Fulop Lands on Jersey City Ballot, Seeking Third-Term As Mayor
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Mayor Steven Fulop appears to be cruising to inclusion on the ballot of November’s gubernatorial election.
Fulop, a moderate seeking his third term as mayor, submitted more than 6,000 nominating petitions last week, far more than the minimum of 1,650 signatures he needed for a place on the November ballot.
“Jersey City residents recognize the progress our community has made over the past eight years and support our vision of continuing the work to make it the best midsize city in America,” Fulop said in a statement. “It’s an honor to serve as mayor and I promise to continue working as hard as I can to lead Jersey City forward.”
According to his official bio on the Jersey City website, city residents have seen five consecutive years of stable taxes and four consecutive credit rating upgrades since Folup took office in 2012.
Meanwhile, more than 300 new police officers have been hired, nearly 1,500 units of affordable housing built or approved, recreation expanded with nearly 30 new programs, nearly $10 million invested in parks and open space, and nearly 800 small businesses opened, creating approximately 10,000 new jobs.
Fulop’s lone opponent in the non-partisan contest is Lewis Spears, an author and educator who is just the fourth Black man in Jersey City history to be certified to run for mayor.
“I decided to run because I wanted to give all of the people of Jersey City another option — different ideas for a shared vision for our great city,” Spears said in a statement. “I want every child in this city to see that someone who was born and grew up here can indeed lead it. The response has been overwhelming so far, and I remain grateful for every opportunity Jersey City has afforded me, including this opportunity to run for leadership.”
