Former state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, Jersey City's trailblazer, has died; city flags lowered to half-mast

Former state Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham — the first woman elected to represent Jersey City’s 31st Legislative District in the State Senate and the widow of the late Mayor Glenn Cunningham — has died, and Mayor James Solomon has ordered all flags at city facilities to fly at half-mast in her honor.

“Jersey City mourns the passing of Senator Sandra Cunningham, who spent years fighting to give our residents a fair chance to succeed,” Solomon said in a statement the City of Jersey City posted on X at 4:14 p.m. Wednesday. “First Lady. Senator. Activist. Trailblazer. Mentor. Friend. Sandra Cunningham meant so much to our city.”

“In honor of her extraordinary contributions to the Jersey City she so loved, I have ordered all flags at city facilities to fly at half-mast,” the mayor said. The statement did not say how long the flags will stay lowered, and it did not announce funeral arrangements.

She was 76, according to the New Jersey Globe, which reported she died after a lengthy illness. Insider NJ also reported her death, citing Hudson County Register Jeff Dublin, a close friend.

A 16-year Senate career

“The first woman elected to represent our 31st Legislative District in the State Senate, she championed public education, college achievement, and a new generation of homegrown political and civic leaders,” Solomon said. “She fought for meaningful second chances for people returning from incarceration.”

Cunningham was Jersey City’s first African American First Lady. Her husband, Glenn D. Cunningham, was elected in 2001 as the city’s first Black mayor and died in office on May 25, 2004, while also serving as state senator for the 31st District, according to a city proclamation issued three weeks ago on what would have been his 83rd birthday. That proclamation noted she was elected in 2007 to the same Senate seat her husband had held and served sixteen years.

“Following the passing of her husband, Mayor Glenn Cunningham, she carried their shared commitment forward, representing the same senate district, and giving the community a strong voice in Trenton,” Solomon said Wednesday.

According to the New Jersey Globe, Cunningham took office on Nov. 8, 2007, and served until Jan. 9, 2024. She rose to Senate President Pro Tempore, served as Majority Whip and Deputy Majority Leader, and chaired the Senate Higher Education Committee. Her legislative work focused on higher education and on reentry for people leaving prison. She did not seek re-election in 2023, and Assemblywoman Angela McKnight succeeded her in the seat.

“Her legacy lives on in the students she supported, the residents she advocated for, and the people she helped open doors for,” Solomon said. “On behalf of the City of Jersey City, I extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her.”

Tributes

Assemblyman Jerry Walker, who now represents the 31st District, said he met Cunningham in 2001 during Glenn Cunningham’s campaign for mayor. “I wish I could have one more conversation with her,” Walker said in a statement published by Insider NJ.

Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, a longtime friend of both Cunninghams, said: “What always stayed with me was that Sandy never tried to become Glenn. She was Sandra.”

Former Senate President Steve Sweeney said he stood beside her as she fought for automatic expungement and “ban the box” measures. “Sandra leaves a legacy of opening doors for others, and New Jersey is a better place because of her,” Sweeney said.

Hudson TV will update this story when funeral arrangements are announced.

Featured photo: Sandra Bolden Cunningham, official portrait, New Jersey Senate Democrats. Graphic: Hudson TV.

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Hudson TV asks: Should Jersey City name a street or a school after Sen. Sandra Cunningham, or are flags at half-mast and tributes enough? Share your take in the comments.