Jersey City mayor accuses predecessor, Partnership for NYC head, of financial ‘deception’

Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has accused his predecessor, former Mayor Steven Fulop, of leaving him with a $250 million deficit and engaging in financial "deception." Solomon says he voted against the budget during his eight years on the City Council but ultimately approved many contracts, which undermines his claim. He also pointed out that the city's healthcare costs were intentionally undercounted.

Solomon plans to address the deficit by presenting a five-year plan to the community and working with state partners, the governor, and the legislature. However, he warned against "one year gimmicks" and will not raise taxes on residents.

In response to Solomon's accusations, Fulop denied leaving Jersey City in financial trouble, saying that the city was stable during his tenure and had no tax increases for eight years. He also pointed out that credit rating agencies still rate the city as investment grade and criticized Solomon for playing politics.

Fulop described Solomon's claims as "nonsense" and said that mayors often blame their predecessors when they come into office. He expressed confidence in his ability to fix any problems in Jersey City, which he believes is on a better footing than it was during his time in office.

I'm so done with politiks in JC ! James Solomon thinks he's got some beef w/ Steven Fulop but really he's just trying 2 cover up his own mistakes lol. I mean, come on, $250 million deficit? That's not exactly a secret, Solomon was part of the city council for 8 yrs and voted 4 the budget so how can he say Fulop left it in the red? And btw, credit rating agencies still got JC in the good books, so like, what's the big deal? Fulop is right, Solomon's just trying 2 score some points and play politics. I'm not buying it tho

Ugh, another politician trying to shift the blame ... I'm not buying it at all. Solomon's being super convenient with the $250 million deficit number - like, who just happens to find out about this huge hole in their budget right after they take over? And yeah, those "one year gimmicks" sound like a total cop-out. They're probably just gonna come up with some half-baked plan and claim it's a long-term solution .

And don't even get me started on the undercounted healthcare costs - I'm sure that was totally an honest mistake... or maybe not . It's all about how the story gets told, right? The fact that Fulop is denying everything just makes him look like he has something to hide . And what's with the credit rating agencies still giving Jersey City a good grade? That's just more evidence of Solomon's "nonsense" claims being totally off base .

I feel like this whole situation is a classic case of sour grapes . Fulop's trying to deflect the blame for whatever financial mess Solomon's inherited by saying he was a great mayor and that credit rating agencies agree with him. But if that were true, wouldn't he be holding up his own report card instead of dismissing Solomon's claims? I think Solomon's right to scrutinize the budget and make sure everything is on the up-and-up, but Fulop's just trying to spin this into a politics-as-usual game .

I'm kinda shocked by this financial mess . I mean, $250 million deficit? That's crazy! It sounds like both Solomons are trying to spin the situation to their advantage. Fulop's side is saying he left the city stable, which sounds good, but Solomon's accusing him of being sneaky with numbers... it's hard to know what to believe .

I remember when I first moved to Jersey City, the whole downtown area was revving up and looking super trendy . Now, it just seems like there's a lot of work to be done to fix the finances. As a resident, I'm hoping the new mayor will come through with some solid plans that benefit everyone .

I don't think raising taxes on residents is a great idea, though . I know some people would say the city needs it, but not me... I'd rather see some creative solutions to close that gap . We'll just have to wait and see how this whole situation plays out

ugh i feel bad for james solomon he's been left with this massive deficit and it's like he got stuck with the bill but at the same time i can see why fulop would deny all the financial issues... i mean credit rating agencies still give jersey city a good grade so maybe there is some truth to his claims what i don't like though is that solomon is being super negative and accusing his predecessor of deceitful stuff without giving him a chance to explain himself first it's always better to work together and find solutions rather than just blaming someone else for the problems

OMG I dont get why James Solomon is going after Steven Fulop like that...like I know the city has financial issues, but accusing him of being deceitful? Its kinda sus. And btw, Fulop is right about mayors blaming each other, its pretty common. But at the same time, if there was a $250 million deficit, thats some serious stuff . I'm all for Solomons 5-year plan to address it, but I hope he doesnt just throw money around and expect everything to fix itself . And can we get an audit or something? I want to know the real numbers before I start believing Solomon's side of the story

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... I mean, $250 million deficit? That's like, a lot of money! Back in my day, we didn't even have that kind of numbers to deal with on our city council meetings. And now they're accusing each other of financial "deception"? It just doesn't sit right with me.

I think what bothers me the most is that both of these guys are blaming each other for the problems when they were in office. I mean, James Solomon voted against the budget during his time on the city council, but he still approved some contracts? That's like, "I didn't do it" and then doing it anyway!

And now Fulop is saying that Solomon's claims are just politics? I don't know, man... both of these guys need to get together and figure out what really happened. This five-year plan sounds good on paper, but we'll see how it plays out.

You know, I remember when our city council meetings used to be more about the community coming together than about personal attacks and blame games. It's just a shame that things have come to this.

I'm still trying to figure out how these politicians can just switch sides like that . I mean, Fulop's saying the city was stable under him and had no tax increases for 8 years... but then Solomon comes along and says he left a massive deficit? It sounds like they're both just trying to save face .

And honestly, $250 million is a pretty big number. I'm not sure how you can just leave that kind of money behind without anyone noticing . Plus, credit rating agencies still rate Jersey City as investment grade during Fulop's time? That doesn't add up either .

