The City of Jersey City has released the list of donors that gave over $1,000 each to a group that paid for eight officials to travel to Paris last month as part of the Centre Pompidou project.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The list of over 60 donors was disclosed the day after Mayor Steven Fulop told HCV that Grow Jersey City, the non-profit arm of the local Economic Development Corporation, paid for him and seven other local officials to go to the capital of France last month.
Several prominent developers contributed to the fund, which was started during the early going of the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of supporting economic development, Fulop said in the interview.
Caulfield, Eric Silverman, Peter Mocco, Mack Cali (now Veris Residential), Ironstate Holdings, and Brandywine Acquisition are all on the list, which did not include exact donation amounts.
The Hurley Family Foundation, a free basketball program for students in 3rd through 12th grades in Jersey City – run by famed St. Anthony High School basketball coach Bob Hurley – and the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation – the owners of the Liberty National Golf Course, contributed as well.
Both Hurley and Paul Fireman are linked to the group Liberty State Park For All, who have been pushing for expanded recreation at the park that includes a proposed 7,000-seat concert venue and 5,000-seat stadium.
A few local vendors are also listed, including McManimon Scotland & Baumann LLC, special counsel for the housing authority; Decotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Giblin LLP, counsel to the municipal utilities authority; Acrisure, the city’s insurance provider; and a foundation for Suez (now Veolia) Water, the city’s water service provider.
Also on that list is Bespoke Health, who received a $15 million contract with the city at the beginning of last year to provide COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
Furthermore, corporations such as Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, Kaw Management, and Investors Bank, along with charitable groups from outside the area like the Justin and Victoria Gmelich Family Fund and Greater Horizons.
The list was released after HCV filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) last week seeking email communications to determine who paid for the trip to Paris from February 18th and February 22nd.
The itinerary of the trip indicates that visit centered around developing the Centre Pompidou project in Journal Square, which is slated to open in late 2025 or early 2026.
