Jersey City Together hosted Mayor James Solomon at a packed church meeting last night to advocate for enhanced school funding and affordable housing regulation, both of which he pledged on the campaign trail.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Activist leaders noted churches across the city had brought members to the crowded meeting at Christ the King Catholic Church, located 768 Ocean Ave.
Jersey City Together leader Rev. Dr. Alonzo Perry noted they have a community-driven vision for an equitable and accountable City.
“We’ve already met with the mayor. This is not an ambush,” he explained while Solomon nodded.
Bishop Joshua Rodriguez explained the payroll tax, rent control enforcement, and the Bayfront housing development were the big issues they are concern about.
“We just want to fund our schools … Local businesses and corporations can do more to fund our schools,” activist Jyl Josephson explained, criticizing the massive state school aid cuts in the past.
She explained the payroll tax is a one percent tax on those employed in the city who are not locals to help fund the school, which Solomon pushed while serving as the Ward E councilman.
Josephson also said they also worked with state Senators Raj Mukherji (D-32) and Angela McKnight (D-31) to pass state legislation to enhance enforcement, as HCV first reported.
“Proactively enforce the payroll tax … and fund our schools!” she exclaimed.
“Fund our schools!” the crowd chanted.
“Union careers are being turned into exploitative employment,” LIUNA Local 3 union member Chris Capers argued.
He further stated that many contractors in the city are ripping off workers, accusing them of stealing from the schools as well by not paying the payroll tax.
Capers then asked Solomon if he would proactively enforce the payroll tax, implementing fines and fees against those who fail to pay?
“Yes,” Solomon said to applause.
“Funding the payroll tax couldn’t be more important. Corporations that make billions should do their fair share and fund our schools,” the mayor declared, noting that the aforementioned state law gives the city new enforcement tools.
Solomon continued that they’re working on securing relevant data from the State and setting up an office in City Hall to go after corporations.
“They can’t open their building unless they demonstrate that paid what they owe,” he explained to applause.
The new mayor also said they didn’t want to allow subcontractor loopholes, which often lead to worker mistreatment. He added that the issues is personal to him since all three of his daughters attend the Jersey City Public Schools.
Solomon also promised transparency on payroll tax data to applause.
Rev. Jon Brown, of Old Bergen Church, noted that many people have been leaving the city due to the high price of rent.
“Each year we lose more … There are hundreds of cases where slumlords … are illegally evicting rent-controlled tenants in order to replace them with higher-rate tenants … We are losing our existing affordable housing,” Brown said.
This prompted him to asked if Solomon would work on increasing enforcement, to which he once agains said yes to cheers and applause.
Further, Brown asked if he’d commit to have the city mandate that changes have to be pre-approved to confront non-compliant bad actors, to which Solomon agreed.
“How could somebody think they could make money off mistreating people? We have to use every tool in our toolbox! It’s not just the cost of doing business … If you remain a bad actor, we’ll run you out of the city!” Solomon asserted.
He also emphasized the need to coordinate the city agencies and court system to address the issue, as well as heavily fining bad landlords.
Additionally, Solomon said he wants to address the rents at rent-controlled apartments skyrocketing after basic living improvements are made.
“We’re going to partner with our City Council to pass a bill to say you need approval before you do that,” he declared.
Rodriguez explained their vision for the ongoing Bayfront development, which was formerly a toxic post-industrial site.
Rodriguez said the goal is to create 8600 units, where 35 percent are earmarked for affordable units. He noted affordable housing often has to be subsidized, however, there is a cap on how much affordable housing can be subsidized by the state.
“Governor Mikie Sherrill can waive the cap. The vision of Bayfront must not be reduced or compromised… Agencies must coordinate and address barriers and inventory better,” he explained.
Delving deeper into the subject, Rodriguez wanted Sherrill to sign an executive order to raise the cap on affordable housing construction subsidies.
“This is a 9/11 moment,” he claimed.
Rodriguez also didn’t want them to sell Bayfront and asked Solomon to commit to making the development of Bayfront a priority and accelerating its schedule and Solomon once again agreed.
He also wanted Solomon to ask Sherrill to waive the affordable housing subsidy cap, and Solomon committed to doing so.
“That land cannot be sacrificed: It was only Jersey City Together that forced the council to make it affordable,” the mayor reflected on their years-long advocacy efforts.
Council members Joel Brooks, Jake Ephros, Eleana Little, Frank Gilmore, Rolando Lavarro, and Michael Griffin, also attended the event, as did Board of Education (BOE) Trustees Lorenzo Richardson and Dr. George Blount.
