January 7, 2025 

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Mayor-elect James Solomon today announced the formation of his Transition Policy Committee and named the co-chairs who will lead the effort to translate his campaign’s vision into concrete action for Jersey City residents.

“Jersey City voted for change, and we’re not waiting until inauguration day to get to work,” said Mayor-elect James Solomon. “The committee members we’re announcing today are experienced leaders who share our commitment to making Jersey City more affordable, more accountable, and better run. I’m asking these leaders – and every Jersey City resident – to hold us accountable for delivering on the promises we’ve made. At the end of the committee’s work, we will have a plan that ensures we hit the ground running on Day One, and keep delivering results throughout our first term.”

The Transition Policy Committee is organized into nine policy committees, each bringing together subject matter experts, community leaders, and civic stakeholders to shape the administration’s early agenda. The committees will work toward two objectives:

First 100 Days Plan: Identify concrete, achievable wins that deliver immediate results for Jersey City residents—from housing affordability to public safety to basic city services. 

First-Term Action Plan: Develop actionable policy recommendations with clearly defined goals, commitments, and ways of measuring progress over time. This plan will translate early momentum into sustained policy change and will be released around the administration’s 100th day in office.

The Transition Policy Committee’s first meeting is convening tonight, Wednesday January 7th. Additionally, the Mayor-elect will launch a Co-Governance committee consisting of community leaders and subject-area experts to work with the Policy Committees and assist in engaging the broader Jersey City community in the Mayor-elect’s first 100 days. Membership of the Co-Governance Committee will be announced in late January. 

TRANSITION POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

Derick Dailey

Commissioner Robert “Bob” Dowd

Officer Christina Freeman

Councilmember Frank Gilmore

Timothy Griffin

Deputy Chief Loren Hart

Ray Hayducka, Co-Chair

Pam Johnson, Co-Chair

Nedia Morsy

Michael Postorino

Armando Roman

Former Deputy Chief Joseph Santiago

Mitch Schnee

Amol N. Sinha, ESQ

Councilmember-elect Tom Zuppa

EDUCATION & YOUTH COMMITTEE

President Andres Acebo

Former School Board President Mussab Ali, Co-Chair

Norma Fernandez

Principal Chris Gadsden

State Senator Vin Gopal,  Co-Chair

Ira Guilford

Paula Mercado Hak

Former Board of Education Trustee Alex Hamilton

Kristen Zadroga-Hart

Lainie Hicks

Christopher Reber

Councilmember Denise Ridley

Board of Education Trustee Matt Schneider

Janhitha Veeramachaneni

De’Shawn Wright

ART & CULTURE COMMITTEE

Beth Achenbach

Colin Egan

Deonté Griffin-Quick

Curt Harris

Olga Levina, Co-Chair

Terry Loftis

Samuel Pott

Liz Schedl, Co-Chair

Councilmember-elect Mamta Singh

Selig Sacks

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

City Councilmember-elect Joel Brooks

Dr. Cameron Brown

Peter Gliatto

Balpreet Grewal-Virk

Heather Howard

State Senator Angela McKnight, Chair

Mike McLean

Debbie White

McKenzie Wilson

HOUSING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Assemblymember-elect Katie Brennan, Co-Chair

Umar Chaudhry

Nick Chiaravalloti

Councilmember-elect Michael Griffin

Daniel “Danny” Gumble

Councilmember-elect Rolando Lavarro

Shane Mitchell

Adrian Orozco

Carol Sainthilaire

Gillian Sarjeant-Allen

Paul Silverman

State Senator Britnee Timberlake, Co-Chair

CITY ASSETS, SUSTAINABILITY & STREET SAFETY COMMITTEE

Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Co-Chair

Kevin Bing

Michael DeCotiis

Dawn Giambalvo

Lady Jimenez-Torres, Co-Chair

Councilmember-elect Eleana Little

John Lynch

Tiffany McQueary

Tyler Newcomb

Sam Pesin

Matt Smith

TRANSIT & TRANSPORATION COMMITTEE 

Anthony “Tony” Coscia

Councilmember-elect Jake Ephros

Ed Florio

Andy Kaplan

Barry Kushnir

Jack McKee

State Senator Raj Mukherji, Co-Chair

Ayla Schermer, Co-Chair

Peter Simon

Kate Slevin

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE 

Mo Butler, Co-Chair

Laura Bustamante

Christian Callegari

Former United States Senator George Helmy

Antoinette Miles, Co-Chair

Carolina Montes

BUDGET ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

Beverly Brown Ruggia

Jonathan Casiano

Brandon McKoy

Marc Pfeiffer, Chair

Bill Viquiera 

Evan Weiss

Each committee will convene approximately ten members representing diverse perspectives and expertise. Committee work will begin with a kickoff session in early January, followed by working sessions through the first 100 days to develop and refine policy recommendations.

Additional transition announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

About Mayor-Elect James Solomon

James Solomon was elected Mayor of Jersey City on December 2 with a mandate to pursue an aggressive agenda focused on affordability, modernizing city services and operations, and delivering a competent and effective government. Mayor-elect Solomon previously served as a two-term councilman, where he built a reputation for standing against corruption and fighting for housing affordability and a more responsive City government. Mayor-elect Solomon will take office on January 15.