The Jersey City Democratic Organization and the Hudson County Republican Party have come out in support of the vote yes movement ahead of the short-term rental question on November 5th.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Voting ‘YES’ is a vote to support common-sense Democratic values. We need to make sure Jersey City stays affordable for all of our residents, not just the wealthy. We need to make sure that residents’ basic quality of life is protected,” JCDO Chair Barbara Stamato said in a statement.
“And finally, we need to stand up to greedy corporations who think that if they have enough money, they can simply buy our city’s Democratic process. We’re proud to ask our fellow Democrats to vote the Democratic line and vote ‘YES’ on November 5th.â€
The JCDO’s endorsement was pretty expected, given that Mayor Steven Fulop has clearly been in favor of maintaining changes to short-term rental rules since before the ballot question was made official over the summer.
However, the Hudson County GOP’s involvement is one of the few endorsements that came out of the blue, as they more often than not decide not to get involved in non-partisan races.
“The Hudson County Republican Party is proud to support a ‘Yes’ vote on Jersey City Municipal Question #1. This is just common sense: Jersey City residents deserve stable and safe neighborhoods, and this law gives them that security,” Hudson GOP Chair Jose Arango stated.
“This law also protects the rights of homeowners and the rights of entrepreneurs who who want to rent their own homes on Airbnb.â€
The Hudson County GOP has also backed the “Change for Children” team in the hotly contested board of education race, though they are not expected to have a significant involvement in either race on Election Day.
Keep Our Homes campaign spokesman Graeme Zielinski didn’t acknowledge the latest endorsements directly, but said the team remains steadfast in opposing the referendum.
“New York hotels want to see short-term rentals banned so they don’t have to share tourism dollars with working-class families. Special interests bought this ban ordinance through campaign donations and they’re playing the same game now,” he said.
“Jersey City residents won’t be swayed by the political establishment, and they’ll join their friends and neighbors in the short-term rental community by Voting No on election day.â€
Gov. Phil Murphy, state Senators Sandra Cunningham and Brian Stack, the Jersey City Education Association, the majority of the local police and fire unions and Jersey City Together are a few of the most notable vote yes supporters in this yes.
Meanwhile, the Jersey City NAACP and Carpenters Local 253 are two of the more prominent groups to come out against the measure.
The ordinance, which the city council approved in June, prohibits renters from making money off of services such as Airbnb and also makes short-term rental hosts prone to city inspectors once they register their address with them.
The ballot question has led to some extraordinary spending, with over $5 million shelled out to date between both sides, according to campaign finance records.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Keep Our Homes campaign.Â
