Nearly twenty years after resigning the Office of New Jersey Governor saying he had engaged in an extramarital, homosexual affair, Jim McGreevey on Thursday officially re-entered the political arena. McGreevey announced he is running for Mayor of Jersey City in 2025.
Jersey City is McGreevey’s boyhood home. He returned to Jersey City after his political fallout, concentrating on the ministry and assisting prisoners re-enter society. The location of Thursday morning’s press event was a small, Dominican cafe on MLK Boulevard owned by a former prisoner who went through the Re-Entry program with McGreevey’s assistance.
McGreevey has the support from nearly every Mayor in Hudson County, including several who attended the former Governor’s announcement. Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who has been the leading voice in support of McGreevey, was there, as was Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis and Guttenberg Mayor Wayne Zitt. Paterson’s Mayor was also on hand, as was former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney and 31st District Assemblyman William Sampson.
McGreevey praised Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who’s running for Governor, saying the transformation of downtown has been huge for businesses and residents. However, McGreevey stated not all Jersey City residents are reaping the benefits, and that has to change, whether “you’re a resident of Greenville or another part of the city.”
While McGreevey is the first candidate to officially announce his candidacy, he won’t be the last. Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea has an event scheduled for a week from Saturday to announce he is seeking the Mayor’s Office. It is also likely that Councilman James Solomon will enter the race, as will Council President Joyce Watterman.
