Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Executive Director Pamela Johnson will forego “establishment politics” and run for the Ward A council seat as an independent.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Today after consulting with family and friends I, Pamela Nicole Johnson, have decided to run as an Independent Democratic Candidate for Ward A City Council seat in Jersey City during the November Municipal elections,” Johnson, 42, said in a statement this morning.
“My candidacy will not be indebted to political endorsements, nor of establishment politics. It will be about providing independent leadership and a progressive agenda which focuses on moving Ward A forward.”
Johnson co-founded the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition, which she feels has given her a better perspective on local issues such as violence, crime, policing, affordable housing and fear of escalating property taxes – among other things.
Also declaring her campaign “devoted to unbought and unbossed leadership,” Johnson promises to be a voice for the people if elected to sit upon the dais at 280 Grove St.
Johnson added that she met with Mayor Steven Fulop in January to let him know she was considering running for the Ward A council seat, though neither side ever inquired about her joining the mayor’s ticket.
“Since the beginning, I’ve also presented myself as an independent person of any line or ticket, anything like that, so I think I have a strong grassroots connection: Ward A, born and raised,” she said over the phone this afternoon.
According to Hudson County Democratic Organization sources, Fulop is likely to select either Committeewoman Denise Ridley or Jersey City Board of Education President Vidya Gangadin to fill the Ward A slot on his slate.
Fulop campaign spokeswoman Hannah Peterson would not confirm or deny those two candidates were in the mix, simply stating no Ward A candidate had been selected yet.
“We have been in discussions with various candidates and no commitments have been made,” she said via text message.
Fulop has already announced that Council members Rolando Lavarro, Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera and Candice Osborne will seek re-election on his team.
The Jersey City municipal elections are on November 7.
