Jersey City mayoral candidate Mussab Ali banked $244,128.95 in the third quarter of this year, with $249,696.55 cash on hand, his latest reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) show.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This campaign has always been about putting power back in the hands of Jersey City residents. We’re proving that a grassroots campaign supported by people from every corner of our city can go toe-to-toe with the political machines that have dominated local politics for too long,” Ali said in a statement.
He added that he has 2,400 individual donors to date, none of which are developers or city vendors.
Specifically, his October 7th ELEC report shows he raised $171,148.33, spent $225,458.06, and has $226,783.43 cash on hand. The vast majority of donors contributed $2,000 or less and included no one from the New Jersey political class.
Mayor Transportation Owner and Supervisor Mona Soliman gave $5,500, as did ePlanet Capital Founder and Chairman Jamal Asad, of California, while Shahmeer Halepota, a partner at Texas’ AZA Law, donated $3,500.
His council slate raised $72,980.62, spent $65,709.59, and has $22,913.12 cash on hand, according to their October 7th ELEC report.
However, about half of their money came from two places: $25,000 from Ali’s individual account and $11,000 from Claudio Ambrossi, a relative of Ward D council candidate Patrick Ambrossi.
Warren Grover, a historian who lives in Short Hills, also contributed $11,000.
Additionally, Mussab’s brother, Russab Ali, provided $22,380.62 in in-kind contributions related to social media ads, handouts, flyers, palm cards, billboards, and signs, the report says.
As as expenses go, New York’s Berlin Rosen was paid $36,147.61 for printing and postage for direct mail, while Clifton-based Excellent Printing and Signs was compensated $6,809 for handouts flyers and palm cards.
Ali is the fourth best fundraiser in the seven-person mayoral contest thus far, behind Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), Ward E Councilman James Solomon, and former Gov. Jim McGreevey.
