Jersey City Mayor-elect James Solomon has named his 96-member Transition Policy Committee that will weigh in on public safety, education, arts and culture, as well as housing and much more.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Jersey City voted for change, and we’re not waiting until inauguration day to get to work. The committee members we’re announcing today are experienced leaders who share our commitment to making Jersey City more affordable, more accountable, and better run,” Solomon said in a statement.
“I’m asking these leaders – and every Jersey City resident – to hold us accountable for delivering on the promises we’ve made. At the end of the committee’s work, we will have a plan that ensures we hit the ground running on Day One, and keep delivering results throughout our first term.”
The Transition Policy Committee is organized into seven policy committees, each bringing together subject matter experts, community leaders, and civic stakeholders to shape the administration’s early agenda.
The committees will work toward two objectives:
First 100 Days Plan: Identify concrete, achievable wins that deliver immediate results for Jersey City residents—from housing affordability to public safety to basic city services.
First-Term Action Plan: Develop actionable policy recommendations with clearly defined goals, commitments, and ways of measuring progress over time.
This plan will translate early momentum into sustained policy change and will be released around the administration’s 100th day in office.
The Transition Policy Committee’s first meeting is convening this evening, Wednesday January 7th.
Additionally, Solomon will launch a Co-Governance committee consisting of community leaders and subject-area experts to work with the Policy Committees and assist in engaging the broader Jersey City community in the Mayor-elect’s first 100 days.
Membership of the Co-Governance Committee will be announced in late January.
The Transition Policy Committee is rolled out about a month after the mayor-elect announced his transition team, as HCV first reported.
Transition Policy Committee Members
Public Safety Committee
Derick Dailey
Commissioner Robert “Bob” Dowd
Officer Christina Freeman
Ward F Councilman Frank Gilmore
Timothy Griffin
Deputy Fire Chief Loren Hart
Ray Hayducka, Co-Chair
Pam Johnson, Co-Chair
Nedia Morsy
Michael Postorino
Retired Fire Chief Armando Roman
Former Deputy Chief Joseph Santiago
Mitch Schnee
Amol N. Sinha, ESQ
Ward C Councilman-elect Tom Zuppa
Education & Youth Committee
New Jersey City University (NJCU) President Andres Acebo
Former School Board President Mussab Ali, Co-Chair
Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Norma Fernandez
Lincoln High School Principal Chris Gadsden
State Senator Vin Gopal (D-11), Co-Chair
Ira Guilford
Paula Mercado Hak
Former Board of Education Trustee Alex Hamilton
Kristen Zadroga-Hart
Lainie Hicks
Christopher Reber
Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley
Board of Education Trustee Matt Schneider
Janhitha Veeramachaneni
De’Shawn Wright
Art & Culture Committee
Beth Achenbach
Colin Egan
Amy Elise
Deonté Griffin-Quick
Curt Harris
Olga Levina, Co-Chair
Terry Loftis
Samuel Pott
Liz Schedl, Co-Chair
Councilwoman at-Large-elect Mamta Singh
Selig Sacks
Health & Human Services Committee
Ward B Councilman-elect Joel Brooks
Dr. Cameron Brown
Peter Gliatto
Balpreet Grewal-Virk
Heather Howard
State Senator Angela McKnight (D-31), Chair
Mike McLean
Debbie White
McKenzie Wilson
Housing & Economic Development Committee
Assemblywoman-elect Katie Brennan (D-32), Co-Chair
Umar Chaudhry
Nick Chiaravalloti
Councilman at-large-elect Michael Griffin
Daniel “Danny” Gumble
Councilman at-large-elect Rolando Lavarro
Shane Mitchell
Adrian Orozco
Carol Sainthilaire
Gillian Sarjeant-Allen
Paul Silverman
State Senator Britnee Timberlake (D-34), Co-Chair
City Assets, Sustainability, & Street Safety Committee
Outgoing Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, state Assembly-elect (D-32), Co-Chair
Kevin Bing
Michael DeCotiis
Dawn Giambalvo
Lady Jimenez-Torres, Co-Chair
Ward E Councilwoman-elect Eleana Little
John Lynch
Tiffany McQueary
Tyler Newcomb
Friends of Liberty State Park President Sam Pesin
Matt Smith
Transit and Transportation Committee
Anthony “Tony” Coscia
Ward D Councilman-elect Jake Ephros
Ed Florio
James Rosenstein-Hopkins
Andy Kaplan
Barry Kushnir
Jack McKee
State Senator Raj Mukherji (D-32), Co-Chair
Ayla Schermer, Co-Chair
Peter Simon
Kate Slevin
Intergovernmental Affairs & Communications Committee
Mo Butler, Co-Chair
Laura Bustamante
Christian Callegari
Former U.S. Senator George Helmy
Antoinette Miles, Co-Chair
Carolina Montes
Budget Advisory Committee
Beverly Brown Ruggia
Jonathan Casiano
Brandon McKoy
Marc Pfeiffer, Chair
Bill Viquiera
Evan Weiss
Committee work will begin with a kickoff session in early January, followed by working sessions through the first 100 days to develop and refine policy recommendations.
Additional transition announcements will be made in the coming weeks, Solomon concluded.