The Jersey City Communications Department hosted an influencer event at City Hall which included a tour and a Q&A with the Mayor. Shot on May 12, 2026. (Jennifer Brown/City of Jersey City)
It’s been over 100 days since Mayor James Solomon has picked up the reins for Jersey City, and he wants to hear residents’ true feelings on how he and his administration have been doing so far.
Last Tuesday, May 12, Solomon and his team invited Jersey City’s “creative community” to celebrate the new administration’s 100 days in office. Slice of Culture attended the event along with other local residents and content creators 7alkaline__ and Isabella Revilla-Farrelly and fellow Hudson County online media Hudpost, to name a few. The event included a cocktail hour, history tour of Jersey City city hall and a roundtable Q&A discussion, focusing on concerns heard from the invitees’ respective communities and experiences.
“As a mayor, you can’t be afraid of the people that you serve. You have to be in it with them,” Solomon told Slice of Culture after the event.
“And so if we’re doing great, that’s awesome. We wanna hear why you think we’re doing great so we can keep doing it. And if you think we’re not holding up our end of the bargain, tell us why and we’re gonna work to improve it.”
Solomon became mayor-elect after a victorious runoff election back on Dec. 2, 2025. He bested former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey for the seat, filling in for Steve Fulop, who was mayor of Jersey City for three terms. Solomon had served as Ward E councilman for the city for eight years.
Since Solomon’s inauguration in January, his administration has highlighted a number of tasks they’ve either been working on or have successfully implemented. Here’s a few:
- Crackdown on illegal rents and penalties for housing violations
- Fighting against the shutdown of Christ Hospital
- Reorganizing the public safety policing model
- The launch of “JC NEXT,” an initiative aimed to make career pathways for teens and young adults
But—what many might describe—as Solomon’s most overbearing challenges include these issues, which he addressed during Tuesday’s Q&A discussion:
- Jersey City’s $250 million budget deficit
- The growing issue of resident displacement, or residents who no longer can afford living in their homes
- Many local businesses shutting down or being on the brink of shutdown
“It’s been really tough. I always ask, ‘What’s the best part of the city?’ and pretty high up is gonna be a small business; it’s gonna be a bakery, it’s gonna be something that people really care about…,” Solomon said of local businesses.
“Here’s a couple of things: one is when we start development processes, we have to make sure that those businesses are included from the beginning. What happened with [Boulevard Drinks] is basically the last administration had this whole plan and basically didn’t call for Boulevard Drinks to stay, and we [the Solomon administration] arrived at the last second of this… We’re actively in conversations with the owners really trying to find a solution to keep them in Journal Square.
… Then the other businesses… We’re going to have to really invest in our economic development, go door-to-door to businesses and let them know about grant programs. We have access to capital programs. We have things to help small businesses and we just want to make sure that people know about them so that they can succeed.”
As for resident displacement, Solomon explained that roughly eight years ago, New Jersey passed “S2,” a law “that began withdrawing excess education aid from Jersey City Public Schools.” The mayor explained that this forced an increase in property taxes, ultimately causing a negative impact on how affordable housing is distributed. So as a solution, Solomon said that his administration will work on going door-to-door to let residents know about the ANCHOR Program, which provides property tax relief to New Jersey residents who own or rent their home and meet income limits. The other solution is asking the state for help in the budget crisis, and if that’s not possible, they will be facing “really tough choices” on property taxes, service cuts and more, but they’re “going to have to work through it,” Solomon added.
Solomon also answered other questions including:
- Locating the funds for a $1 million grant that state Senator Angela McKnight previously secured for a facility to be built in Bayside Park in the Greenville area.
- And how the southside will get love and exposure, especially during the World Cup that will be heading to the temporary New York New Jersey Stadium—originally named MetLife Stadium—in less than 30 days. Solomon said that the events will be hitting different areas of Jersey City, noting a specific one to be headed for Greenville.
“We’re basically in the process of getting up planning and document[s] [for Bayside Park facility]. Once that document is basically done, then we can work with the community on what are the next steps…,” Solomon explained. “The other thing we’re doing is we’re exploring recreation opportunities. We’re gonna have a series of conversations across the city around and [see] where we can get more recreation spaces.”
At the end of the discussion, Solomon’s team thanked the invitees for their questions and said it “really validates why we wanted to bring you into the ‘People’s House’ [city hall] and hear from you directly about what’s on your mind.”
To report an issue, you can file it on SeeClickFix. To reach out to your local councilperson, you can find the directory here with emails and numbers available to contact. To contact the mayor’s office, you can find information here.
Slice of Culture is also looking for residents to tell them how they feel about Solomon’s 100 days in office so far. You can email [email protected] or DM on Instagram.
“So don’t be shy,” Solomon later told Slice of Culture. “I think maybe in the past we’ve had mayors that were afraid of the people of Jersey City and that’s not me.”
