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.
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.
! 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 
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. 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 
. 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 
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. 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 
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. 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 
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. I know some people would say the city needs it, but not me... I'd rather see some creative solutions to close that gap 
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 
I want to know the real numbers before I start believing Solomon's side of the story 
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and no tax increases for eight years is some serious wins 
. anyway, i'm curious to see how this five-year plan plays out 
"One year gimmicks"
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. 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? 
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. That's just a bunch of empty promises.
. Can't we all just try to get Jersey City back on track instead of bickering?