Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon banked $392,816.22 towards his mayoral in in the first quarter in 2025, with a collective $941,653.26 cash on hand, according to his latest campaign finance reports.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Jersey City residents are hungry for change. That’s why we’ve seen such a surge in support from across the city. Voters know James is the only candidate who can truly remake Jersey City and turn it into a place where families can afford to live and raise a family,” Solomon campaign manager Stuart Thomas said in a statement.
“James is the one with the ideas, passion and experience to take on the developers to lower rent, stop corruption and make city services just work better for everyone. James is just getting started.”
Solomon’s personal account raised $219,628.03, spent $143,187.15, and has $613,892.71 cash on hand, according to his April 15th New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) report.
Adams, Rehmann & Hegel Associates, Inc., a Hammonton-based consulting design firm, donated $5,000, former Ward C council candidate Kevin Bing contributed $3,900, Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association’s Diane Atwell gave $2,500, and CLB Partners Partner Jonathan Boguchwal chipped in $2,000.
Accenture Managing Director Thomas Keane donated $5,500, Jersey City Democratic Committeeman Eric Allen Conner gave a cumulative $3,600, as did local video editor Jessica George, while the Jersey City Fire Officers Association wrote a check for $1,000.
Furthermore, Guarini Plumbing manager Michael Oriani showed his support with $5,500, political consultant Jason Solowsky contributed $5,000, former Board of Education Trustee Ellen Simon donated $2,200, and BlueWaveNJ President Marcia Marley wrote a check for $2,000.
Woodbridge-based law firm Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer P.A. gave $5,200, Scarinci Hollenbeck Managing Partner Christopher Warren donated $5,000, and Hillside Mayor Dahlia Vertreese chipped in $1,000.
As a whole, a significant number of his donations are from Jersey City residents and are for $1,000 or less.
Solomon is also spending a fair amount on consultants, with North Carolina-based Ampersand Strategies LLC receiving $36,000, Maryland-based Public Policy Partners LLC was compensated $18,000, New York-based Downfield Strategies was paid $12,000, while Matthew Fisch was paid $8,000 for fundraising consulting.
As for the Team Solomon account, they raised $173,188.19 between January 1st and March 31st, spent $20,627.64, and have $327,760.55 cash on hand, their April 15th ELEC report shows.
Solomon’s wife Gabrielle contributed $38,500, RD Parisi Associates President Rob Parisi showed support with $25,000, Eleana Little, Solomon’s Ward E council candidate, gave $16,100 from her individual account.
Three other of Solomon’s family members gave $38,500 each as well.
Furthermore, Newark-based C. Dente Towing and Trucking donated $5,000, as did Lyndhurst-based law firm Florio Kenny Raval LLP, while council-at-large candidate Rolando Lavarro, who is looking to reclaim his seat on Solomon’s ticket, wrote a check for $2,500.
Also of note, Veronica Akaezuwa, Solomon’s Ward D council candidate, donated $700, Hoboken mayoral candidate Dini Ajmani contributed $250, as did Guttenberg Housing Authority Executive Director Ruddys Andrade.
The team’s only notable expense is $14,000 on rent for an office space.
Solomon’s overall haul is an improvement what he did in the fourth quarter of 2024 when he was the top fundraiser among the five declared mayoral candidates with $$337,407 raised, as HCV first reported.
His opponents thus far are former Gov. Jim McGreevey, Council President Joyce Watterman, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), and ex-Board of Education President Mussab Ali.
