In a letter to the editor, Jersey City resident Dan Pieraccini expressed why Art House Productions Executive Director Meredith Burns will help improve the arts in the city if elected to council at-large.
Dear Editor,
My name is Dan Pieraccini — Jersey City resident of 15 years, and bassist for the local band Forget the Whale. I’ve spent the last decade performing across this city’s stages, festivals, venues, and parks.
I also helped manage Jersey City Theater Center when it was housed over Monaco Lock next to White Eagle Hall on Newark Ave, and most recently I served on the JCAST Steering Committee.
So when I say I have a vested interest in who represents our artist community, I mean it literally: I’ve seen what happens when the arts are treated as an afterthought, and I’ve seen what happens when the right leader fights for us.
That’s why I’m endorsing Meredith Burns for City Council At-Large.
Meredith isn’t just “supportive of the arts.” She is a huge part of why Jersey City has one of the most vibrant arts ecosystems in the state.
As Executive Director of Art House Productions since 2017, she transformed a scrappy but loved nonprofit into a cultural anchor—one that gives kids, seniors, people with disabilities, and working artists a platform and a home.
One that has turned JC Fridays into a city-wide recurring event. One that pulls together artists from all the neighborhoods, and across every medium.
(Fun fact: she even performed with us at the Ghost of Uncle Joe’s, because she’s not just a leader of the arts, she’s an artist herself.)
When the idea of sustainable arts funding in New Jersey sounded like a pipe dream, Meredith co-led the creation of the Jersey City Arts Fund—the first municipal arts trust fund in the state.
Millions in recurring dollars now go directly into our cultural landscape because she knows how to build coalitions, execute policy, and—most importantly—deliver.
And here’s something that should matter to every voter, whether or not you’ve ever picked up a paintbrush or a guitar pick: Meredith knows how to run a budget.
Clean audits, balanced books, strong financial controls—she already does at Art House what we wish City Hall would do.
Her pledge to introduce publicly accessible spending dashboards and stricter oversight of city contracting is not empty talk; it’s her professional track record.
Her most forward-thinking proposal—and the one that absolutely sold me—is to establish a municipal Grants Department so Jersey City can finally stop leaving millions in state and federal funding on the table.
That funding can and should be paying for parks maintenance, after-school programs, senior services, arts education, small business support, and public safety initiatives.
Other cities have figured this out; Meredith is the only candidate who has articulated a real plan to catch us up!
She’s also the only candidate calling loudly for a public debate among the at-large contenders. The Solomon at-large team has declined every invitation.
Meredith’s point is simple and fair: If candidates won’t show up for a debate, how can we trust they’ll show up for the community?
Having a mixed council only strengthens our democracy, so getting to know the runoff candidates at-large is a voter’s right, and assuming that we’ll vote down ticket for any one slate not only overly simplifies the voting process–it’s also a bit demeaning to the nuanced voter!
Meredith has spent this campaign doing what she’s done her entire career: showing up.
She’s been pounding the pavement, attending innumerable artistic and cultural events, and knocking on doors listening to residents and talking about the issues that affect everyday life—affordability, safety, small business vitality, senior services, and the arts that keep this city livable and lovable.
As a fourth-generation Jersey City resident from a family of public servants—firefighters, nurses, emergency managers—Meredith doesn’t want to build a shiny city for newcomers only; she wants a city where longtime residents, working families, and local artists can stay and thrive.
So whether you love live music, or just love clean fiscal policy; whether you’re raising a family here, running a small business, or scrapping together rent from your tips while chasing a creative’s dream—Meredith Burns is the rare candidate who understands that a strong city budget and a strong cultural life are not enemies.
They are the same project: building a Jersey City where people want to stay.
On December 2nd, I hope you’ll join me in supporting Meredith Burns for City Council At-Large.
Because Jersey City doesn’t just need someone who likes the arts—Jersey City needs someone who knows how to turn vision into policy, funding, accountability, and results.
Sincerely,
Dan Pieraccini
Artist, Educator, Jersey City Resident
