Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, left, and Jersey City Councilman James Solomon are headed for a December runoff to decide the Jersey City mayor’s race. (Photos by Ed Murray for New Jersey Monitor)
The seven-person race to become Jersey City’s next mayor will be decided by a two-person runoff next month when James Solomon, a city councilman, will vie for the job against former Gov. Jim McGreevey.
The Dec. 2 runoff was triggered because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. Solomon was the top vote-getter, receiving 29% of the vote, and McGreevey came in second place with 25%.
“The voters in Jersey City have sent an unambiguous message tonight: they want change, they want affordability and they want a clean, ethical government that they can be proud of,” Solomon said in a statement.
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Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, McGreevey, who is eyeing a political comeback more than two decades after he resigned in disgrace as governor, said life has taught him “the things worth fighting for aren’t always easy.”
“Part of the challenge here tonight and part of the challenge before Jersey City is, what kind of city do we want, and what kind of leader in our mayor do we need?” McGreevey said.
More than 59,000 Jersey City voters cast ballots in the race. Solomon received 17,200 votes and McGreevey nabbed about 15,000.
Both men are Democrats. The municipal races in Jersey City are nonpartisan.
Two other mayoral hopefuls, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea and Mussab Ali, a former school board president, each received over 10,000 votes.
Solomon and McGreevey will be vying to replace Steve Fulop, a Democrat and the city’s three-term mayor. Fulop, who opted not to seek reelection after launching an ultimately failed bid for the Democratic nomination for governor this year, leaves office in December. He is taking a job leading business group the Partnership for New York City.
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