Democratic Socialists of America member and labor organizer Joel Brooks formally kicked off his campaign for the Jersey City Ward B council seat by trading endorsements with Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), a mayoral hopeful.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Local education activist Jessica Taub spoke first, noting she supported his 2021 campaign.
“Joel Brooks is a community organizer who values the well-being of all of our neighbors and will fight for those who have been ignored by those in power,” she declared at the Park Tavern, commending him for supporting their education activism efforts.
“He did all of this before he had his own child,” she noted to applause. “Our outgoing administration has not very been friendly to our school board, has not been very friendly to fully funding our public schools: Joel is going to change that narrative.”
She also gave Brooks props for standing with the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County (their executive director, Pam Johnson, is running with O’Dea in Ward A) and for making sure the council approved their right-to-counsel initiative.
“The west side is ready for new representation, and I believe Joel Brooks is the right representative for us,” she added.
O’Dea then noted they have worked on housing and immigration issues together and that he considers Brooks a reliable partner in Ward B.
“A couple years ago, we uncovered a building that had no heat for months,” he recalled about a situation at 96 Duncan Ave. that began just before Christmas in 2021 and was settled in about a month.
“Not only were we able to get the heat restored, we were able to get the city council to finally do something positive, which is to enact an ordinance that allows the city to step in and bring in someone to bring in a heating united in or fix the heating unit when the building owner purposefully doesn’t want to provide heat.”
He added they recently helped Gifford Avenue tenants who had no electricity.
“Joel and I have a lot, a lot, a lot that we agree on. We will both be working together, each with our own level of independence,” O’Dea declared.
Brooks then took the stage and thanked everyone who helped arrange the rally, including DSA members.
“I’ve been a proud DSA member since 2016, and I love seeing our organization grow,” he began, also thanking his wife and young daughter for their support.
He explained he was born in Honduras and adopted by a Jewish family, with a dad who worked for the U.S. Postal Service and a mom who worked in retail.
“My dad’s job showed me a union job can help sustain a family with good benefits and job security,” Brooks recalled before explaining he has worked in the labor movement for 20 years helping struggling workers.
Brooks noted that during his 2021 Ward B campaign, they knocked on 40,000 doors, raised $75,000, and nearly beat the incumbent (he lost to Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, who ran on Mayor Steven Fulop’s tickets, by 185 votes).
“It’s time to finish what we started, and I’m so excited you’re all here to do this,” he declared.
Brooks said he moved to Jersey City nine years ago to be closer to the nurses he represented, as well as touting the diversity here, noting they were in an Irish restaurant near a Haitian restaurant and an Indian clothing store to chuckles.
“The West Side is the best side!” he exclaimed to applause.
On a more serious note, Brooks said violent crime needs to be addressed, along with more opportunities for youth as well as keeping roads paved and streets clean.
“We all deserve a dignified, affordable place to live and childcare that does not equal a second mortgage or rent. Am I right, parents?” he asked to cheers.
“Since we’re in a housing shortage, we welcome new units of housing. Who is this new development for? These new housing units are not for us. We need housing working families can afford, not built to line the pockets of big corporate developers.”
He said men died while working on projects on Communipaw Avenue, along with Summit and Fairmount Avenues.
“We need housing that is built by workers with protections and living a wage, not projects where people work in unsafe conditions paid for by companies that dodge our payroll tax that fund our schools,” Brooks declared.
He said as a tenant in a rent-controlled unit with his wife, they witnessed “a broken system that’s tilted towards wealthy developers and landlords.”
Brooks continued that “illegally high rents” need to be addressed through measures such as universal rent control, publicly funded affordable housing. He also vowed not to take donations from corporate developers.
He also defended his recent stance on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Trump is back in town,” Brooks noted to boos. “In Hudson County, we will protect our neighbors, and we defend immigrant families!”
“I will make sure Jersey City stays a sanctuary city, and that Jersey City families stay together. Regardless of your immigration status, we all deserve a voice in the political process: We can change how we do business here.”
“Can we win Ward B in 2025?” he asked to cheers. “Let’s do it!”
Afterwards, Brooks said he was also endorsing O’Dea for mayor, but will continue to run as an independent. A source familiar with the situation said Team O’Dea would essentially treat Brooks as their Ward B candidate.
“With this coalition, we have a really good chance,” Brooks exclaimed.
Former Gov. Jim McGreevey is running Erfrain Badilla Orleans Jr. in Ward B and Ward E Councilman James Solomon is backing Lorena Loayza for the west side seat. No one else has formally entered the race yet, including Prinz-Arey.
The non-partisan Jersey City municipal elections are on November 4th.
Get ready for higher taxes if these guys win.