bill o'dea

Co-Chair

Bill O’Dea, Executive Director of the Elizabeth Development Company, leads redevelopment, funding, and workforce initiatives, including Project IMPACT, which has helped over 250 veterans, women, and minorities enter construction apprenticeships. He also directed major small business relief during COVID. A longtime civic leader, he is in his tenth term as County Commissioner, chairing the Public Resources Committee and the Taskforce on the Homeless.

Jim Johnson

Co-Chair

Jim Johnson has four decades of public service at the federal, state, and local levels, including roles as NYC Corporation Counsel during the pandemic and U.S. Treasury Under Secretary. He authored Governor Murphy’s Atlantic City redevelopment plan and has served as a federal housing monitor. A 2017 NJ gubernatorial candidate, he is now COO of Trinity Church in New York City.

Hetty Rosenstein

Co-Chair

Jim Johnson has four decades of public service at the federal, state, and local levels, including roles as NYC Corporation Counsel during the pandemic and U.S. Treasury Under Secretary. He authored Governor Murphy’s Atlantic City redevelopment plan and has served as a federal housing monitor. A 2017 NJ gubernatorial candidate, he is now COO of Trinity Church in New York City.



Keshav Poddar

Executive Director

Keshav Poddar, previously policy Director for Mayor-Elect James Solomon’s campaign, is an attorney at Windels Marx focused on community economic development and affordable housing. He previously advised on economic policy in the Biden Harris White House, worked for Vice President Harris, and served as Counsel to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Dartmouth College and lives in Jersey City.

Stuart Thomas

Political Director

Stuart Thomas is a seasoned campaign strategist who managed Mayor—Elect James Solomon’s historic victory and his 2021 Ward E City Council race. He also led Congresswoman Kathy Manning’s 2022 reelection campaign and has consulted on campaigns and PACs across multiple states, building a reputation for winning high- pressure, high-turnout races.


Scott Salmon

Transition Counsel

Scott Salmon is Co-Managing Partner at Jardim Meisner Salmon Sprague & Susser, P.C. and served as campaign counsel for Mayor- Elect Solomon. He practices municipal law, election law, and litigation, including trials and appellate cases, and has handled municipal redistricting. He is Co-Chair of the NJ State Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and a Rising Star since 2020.

Laura Bustamante

Chief of Staff

Laura Bustamante serves on the Hudson Pride Center board and previously served on the Garden State Equality board and theLatino Action Network steering committee. She managedPaterson Mayor Andre Sayegh’s 2022 re-election campaign, worked with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice and Tonio Burgos’ lobbying firm, and later became political director for Kim’s 2024 U.S. Senate race. She has spent the past year as his deputy state director.

Kristel Mejia-Asqui

Deputy Chief of Staff

Scott Salmon is Co-Managing Partner at Jardim Meisner Salmon Sprague & Susser, P.C. and served as campaign counsel for Mayor- Elect Solomon. He practices municipal law, election law, and litigation, including trials and appellate cases, and has handled municipal redistricting. He is Co-Chair of the NJ State Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and a Rising Star since 2020.