JERSEY CITY - Jim McGreevey's political comeback began two years ago this month when he launched his run for mayor at a Dominican restaurant in this city's Greenville section.

He was back in the neighborhood Saturday afternoon with his mayoral campaign - and comeback try - clearly in peril.

James Solomon, a city councilman, beat McGreevey on Nov. 4, but in a crowded field failed to get 50 percent of the vote, prompting a Dec. 2 runoff. A recent poll, albeit one by Solomon's campaign, has McGreevey trailing by double digits.

Early December and right after Thanksgiving weekend may be an awful time for an election, but rules are rules. So with the election 10 days away, Solomon and former Gov. McGreevey met for a debate at the Greenville branch of the city library system.

Hudson County politics tends to produce a lot of passion and that was the case here. With about 150 people jammed into a basement meeting room, supporters loudly applauded their candidate. One man was ejected after repeatedly yelling about a rat infestation on Newark Avenue.

Tempers briefly flared when Solomon said that as mayor of Woodbridge - his job before being elected governor in 2001 - McGreevey opposed affordable housing to keep "people of color" out of town.

McGreevey's backers clearly considered this a low blow. The city's population - like the debate audience - is very diverse.

"Don't talk about race, Solomon."  one man yelled.

McGreevey addressed the issue a few minutes later, saying that when he was mayor (in the 1990s) all housing in Woodbridge was affordable, suggesting that state requirements were unnecessary.

During the debate, Solomon's main point was clear. If you want change, he's the guy. This election, he said, is about the future, not the past.

He spoke about more rec opportunities for kids, better services for seniors and the cornerstone of his campaign - capping rents in designated affordable housing units at $1,000 a month.

McGreevey did not necessarily disagree with those ideas; in fact he called them well-meaning.

But he also said they were "risky" and "financially impossible."

Specifically in regard to housing, the former governor asserted that holding rents to $1,000 a month would require city subsidies to owners, thereby harming property taxpayers.

Solomon has argued that McGreevey's hands in the housing debate are unclean, noting that the former governor has received campaign contributions from developers.

That issue was suddenly turned around when Solomon was asked about his votes on the council to award contracts to those who have donated to his campaign.

He responded that his votes were always to the "low bidder," which is also required by law. And he defended his criticism of McGreevey saying that developers have gotten "sweetheart deals" while refusing to provide affordable housing.

Nonetheless, McGreevey backers in the audience clearly liked the question, although not the answer.

There was agreement about quality of life in the city, or lack thereof.

Both candidates said street cleaning needs to be improved. McGreevey also talked about the need for a police motorcycle patrol to crack down on irresponsible E-bike riders.

Summing up, Solomon reiterated that if you want a mayor who says things can't be done, vote for McGreevey The former governor, meanwhile, suggested that Solomon's ideas are so financially unwise, that if he wins, high taxes and more crime may make Jersey City a "ghost town."