In an editorial, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) responds to Jersey City mayoral opponent Jim McGreevey’s explanation of his affordable housing record while mayor of Woodbridge.
Even in his detailed response to our campaign’s fair criticism of his dismal record on housing, Jim McGreevey does not refute that he did not build any affordable housing as Mayor of Woodbridge.
His response attempts to paint a nostalgic portrait of 1990s Woodbridge Township as a haven of affordability. The truth, however, refutes his fairytale completely.
McGreevey Fought Against State Housing Mandates
Even in Woodbridge, McGreevey’s administration was bound by the Mount Laurel Doctrine to plan and zone for affordable units.
Woodbridge entered into a settlement agreement with Fair Share Housing Center to meet these obligations, acknowledging a shortfall in affordable units.
The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) reports from 2001 show Woodbridge had a fair share obligation of 1,351 units but produced ZERO units during McGreevey’s mayoralty.
In fact, a Star-Ledger column put it this way: “When he was mayor of Woodbridge, Jim McGreevey fought to keep COAH projects out of his town.”
Relative affordability ≠ policy accomplishment
Jim equates naturally lower suburban housing costs with proactive leadership on affordability, a weak and disingenuous argument.
Market forces like falling interest rates, moderate inflation, and a sprawling suburban housing stock kept homes relatively affordable; that’s incidental, not the result of deliberate policy choices.
Woodbridge benefited from favorable macroeconomic conditions, not McGreevey’s leadership.
Suburban nostalgia vs. urban reality
McGreevey contrasts his suburban experience with Jersey City’s current affordability crisis. This is an apples-to-oranges comparison. McGreevey’s Woodbridge was a low-density, land-rich township with higher median incomes with fewer barriers to construction.
Jersey City is an urban center with high density, tight land availability, and a premium market. “Success” in Woodbridge does not translate to competence in Jersey City.
Who was actually served?
The median statistics McGreevey used in his op-ed hide the inequalities.
While the “average” family in McGreevey’s Woodbridge could afford a home; low-income families, seniors, immigrants, and renters at the margins were excluded. McGreevey’s account ignores these realities.
No lasting policy legacy
Even if homes were cheap, McGreevey left no policy infrastructure to ensure sustained affordability.
Today’s Jersey City requires deliberate action: enforcement of affordable housing obligations. McGreevey’s nostalgia for low-cost suburban homes does not prove he can handle affordable housing.
Rent Control and vacancy decontrol
Under McGreevey, vacancy de-control existed, while the law was passed prior to him, his administration did nothing to repeal the ordinance.
This ordinance limited protections to tenants but allowed landlords to raise rents to market levels when units turned over; further challenging affordability for incoming residents. McGreevey ignored this in his recent account.
Conclusion
McGreevey’s recent editorial attempts to disguise a 1990s housing market into a record of leadership. The reality is that McGreevey’s Woodbridge had incidental affordability, and state law demanding that he build 1,351 affordable housing units was ignored.
His weak attempt to compare his low-density suburban experience gives no value or lessons for urban Jersey City. It’s just another in a long list of reasons why McGreevey is the wrong choice for Mayor.
Bottom line is McGreevey built ZERO units of affordable housing in his 10 years as Woodbridge mayor, and his record on affordable housing as governor gets a failing grade too – stay tuned!
Bill O’Dea is a Hudson County Commissioner and candidate for Mayor of Jersey City