Jersey City mayoral candidate Jim McGreevey and four of his running mates hosted a small business roundtable at Box Cafe on Central Avenue in the Heights last night.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Board of Education Trustee Natalia Ioffe was also in attendance and noted she runs a shop with her husband in Bergen-Lafayette and said they have recently become concerned about the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority (JCRA) using eminent domain excessively.
“We believe small business is the backbone of our city. I would argue it’s the backbone of our nation … It’s people taking their life equity and investing it in a shop, in a store,” McGreevey began in his response.
He noted the permitting process is onerous and “cumbersome,” therefore, he pledged to streamline the process if elected mayor on November 4th.
“When you’re investing in a business, and you’re renting space, time is money and that money is going out the window if you’re not open, if you’re not accessible to the public … It has a negative impact on businesses,” McGreevey added.
“We want to work cooperatively with the business community. That means obviously to ‘buy Jersey City.’ From a city perspective, I think it’s important that you support local merchants,” he explained.
McGreevey said the city’s small businesses should be inventoried to be better understood and promoted by the city. He also wanted the city to shop local more as well to strengthen the local economy and promote local businesses more.
“I see on Sip [Avenue] a small hardware store struggling to survive amidst Lowe’s, and amidst of Home Depot,” McGreevey noted.
He thought small businesses could be encouraged to work together more. McGreevey also thought the city could buy more from small businesses when working on various municipal projects.
“The third thing is the possibility of expanding Special Improvement Districts (SIDs) if people want it,” the former governor added.
McGreevey also thought the road, lighting, and parking infrastructure could be improved to attract more businesses.
“When I drive from Union City on Palisade [Avenue], I see the lighting … is stronger in Union City. The paving is better in Union City and a clearer parking designation. So part of this is investing in the basics,” he argued.
A few in attendance also lamented the great increase in property taxes in recent years, to which McGreevey had some thoughts.
“Jersey City had the highest property tax increase in the state three years ago,” he exclaimed, assuring he would deliver more conservative fiscal management.
“We don’t make the assumption there’s annual increases in every department. We have to be willing to say no to expensive projects like the Pompidou, etc.,” he argued.
McGreevey also thought it could be more cost-effective for Jersey City to address garbage pickup directly instead of via the municipal utilities authority (MUA).
Samir Shah said he also has a store on Central Avenue and noted the need for upgrading the 911 system since he thought the police response in the area is very slow.
McGreevey also noted the need for community policing when officers were well known in the areas they patrolled.
Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano, who is running for re-election on McGreevey’s slate, said the police department is down to about 802 officers today, compared to roughly 1,200 when he was on the force.
He also didn’t think it was fair to offer police a starting salary of $40,000, especially when they’re expected to live in the city.
“We’ve lost that nationally, people having a sense of relationship with the police department,” McGreevey noted.
He also wanted to bring back the police motorcycle squad to better enforce traffic laws.
Also present from McGreevey’s slate were Ward D council candidate Catherine Healy, the daughter of former Mayor Jerramiah Healy, joined by at-large candidates Israel “Izzy” Nieves, a retired police lieutenant, Art House Productions Executive Director Meredith Burns, and Hudson County Sheriff’s Office Det. Jennise Sarmiento.
