Remarks as Prepared of James Solmon On His Inauguration as Mayor of Jersey City, NJ

January 15, 2026

 

Jersey City, thank you for this honor, and for the opportunity to work each and every day on your behalf.

And I couldn’t imagine a more fitting place for this ceremony than NJCU.

This is where I started teaching in Jersey City. It’s where I first witnessed the potential of our young people across every neighborhood - from the Heights to the Hill.

It’s where I met my incredible chief of staff, Laura Bustamante.

It’s where I’ve watched my daughters perform their dance recitals - on this very stage.

It’s where I learned, talking to an old, grizzled security guard that you aren’t really, truly from Jersey City unless you were born in the Margaret Hague...sorry Christ Hospital babies, I don’t make the rules.

I know how blessed I am to stand here today, because ten years ago I was standing here in a NJCU classroom sharing with my students a very different kind of announcement.

I had just gotten a phone call from my doctor - the kind that no one wants to get.

I was diagnosed with cancer.

Gaby and I had moved to Jersey City a few years back. We’d gotten married less than two months before. We loved our new home. We were so excited about our future.

It was the scariest time of my life. But I soon learned two things.

First, I’m the world’s luckiest husband.

Gaby, if I told you every reason I’m grateful to have you in my life, we’d be here past midnight. So let me just say: thank you for everything.

And as Gaby and I took on the fight of our lives, the second thing we learned was this: moving to Jersey City was the best choice we ever made.

We were still new in town – but that didn’t matter. When we were down, our neighbors lifted us up. Our community lifted us up.

Jersey City lifted us up.

During chemo, I made two promises to myself. If I ever made a full recovery, I would start a family with Gaby.

And I would find a way to give back to the city that had given us so much.

Now, the first promise was, obviously, the more important one. And tonight, Camila, Corinne, and Noelle are here as living proof that Gaby and I kept it.

Girls, watching you play at the “big playground” in Liberty State Park reminds me - every day - why I’m so lucky to raise you here, in this special place, and why I’m so proud to be your dad.

So that was the first promise. And when it came to the second promise - giving back to the people who helped give me back my life – from the very first day I began to think about entering public service,  and I was guided by a simple principle:

Jersey City deserves a government as good as its people.

Eight years ago, I ran for city council. Some of you were part of that campaign.  People told us that to win, we’d have to play by the same old set of rules that defined politics in this town for decades.

But we believed we could do better.

Because we knew the people of Jersey City were already better than that. We ran a different kind of campaign – and set out to govern in a different kind of way.

During one of my very first weeks on the council, there was a rally at Caven Point in Liberty State Park. A billionaire wanted to bulldoze the beach to expand his golf course. The Friends of Liberty State Park fought to stop him.

When I joined them, an organizer pointed out that I was one of just two elected officials on the beach. He said, “I guess the rest of them are afraid to show up.”

To which I replied, “I guess I’ll just piss off a billionaire and see where it gets me.”

And look where it got me.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

When we started talking about running for mayor, we were told City council was one thing – but mayor was different.

We didn’t listen.

We still believed we could do things better. That we could run a campaign for the people, not the powerful. And day after day, so many of you here tonight proved us right.

We didn’t take a dime from developers. Because we had you. Making phone calls. Knocking on doors. Chipping in whenever and whatever you could.

To everyone on the incredible Team Solomon, and to the thousands of volunteers who gave up their time and resources for a campaign plenty of people thought didn’t have a chance… thank you.

You didn’t work your hearts out because you believed in me. You worked your hearts out because we believed in each other.

You also believed  in the kind of politics we set out to practice, where winning an election isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting line.

And because of you, today, we start writing a new chapter in the history of Jersey City.

It’s an extraordinary opportunity. And we’re lucky to have incredible partners throughout our city, county, and state who help us make the most of it.

Senator Kim, thank you for administering the oath of office, for your support, and most of all, for forging a new kind of politics in New Jersey.

Mayor Baraka, thank you for being the model of progressive, effective, and independent mayor in our sister city Newark. I look forward to working alongside you city-to-city.

To all the members of the city council, you exemplify the best of public service. I know how deeply each of you cares for our City and I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves together to deliver a more affordable Jersey City for all.

And to all the elected officials from across our city and state, thank you for being here. I’m so excited to work with you in the months and years ahead.

Thank you to my family, my brother, and my 80 year-old mother - who I think knocked on half the doors in Jersey City.

To Gaby and our girls, I know I already talked about how great you are. But since I literally cannot thank you enough, I think it’s okay to thank you twice.

And finally, to everyone watching, whether it’s here at NJCU or on a screen, whether you voted for me or someone else, thank you for showing up for our city. Because today isn’t really about a ceremony, or a swearing-in, or even a celebration. It’s about putting you at the center of our government.

It’s about making real our vision of a city government as good as you are.

A Jersey City government as good as its people does the big things and the basics.

We won’t choose between delivering on big dreams that can shape this city’s future and the everyday details that improve your quality of life.

We have to do both. And we will.

We’re going to build thousands of affordable homes that are actually, well, affordable … and make sure your trash gets picked up on trash day.

