Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman spent slightly more than double what she raised in Quarter 3 in her effort to become the next mayor, campaign finance records reveal.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
She raised $16,100 and spent $33,482.06 between July 1st and September 30th and has $84,607.37 cash on hand, her October 15th report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) says.
William Guarini, of William Guarini, Inc., donated $2,000, Kingdom Power Church contributed $1,500, and the campaign account of Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla donated $1,000.
Watterman endorsed Bhalla for Congress against U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) and the Mile Square City mayor gave the same amount to one another Jersey City council member who backed him, Ward E’s James Solomon, whose also running for mayor.
She paid East Orange-based Oscar James $5,000 for political consulting, Van Scoyas, of Washington, D.C., $3,600 for the same reason, and $1,000 for more consulting services from Ashley Caleb, of Bayonne.
In Purpose On Purpose, her daughter Jennifer Moore’s company, received a check for $5,000, while Jason Vellinquette, received $1,000.
They are both based out of Jersey City and were paid for consulting as well – along with Roselle’s JHSQ. They received $3,000 for their efforts.
Also of note, Watterman lost one of her running mates, former mayoral challenger Lewis Spears, who publicly indicated he would be dropping out of the non-partisan November 4th municipal races in a letter to the editor last month.
Elected as a councilwoman-at-large as part of Mayor Steven Fulop’s ticket in 2013, 2017, and 2021, Watterman is now lagging far behind in campaign cash as the incumbent makes a run for governor.
Former Gov. Jim McGreevey has a sizable lead, Solomon is off to a hot start, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) is second in cash on hand, and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali has about two-and-half times what she does cash on hand.
