Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, a mayoral candidate, is rolling out his small business and economic development plan which he declares will “allow all residents to thrive” and includes a deputy mayor for affordable housing.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Jersey City stands at a crossroads. We can continue down a path of luxury development that only benefits a few, or we can choose a new direction: one that prioritizes inclusive growth, supports our small businesses, and creates opportunities for all residents to thrive,” he said in a statement.
“As mayor, I will fight to make Jersey City a beacon of economic opportunity for everyone.”
The downtown councilman added he has been recognizing that the recent economic growth has not benefited all residents, Solomon’s plan focuses on empowering small businesses, attracting anchor institutions, and investing in underserved communities.
Solomon also declared that the current administration has not attracted any new anchor institutions and small businesses are “struggling from high costs and endless red tape.”
The result is that even as Jersey City’s population has grown by roughly 30 percent in the last 15 years, the number of jobs here has been virtually stagnant for almost a decade, and fewer than 20 percent of our residents also work in the city, Solomon asserted.
He said his plan includes taking back control of the planning and growth of the city from developers, to reduce housing costs and create more jobs for residents.
To that end, he also vows to use the city’s powers to secure thousands of new affordable units and break down barriers for businesses.
Solomon also wants to appoint a deputy mayor for affordable housing and economic development to make sure the city hits its affordable housing goals, attracts and retains companies and small businesses, and brings investment to the neighborhoods that haven’t shared in the city’s growth.
He also vows to strengthen the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation into a true advocate for Jersey City and its small businesses and create thousands of homegrown job opportunities by attracting anchor institutions and supporting small businesses.
Furthermore, Solomon pledges to cully overhaul the City’s permitting, licensing, and inspection processes to eliminate the red tape that is choking our businesses and exempt small businesses from the City’s payroll tax on non-resident employees.
He also speaks about leveraging state tax credits for projects that promote long-term job growth and housing affordability, “rather than poorly planned vanity projects like the Pompidou.”
Additionally, the mayoral hopeful is envisioning a task force to evaluate the city’s vacant and under-leased commercial space, and explore conversions that would provide greater benefit in jobs or housing to the community.
Solomon also mentions targeting empty storefronts and promoting retail and commercial growth by reforming land use policies, promoting investments in ares such as Martin Luther King Drive, Ocean Avenue, and West Side Avenue, and implementing a minority procurement program to ensure fairness in city contracting.
This guy gets dumber, and more expensive by the week. We don’t need to hire more deputies and directors – we need each council person to take the lead in an area of need/expertise and figure it out. If the solutions can’t come from the people already on board then we have the wrong people