January 16, 2026
To My Colleagues in City Government,
Today is my first day as your Mayor.
I want to start by saying something simple: thank you. You keep this city running. You answer the calls, process the permits, maintain the parks, and show up—often in difficult circumstances, often without the resources you need. Jersey City works because of you.
This administration is going to have your back.
That means listening to the people who actually do the work. Too often, the employees closest to the problems have the clearest sense of what's broken and how to fix it but are ignored by those in positions of power. We want to hear from you. If something isn't working - a process, a policy, a contract - tell us. We're not here to protect the way things have always been done. We're here to make things work better.
It also means protecting you from politics. No one in this administration will pressure you to attend political events, make campaign contributions, or volunteer for candidates. Your job is to serve the residents of Jersey City - not any elected official, including me. That's how it should be, and that's how it will be.
In return, I ask for your excellence. The people of our city deserve a government that is responsive, effective, and delivers high-quality services. No matter your role, you are the human face of this government, and I expect every member of this administration to be a model of how a city can serve its people.
I also want to be direct about something else: ethics.
I ran on a promise to end the corruption tax that has cost Jersey City residents for too long. That work starts with us and how we conduct ourselves every day.
We will hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards. We will strengthen the city's ethics code, close the gaps that have allowed conflicts of interest to go undisclosed, and protect employees who come forward when they see something wrong. And we will build transparency into how this government operates, from public contracts to meeting minutes to records requests.
It is unacceptable that our laws meet only the minimum requirements. So, we're going to write these new standards into the city code.
I'm not naïve about what we're up against. There are real fiscal challenges. There are systems that have been neglected for years. There are problems that won't be solved in a week or a month. But I believe that an honest, competent government is possible, and I believe that all of you can help us prove it.
I'm proud to work alongside you.
Let's get to it.
James Solomon
Mayor of Jersey City