Jersey City Mayor James Solomon led a rally at City Hall urging the state legislature to pass the Make Polluters Pay Act to address climate change, while at the same time, a counter-protest lamented an expected 15.5 percent municipal tax hike.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
About a dozen anti-tax protestors ultimately gathered to interrupt the climate change rally, along with a truck criticizing Solomon and political allies aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
They perceived the rally for a state bill as a distraction when the City Council could potentially finalize the 886.5 million budget with the aforementioned tax increase Wednesday.
“How’s it been for you this summer? Has it been hot enough? Too hot? How about those blackened sky days when you were choking on smoke from the Canadians wildfires?” activist Liz Ndoye asked.
“Boo!” said the crowd.
“Have they made you terrified that your home is going to be flooded out? Has your energy bill gone through the roof because you’re running your AC on high 24/7? This bill will make NJ more safe, more affordable, and more resilient,” she continued.
Ndoye argued it would raise $50 billion over 20 years and create 18,000 good-paying jobs to applause.
“Extreme heat has already cost New Jersey $108 billion! … Call on Speaker Craig Coughlin and Governor Mikie Sherrill to get the Make the Polluters Pay Act on the floor for a vote,” Ndoye declared before Solomon took the podium.
“Sometimes the odds feel long,” he began, comparing the current fight to stopping the expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike in Hudson County, which he said was defeated to applause.
“But we’re playing defense. Here with the Make Polluters Pay Act, we can actually start to have a little bit of offense,” he argued.
“We can hold these fossil fuel companies accountable for their misdeeds in the past and use that money … to take the burden off working families in our community.”
Solomon said this could also lead to steady union jobs to build necessary infrastructure.
“And we need it in Jersey City because our flooding is getting worse. In the last five years, we had more serious flooding events than in the 50 years prior! … That is due to climate change!” he exclaimed.
“These floods cost families tens of thousands of dollars. It includes their flood insurance rates. It makes life less affordable. And the people who should be paying are not the working people. It’s the corporations who cause these problems!” the mayor declared to applause.
The counter protesters were particularly animated as Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32) prepared to speak.
“Bring the taxes down!” they yelled passionately.
“Flooding used to be something you thought of when there was a hurricane … Because of climate change, every time it rains for 20 minutes it feels like the whole city floods! It floods our homes and our streets and our cars,” Brennan stated.
“We’re paying for it in our property taxes. We’re paying for it in our insurance. We are paying for it in our utilities. Just in the last couple weeks, my streets flooded. My neighbors are out there with buckets. So, we’re here with all our costs increasing.”
“Liar!” a woman said attempting to interrupt, but the assemblywoman continued undeterred.
“And meanwhile the people who caused this pay nothing! Every storm that comes we have to pick their bill. Is that fair?” Brennan continued.
“No!” the crowd yelled.
“Make Polluters Pay will … bring money to pay for the infrastructure in places like Jersey City and Hoboken,” Brennan expressed, adding that it could bring in $2.5 billion a year to pay for sewer and infrastructure upgrades.
Assemblyman Jerry Walker (D-31) noted the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.
“What an eye opener! I live in the Lafayette section where there’s always flooding. But this was a unique situation. We didn’t have no power for 5 days. The whole neighborhood was in disarray because we didn’t know how to handle it,” he explained.
“PPG on Pacific Ave, they’ve been cleaning up that area for 15 years now. They’ve spent close to 500 million. We’re about to go back to Trenton in September. I’m looking forward to this coming to the floor.”
“Bring the taxes down!” the counter-protesters yelled as Assemblyman Larry Wainstein (D-33), who said a power plant proposal in North Bergen was defeated in 2019 after he led a lawsuit against the state at the time.
“When ordinary people stand together and demand our health and comms come first, we can win!” he declared to applause.
Wainstein said higher insurance and paying to repair infrastructure are burdensome for taxpayers.
“Together we will make sure the biggest polluters fund flood protections, infrastructure upgrades, the projects that strengthen communities in every corner of our state,” he declared.
“This is about making sure the corporations, not the taxpayers pay!” declared Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little.
“Liar!” a woman yelled.
“Oh, you want your taxes higher? You want corporations to pay less? Okay,” Little said to the hecklers.
One of them responded by calling her an “idiot.”
“Imagine counter-protesting a climate rally. Think about that for a second,” Little said to cheers. “Climate change is here! We are having the corporations pay for the changes! The corporations that caused it!” she added to applause.
“We pay for the capitalist polluters’ profits every single day, and it is time for them to pay up!” Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros asserted.
“Jersey City needs money for climate resiliency, for green infrastructure, and for emergency preparedness. Who’s going to pay for that? Is it going to be working-class homeowners and renters?”
“No!” the crowd cheered.
Ephros also faced some loud detractors, with one man yelling “this guy wants to end nukes and we can’t afford to live here.”
“This has been a really devastating summer,” Food and Water Watch New Jersey State Director Matt Smith said.
He noted 29 people have died to extreme heat in New Jersey this summer and called for a moment of silence while angry heckles continued.
“I appreciate some of us still have our humanity intact,” Smith noted to applause, noting that they probably spent thousands of dollars on their video truck.
“When polluters pay, residents don’t pay!” Smith exclaimed. He added that the bill would raise $50 billion to address the concerns of fiscal conservatives.
“Don’t raise taxes!” Smith chanted.
“Make polluters pay!” the crowd chanted.
Ndoye said she wanted to “thank our counter-protesters because this is what democracy looks like!” to conclude the rally.
