Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
James Solomon recalled the day he realized how “special” Jersey City was.
It was around 2015 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Though his health and energy were wavering, his community picked him up with walks, free treats and company — never leaving him along in his journey. That’s when Solomon made a promise to himself.
He will give back to Jersey City.
Solomon has been serving the Hudson County city since 2017 as the Ward E Councilman. Now, he’s campaigning to become the next mayor in 2025. Solomon told Slice of Culture that the city is at an “inflection point” and it’s time to change its course; he added that with his seven years of experience in office, he is qualified and able to do just that.
“If it continues on the track that it’s going… we might lose all the things that make Jersey City a special place. And so for me it’s like this is the moment where we have to change course where the city and the government has to [start] to serve the people of the city,” Solomon said.
“And I think you feel it from small things to big things. I talk to residents across the city: West Side to [the] Waterfront, Heights to the Hill. People are frustrated.”
“I’m the candidate that is most independent from those forces [like real estate developers in the political machine] who actually has ideas on how to change the course and direction of the city and who has a track record of actually doing it over the last seven years in office.”
Solomon joins the pool of four other officially declared-mayoral candidates including former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, City Council President Joyce Watterman and former Jersey City Board of Education President Mussab Ali. Current Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop previously announced his plans to seek the state gubernatorial seat, which will be up for grabs following the end of Gov. Phil Murphy’s second term.
‘This Is Where I Want To Be’
Solomon found his way to Jersey City thanks to his wife, Gaby.
Gaby, who’s originally from Brooklyn, was working as a teacher in the Newark Public Schools system and had gone to Jersey City, which Solomon explained “reminded her of where she had grown up.” She called him and was firm in saying, “Hey, this is my home. This is where I want to be.”
In 2013, Solomon, who is from Hudson County but was living in Boston at the time, met Gabby in the city and the couple has been living in Jersey City’s Newark Avenue area ever since.
Solomon saw his whole future in front of him, but just two years later, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which is a cancer on the lymphatic system.
“It was really folks in Jersey City that stepped up and helped me through that process. I remember Debbie and Sharon Dale, [who] used to own Gia Gelato, every time I’d go in, I’d get a free cup of coffee. My friends Aaron and Joel would just take me on walks to keep my energy up. I really felt supported and cared for,” Solomon explained.
“I made this promise to myself that, Hey, when I get better, there’s really just two things I want in life. First was to have a family with Gaby, and we’re blessed. We have three beautiful daughters… and then the second was to give back to Jersey City.”
“… And so that’s when I ran for City Council in 2017.”
In that election he bested the “political machine,” as his website describes it, Rebecca Symes. Symes is an attorney, but had a history with Dixon Advisory, a real estate investment firm that, at the time, owned 200 Jersey City properties.
Solomon coined himself as “unbought and unbossed,” which is how he still describes himself today.
Ward E mainly consists of Jersey City’s Downtown area. Since serving on the city council, Solomon has helped push and implement a right to counsel for all Jersey City residents; halted a golf course from being built at Liberty State Park; barred tax abatements for luxury developments; and passed a bill to combat hefty delivery fees that affects small businesses.
Now the Jersey native—who is now in eight years of remission—is eyeing to implement more change for the whole city.
Aside from his government position, Solomon has a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College in California and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Though Solomon isn’t originally from Jersey City, he said the important thing to do is earn trust over time.
“For me, that’s happened in a couple different ways. I think first in a way that’s given me confidence is teaching here. I [taught] at NJCU [and] Saint Peter’s University since 2015 to about a year ago. And through teaching, I’ve been able to really genuinely connect with my students… Oftentimes feeling a sense of alienation, feeling like, ‘Hey, the government doesn’t serve us, the city that we love, that we’ve grown up in is in some ways being taken away,’” he explained.
“People are able to see my work… and that gives me confidence to try to then take it to be mayor and to try to do right by folks from that position.”
Getting Jersey City Back On Track
Diversity—it’s a word that’s touted nowadays, especially in Jersey City.
Solomon said it’s often used among governments as a talking point or a “merit badge.” However, he said he truly believes that Jersey City, which is the most ethnically diverse place in the U.S., is at a crossroads, not truly serving its residents, which translates to the loss of its diversity, its “core sense of self.”
To put the city back in the right direction, Solomon said there’s a number of things to do: keep people in their homes, provide stable property taxes, build more affordable homes and workforce housing and more, catering to Jersey City’s diverse population, in more than just ethnic, but socioeconomic too.
Solomon spoke more on different topics including gentrification, improving schools, small businesses and green spaces.
“I always joke that if you haven’t decided to vote for me, you have 12 more months to do it,” he laughed.
“We have a long time to go in this process… And I will be completely and openly transparent. So if you have a question about any issue, call me. Call my campaign. Call my office. We will answer whatever questions and concerns you have. We’ll be really proud as we get into 2025 to roll out our policy plans.”