I guess what I'm saying is... who knows what really went down? Maybe it was a mix of both of their policies and something else entirely . But one thing for sure is that these guys need to stop playing politics with the city's finances

what's up with these two guys? solomon thinks fulop played him dirty but fulop says he left jersey city in good shape lol like how can that even happen? and $250 million deficit ain't no joke, dude. i'm all for a five-year plan and working with the state partners, but fam, you gotta be honest about the numbers or don't make it up .

i mean, fulop's got some legit points too, like the credit rating agencies still gave jersey city a thumbs up and no tax increases for eight years is some serious wins . maybe solomon should focus on fixing what he can instead of blaming his predecessor . anyway, i'm curious to see how this five-year plan plays out

so I'm thinking... if Fulop says the city was stable and didn't have tax increases, but Solomon's saying they left him with this huge deficit... it seems like there's some truth to both sides? I mean, if you were on council for eight years and then became mayor, wouldn't you want to point out what went wrong? but at the same time, Fulop's been denying responsibility, which is kinda shady. And I'm not buying that credit rating agencies are going to keep giving Jersey City top marks just because Solomon didn't raise taxes right away... that sounds like a bunch of financial mumbo-jumbo to me

[Grumpy Cat]

[jk, who's gonna take responsibility for this mess?]

[money emoji]

[yellow card emoji] "One year gimmicks"

[Fulop shrugging GIF]

[Jersey City cityscape with a red X through it]

[Solomon and Fulop having a staring contest]

[nice guy Solomon emoji]

The drama in Jersey City ! I'm not surprised to see the mayor and ex-mayor going at it like this. But, gotta wonder, why the delay? A $250 million deficit is no joke, especially for a city that's supposed to be thriving. It sounds like Fulop was playing some financial hide-and-seek while he was in office, undercounting healthcare costs and getting away with some shady contract deals .

It's all about politics, right? The blame game starts when one mayor walks into the next, but what really matters is how they plan to fix the problem. I hope Solomon's five-year plan has some real teeth behind it, 'cause if not, we might be seeing a repeat of some dodgy financial moves. At least he's not raising taxes on residents - that's more than Fulop can say about his eight years of tax-free reign .

I think Fulop's got this one right... Solomon's all bark and no bite with these accusations . If credit rating agencies still rate JC as investment grade, that means the city was doing okay under Fulop's watch . And yeah, mayors blaming their predecessors is a thing... it's not like they're not gonna do it anyway . Solomon's all about the 5-year plan, but what if he can't deliver? Then where's the blame going to shift?

omg i just saw the news about jersey city and mayor james solomon accusing his predecessor steven fulop of leaving him with a huge deficit like what even is $250 million?? i dont know how cities work, but that sounds like a lot of money lol. so fulop says he was stable during his time in office and didnt raise taxes for 8 years, thats kinda cool i guess? but solomon is all like nope he voted against the budget and approved contracts and stuff...hmm not sure who to believe . do you guys know how cities are supposed to balance their budgets?

I gotta say, this whole financial mess in Jersey City has me scratching my head . I mean, James Solomon's all about presenting a five-year plan and working with state partners, but I'm not convinced he's being entirely transparent about where the $250 million deficit came from. 8 years on the city council, yet he voted against the budget... that's some pretty selective hindsight, if you ask me .

And let's not forget, Steve Fulop's denying any wrongdoing, saying the city was stable during his tenure and no tax increases were made. I'm not buying it . Credit rating agencies still giving Jersey City an investment grade? That's a big deal! If the city's finances are really that shaky, how come they're still getting that kind of credit?

I think what really gets my goat is Solomon playing politics with this whole situation... "one year gimmicks" and no tax increases on residents. Easy for him to say, though - he's the one trying to navigate the mess he inherited .

omg, $250 million deficit? that's crazy ! i feel like fulop's trying to deflect blame but come on, the numbers don't lie . solomon's plan to address it sounds good, but five years is a long time - what if his plan doesn't work out? anyway, i think it's great that he's not raising taxes on residents, at least that's something . fulop's just being petty and trying to discredit solomon's claim . btw, why do politicians always have to use "gimmicks" as a bad thing? can't they just say "oh, we're gonna work on it for real"?

Ugh, this whole thing is so predictable . Solomon's trying to deflect from his own lack of financial planning by blaming Fulop for the mess? Give me a break. I mean, if he voted against the budget but still approved those contracts... that just shows he was either ignorant or incompetent. And now he's all like "I'm gonna fix it with a five-year plan"... yeah right . That's just a bunch of empty promises.

Fulop is probably telling the truth about the city being stable during his time, but I'll give Solomon the benefit of the doubt... for now . It's always easier to blame someone else when you're in a tough spot. And don't even get me started on Fulop's parting shot about mayors playing politics . Like, hello? That's how it works!

can't believe fulop's response ... like, how can you deny the deficit after all these years?! $250 million is no joke ... and undercounting healthcare costs? that's just shady ... solomon might be playing politics but at least he's being honest about trying to fix it ... fulop's just sticking his head in the sand and expecting people to forget what went wrong before

I don’t usually comment but I gotta say, this whole situation with James Solomon and Steven Fulop has me scratching my head . Like, how can you leave a city in $250 million deficit? That's wild talk! I mean, Solomon says he voted against the budget, but then approved all these contracts... it doesn't add up .

And what's with the undercounted healthcare costs? That's some shady stuff right there . I don't trust either of these guys completely. It feels like they're more interested in playing politics than fixing the actual problems.

I wish Solomon would come up with a solid plan to fix this, not just some pie-in-the-sky five-year thing . And Fulop needs to stop defending himself so much - it's time to own up to the mistakes and work together . Can't we all just try to get Jersey City back on track instead of bickering?