We’re going to create new opportunities for our teenagers and young people, with a thousand new summer jobs … and get the roads fixed, so that you can drive down Danforth or Summit without dodging a bunch of potholes.

We’re going to continue to be America’s Golden Door by protecting our immigrant families … and we’re going to keep the foul lines painted at Roberto Clemente field.

Some of what I’m talking about often gets called “basic services.” But as any sanitation worker or cop or firefighter will tell you, “basic” is not the same thing as easy.

So to everyone already working for our city, thank you for everything you do.

And I hope to make you proud over these next four years.

What does it mean to have a government as good as its people? It starts with this - un gobierno que funciona para la gente que trabaja.

A Jersey City government that functions for the people that make our city work.

Let’s be honest. For real estate developers, Jersey City has been working great.

But if you’re a working person who actually lives here - a nurse or a small business owner or a teacher or in the building trades – it’s been a different story.

You’ve seen expensive luxury developments, developments that ought to be bringing in money for our city, popping up all over the place. Yet your property taxes and rents continue to rise.

Make - it - make - sense.

That era of putting developers first ends today.

For any billionaires watching, don’t worry, you’re still a billionaire. It’s all good.  But from now on, we measure success not by how much gets built, but by whether you can build a future for your family, a business that can thrive, a retirement account that gives you peace of mind.

The people of Jersey City come first.

Mayor Glenn Cunningham - one of Jersey City’s greatest mayors - spoke about how the “Gold Coast” must benefit “The Golden Neighborhoods.”

One of the things that we love so much about our city, one of the things that makes us Chilltown, or as Mayor Shundler would say… a slice of heaven, is that we don’t pit neighborhoods or communities against each other.

And we know that Jersey City can’t be a great place to live or raise a family if a few of us do better … while the rest of us are left behind.

The people of Jersey City deserve a booming waterfront and a thriving South Side.

Great schools in The Heights and in Greenville.

Safe streets for our kids downtown and on the West Side.

We’re proud that people - from Brooklyn - want to move here. And at the same time, if you already live here, and you’re doing everything right, working hard, paying rent, you must be able to stay here.

Over the next few weeks and months, we’re going to roll out a lot of policies designed to put the people of Jersey City first.

But the biggest change you’ll see is your government’s mindset. Who do we wake up every day fighting for? And who do we go to sleep at night worrying about?

We ran a campaign for the people, NOT the powerful. And starting today, that’s how we’re going to run this city, too.

Now, I know some of you are thinking, “James, that sounds nice. But people always make promises - and then look what happens.”

You know what? Given the history of this city - and the state of our country - I think that’s a pretty fair concern.

It’s why I believe that a Jersey City government as good as its people is, above all else, a government you can trust.

Trust begins with transparency.  I won’t stand here and promise that everyone will agree with everything we say, or every tough decision we make. But I can promise that we’ll always be honest about what we’re doing, and why.

That starts with our budget.

We’ve known for months that our city was going to be in a deep hole, when it came to balancing our budget next year. But it was only over the last few weeks that we were finally able to examine the books.

And I’m going to be honest with you, we’ve got our work cut out for us, even more than we were led to believe.

We’ll have more details on our financial picture for you soon. For now, let me just say that balancing our budget - as we’re required to do by our state constitution - is going to require some hard choices, along with some basic common sense.

But trust is not just about adding a layer of transparency. It’s about rooting out corruption wherever we find it.

That’s why we didn’t take developer money during the campaign - so that the only group of people we owe favors to is you.

It’s why I’m so proud to have the support of Andy Kim, who’s taken on corruption statewide and won.

It’s why, after announcing my run, the very first policy platform I asked my team to put out was an anti-corruption plan.

And finally, it’s why I’m asking you to not just support us in the days and weeks ahead. I’m asking you to hold us accountable.

If we’re doing something wrong, we want to hear about it. If you have an idea for how we could do our jobs more effectively, don’t keep it to yourself.

This city belongs to all of us - it isn’t a spectator sport. And it’s up to all of us to leave it better than we found it.

Doing the big things and the basics. A city that works for the people who make it work. Leaders who earn your trust.

That’s what it means to build a Jersey City government as good as its people. And that’s why I - and my team - commit ourselves to that vision - today - and every day.

Because as nice as tonight is, we’re not here to just celebrate.

We’re here to start getting things done. I will measure success as mayor not by the number of votes I received, but by the number of families in India Square who tell me they no longer worry they’ll have to leave Jersey City because it’s gotten too expensive.

By the number of people on the Western Slope who tell me they never knew a city government could make their lives easier instead of harder.

By the number of young people at PS 15 or 27 who tell me they feel sorry for any kid who has to grow up anyplace else.

For Gaby, the girls, and me – and, I know, for all of you – Jersey City is more than just a city. This is a truly special place. It’s the place that lifts us up when we’re down, and that makes our dreams feel possible.

It. Is. Home.

And starting today, working together, we’re going to make Jersey City even better than it’s ever been.

Thank you, Jersey City.

God bless you.

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