Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman has announced four running mates, with one being Lewis Spears, the 2021 mayoral challenger to Steven Fulop.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Let us remember the fight is not over. I want to make it clear today on Juneteenth as a black woman I am running for Mayor of Jersey City,” Watterman said at the Juneteenth Festival at Liberty State Park yesterday.
“I am committed to listening to the voices of our community and working tirelessly to make Jersey City a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable place for all.”
In the 2021 non-partisan municipal elections, when Watterman was the top vote getter on Fulop’s ticket, the mayor won by about a 2-1 margin: 28,562 votes to 13,741 votes for Spears, about 67 percent to 33 percent.
This time around when Fulop is running for governor, Spears, the Kismet Kings founder and author is running at-large with the council president.
Joining him as at-large candidates are Kenny Reyes, who unsuccessfully ran for a board of education seat under the “Change for Children” banner in 2022, and Dave Carment the associate director at New City Kids and a pastor at Liberty Church JC.
This is Carment’s first time seeking public office.
Rounding out the announcement is former Board of Education Trustee Alexander Hamilton, who lost when running alongside Reyes in 2022. He is now seeking the Ward E council seat.
Incumbent James Solomon, first elected in 2017, has shown repeatedly that he has a strong base in the downtown section of the city, to the point where he is considered a serious mayoral contender if he decides to enter the big dance.
He has not announced his plans for the November 3rd, 2025 municipal elections as of this writing.
Watterman is currently in a field of four declared candidates: former Gov. Jim McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali.
She also announced five aspects of her platform: economic empowerment to support local businesses and create jobs, education and youth development, public safety that includes collaborating with law enforcement and community organizations, environmental sustainability, and increasing affordable housing options to combat homelessness.
