During a Van Vorst meet and greet with Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Ward F council hopeful Frank “Educational” Gilmore said he was unvaccinated, citing concerns about “side effects,” but ended up getting his 1st Moderna dose this morning.
At a meet and greet with @SolomonforJC last night, @EducationalGil1 said he was not vaccinated, but then got his 1st dose of the Moderna vaccine today.
“I’m not vaccinated because I really want to see the actual data on the vaccine.”
FULL STORY: https://t.co/NeoIbzUvUh pic.twitter.com/6sZfGIg1Qa
— John Heinis (@HeinisHardNews) October 7, 2021
By Daniel Ulloa and John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Well I’m not vaccinated. My wife is vaccinated. I’m not vaccinated because I really want to see the actual data on the vaccine. I’ve been reading a lot of conflicting stories which is really angering me with respect to … the different types of side effects and things of that nature,” Gilmore said during a discussion about getting the public vaccinated from COVID-19.
“That’s why I’m not vaccinated. I know it’s the hard truth, but I could have easily lied to you and you would’ve never known, but it’s the hard truth.”
A man said it was hard to understand why Gilmore would advocated for vaccinations if he himself was not, to which he reiterated that there is conflicting data out there, as well as that he always wanted to be transparent to the public.
Ward F Councilman Jermaine Robinson came out hard against the challenger in a statement, claiming it was “disgusting” that he would take an anti-vaccine stance and called him to stop holding in-person events until he’s fully vaccinated.
“Just like nearly 90 percent of Jersey City residents, I got vaccinated to protect myself, my family and my constituents, and I am demanding now that Frank Gilmore either prove that he has taken the vaccine or that he immediately stop holding in-person campaign events,” Robinson asserted.
“Interacting with residents without being vaccinated is totally irresponsible and a clear danger to public health, and Frank Gilmore has taken it even further by speaking inside our public schools without a mask and potentially without being vaccinated. That has to stop now.”
The third candidate in the Ward F race, Vernon Richardson an aide to Mayor Steven Fulop and former chief of staff to late Ward D Councilman Michael Yun, told HCV this morning that he’s vaccinated.
Given that Yun tragically succumbed to the coronavirus in April 2020, Richardson said he’s being extremely cautious, wearing a face mask nearly all the time.
Just before noon, Gilmore posted on all of his social media pages that he had received his first dose, which he said was of the Moderna vaccine.
Over the phone, he said he was not concerned about one particular side effect, but was apprehensive due to a lack of data available and he has also always been afraid of needles.
” … It’s not really about me: It’s about how I can be affecting others who are compromised,” he added.
In a statement, Solomon, who has advocated for vaccine mandates for city and school employees, indicated that he was unaware of Gilmore’s vaccination status until his comments last night and expressed enthusiasm about him getting his first dose today.
“The Covid-19 vaccine is safe, effective and is instrumental to ending this pandemic. Before last night’s event, I was unaware of Frank Gilmore’s vaccination status. Following the event, I had an honest and private discussion with Frank where he informed me that he is getting vaccinated this morning,” he said.
“This moment highlights how important it is that we all continue to have these types of conversations with our friends and families until everyone gets the vaccine.”
The non-partisan Jersey City municipal elections, where Robinson is running on Fulop’s ticket, are on November 2nd.
Additionally, Hudson Media Group’s Ward F council debate will stream live this evening at 6 p.m.
The entire meet and greet, where they also discussed traffic, Liberty State Park, development, and more, streamed on our Facebook page and can be viewed below.
