new position: “Ma’am Mayor,” “Mayor Emily” or “Mayor Jabbour.”
“Mayor Emily” got the most hand-raised votes.
Kicking off her administration, Jabbour announced in an email newsletter that there will be a 1st Ward Community Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the ground floor conference at City Hall. She invites all nearby residents to meet herself and Councilman Paul Presinzano, other city staff and fellow neighbors as they “discuss some of the major topics confronting our downtown neighbors.”
To stay up to date with Jabbour’s plans, you can check out her Instagram account or her website.
Jersey City Mayor James Solomon
Solomon made his oath as the 50th mayor of Jersey City also beside his family and it was New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim who traveled from D.C., without time to spare to change into a more formal outfit, to administer the ceremonial pledge.
“I’m so happy to not be in D.C. right now,” Kim laughed with the crowd during his speech.
“… When you have egotistical, narcissistic [and] power-hungry people in government, you will get egotistical, narcissistic [and] power-hungry government… but if you have people who believe it’s about serving the people, not serving yourself, you can have an altogether different government.”
The crowd buzzed, ushering in a new Jersey City administration since 2013 when former Mayor Steve Fulop first took office. Fulop has now stepped away from his political role following his loss in the New Jersey governor primaries; he is now working in New York City as the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York.
Prior to Solomon’s swear-in, nine new councilmembers also took the oath to office:
- Denise Ridley – Ward A councilperson and council president
- Joel A. Brooks – Ward B councilperson
- Thomas Zuppa Jr. – Ward C councilperson
- Jake Ephros – Ward D councilperson
- Eleana Little – Ward E councilperson
- Frank “Educational” Gilmore – Ward F councilperson and council president pro tempore
- Michael O. Griffin – Councilperson at-large
- Rolando Lavarro Jr. – Councilperson at-large
- Mamta Singh – Councilperson at-large
The Margaret Williams Theatre at New Jersey City University (NJCU)—which is where Solomon once taught as a professor—was packed. Aside from council guests that helped fill the room, other attendees included: Jabbour; Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea; 32nd District Assemblyperson Katie Brennan; New Jersey Sen. Angela McKnight; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; plus the pledge of allegiance recited by Carter Bradley McCord of St. Joseph’s School for the Blind and The Aidan C. McMullen Chorale at Saint Peter’s University, among others.
Following the ceremony, Slice of Culture asked Kim about the importance of people paying attention and engaging with politics.
“Look, right now, we’re going through a lot as a country and we have so many challenges of affordability and there’s other issues that are out there and these decisions that are made by the mayor, the council, by congress, it matters. It affects your life so I really hope [that the] people, you go out there, you pay attention, you get involved and participate in our democracy,” he told Slice of Culture.
Solomon moved ahead the following day by holding a press conference that outlined his public safety agenda, which included:
- hiring 30 new police officers
- reestablishing traffic enforcement division
- recommitment to vision zero
- maximum accountability for traffic violations
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Jersey City mayor held another press conference addressing affordability, community celebrations and an update on the controversial project Centre Pompidou.
To stay up to date with Solomon, you can check his website or follow his Instagram account.
