Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of Jersey City |
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Flag of Jersey City
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 Steven Fulop since July 1, 2013 |
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| Term length | Four years |
| Formation | 1838 |
| First holder | Dudley S. Gregory |
| Deputy | Vivian Brady-Phillips Marcos Vigil |
The Mayor of Jersey City is the main leader of the city government in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Think of the mayor as the city's chief executive officer. They make sure the city runs smoothly every day.
The mayor has several important jobs. They must make sure the city's rules and laws are followed. They also create the city's yearly budget, which is a plan for how the city will spend its money. The mayor also chooses people to lead different city departments and helps manage city services. They can also approve or reject new laws passed by the City Council.
People in Jersey City vote for their mayor in a special election where candidates don't run as members of a political party. A mayor serves for four years. Currently, the mayor is Steven Fulop. He became mayor on July 1, 2013.
Jersey City has had 44 different mayors since it officially became a city on February 22, 1838. Dudley S. Gregory was the very first mayor. He served three times for a total of five years.
Recently, the election dates for mayor changed. Mayoral elections now happen in November instead of May. Because of this change, one mayoral term (from July 2013 to the end of 2017) lasted four and a half years. Future terms will go back to being four years long.
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What Does the Mayor Do?
Jersey City's government is set up with a mayor and a city council. This means the mayor is in charge of carrying out the city's plans. The City Council is in charge of making laws. Both the mayor and council members are chosen in elections where they don't run as part of a political party. Everyone serves for four years.
The mayor has many duties under state law. They must make sure all city and state laws are followed. They also report to the City Council and the public each year about how the city is doing. The mayor oversees all city departments, like the police or fire department. They also prepare the city's yearly budget and manage all city property. The mayor signs all important city agreements and can attend City Council meetings. They can speak at these meetings but usually don't vote. However, if the council needs to fill a vacant spot and there's a tie vote, the mayor can vote to break it.
Mayor's Powers
The mayor of Jersey City has a lot of power to lead the city. They can choose the heads of different city departments, but the City Council must approve these choices. The mayor can also remove department heads, but the City Council can stop this if two-thirds of them disagree. The mayor can also approve or reject new laws passed by the council. If the mayor rejects a law, the council can still pass it if two-thirds of them vote yes. The mayor can also choose deputy mayors to help them.
How Mayors Are Elected
When Jersey City first became a city in 1838, mayors were elected for just one year. In 1868, the state government changed the term to two years. Later, in 1892, it was changed again to five years.
In 1913, Jersey City tried a different government style called a "commission" system. In this system, five commissioners were elected, and they shared both executive and law-making powers. One of them was chosen as mayor. Under this system, the mayor's main special power was to choose the school board. Otherwise, the mayor was just one of five equal leaders.
In 1961, Jersey City switched to its current mayor-council government. This is the system we have today.
Election Rules Today
Today, mayoral elections happen every four years. They are held on the second Tuesday in May. If no candidate gets more than half of the votes, a second election, called a runoff election, is held a few weeks later. The new mayor starts their term on July 1st. The next mayoral election in Jersey City is planned for 2025.
What Happens if the Mayor Can't Serve?
If the mayor is away, sick, or can't do their job for some reason, they can choose someone else to be "acting mayor" for up to 60 days. This person is usually the business administrator or another department head.
If the mayor's office becomes empty (for example, if the mayor resigns), the President of the City Council becomes the acting mayor. The City Council then has 30 days to choose a temporary mayor. If they can't agree on someone, the Council President continues as acting mayor until a new mayor is elected or the council chooses a new president. Before 1971, there wasn't a clear rule for this. In 1963, the city didn't have a mayor for 47 days because the council couldn't decide who should take over.
List of Mayors
| # | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dudley Sanford Gregory | April 1838 | April 1840 | Whig | He was the first mayor of Jersey City. | |
| 2 | Peter McMartin | April 1840 | April 1841 | Unknown | ||
| 3 | Dudley Sanford Gregory | April 1841 | April 1842 | Whig | This was his second time as mayor. | |
| 4 | Thomas A. Alexander | April 1842 | April 1843 | Unknown | ||
| 5 | Peter Bentley | April 1843 | April 1844 | Democratic | ||
| 6 | Phineas Cook Dummer | April 1844 | April 20, 1848 | Whig | ||
| 7 | Henry Taylor | April 21, 1848 | April 18, 1850 | Whig | ||
| 8 | Robert Gilchrist | April 19, 1850 | May 2, 1852 | Whig | ||
| 9 | David Stout Manners | May 3, 1852 | May 3, 1857 | Whig | ||
| 10 | Samuel Wescott | May 4, 1857 | May 2, 1858 | Democratic | ||
| 11 | Dudley Sanford Gregory | May 3, 1858 | May 6, 1860 | Republican | This was his third time as mayor. | |
| 12 | Cornelius Van Vorst | May 7, 1860 | May 4, 1862 | Democratic | ||
| 13 | John B. Romar | May 5, 1861 | May 1, 1864 | Democratic | ||
| 14 | Orestes Cleveland | May 2, 1864 | May 5, 1867 | Democratic | ||
| 15 | James Gopsill | May 6, 1867 | May 3, 1868 | Republican | ||
| 16 | Charles H. O'Neill | May 4, 1868 | April 10, 1869 | Democratic | He resigned after one year because he didn't want to serve a longer term that was newly set by law. | |
| 17 | William Clarke | April 11, 1869 | May 1, 1870 | Democratic | He was chosen as temporary mayor when O'Neill resigned. | |
| 18 | Charles H. O'Neill | May 2, 1870 | May 3, 1874 | Democratic | ||
| 19 | Henry Traphagen | May 4, 1874 | April 30, 1876 | Democratic | ||
| 20 | Charles Siedler | May 1, 1876 | May 5, 1878 | Republican | ||
| 21 | Henry J. Hopper | May 6, 1878 | May 2, 1880 | Democratic | ||
| 22 | Isaac William Taussig | May 3, 1880 | May 4, 1884 | Democratic | He was the first Jewish mayor of Jersey City. | |
| 23 | Gilbert Collins | May 5, 1884 | May 2, 1886 | Republican | ||
| 24 | Orestes Cleveland | May 3, 1886 | May 1, 1892 | Democratic | ||
| 25 | Peter Farmer Wanser | May 2, 1892 | May 2, 1897 | Republican | ||
| 26 | Edward Hoos | May 3, 1897 | December 31, 1901 | Democratic | ||
| 27 | Mark M. Fagan | January 1, 1902 | December 31, 1907 | Republican | ||
| 28 | H. Otto Wittpenn | January 1, 1908 | June 16, 1913 | Democratic | ||
| 29 | Mark M. Fagan | June 17, 1913 | May 14, 1917 | Republican | ||
| 30 | Frank Hague | May 15, 1917 | June 17, 1947 | Democratic | He was the longest-serving mayor of Jersey City, serving for 30 years. He retired during his eighth term. | |
| 31 | Frank Hague Eggers | June 17, 1947 | May 16, 1949 | Democratic | He was the nephew of Frank Hague. | |
| 32 | John Vincent Kenny | July 1, 1949 | December 15, 1953 | Democratic | He resigned after being re-elected, due to health reasons. | |
| 33 | Bernard J. Berry | December 15, 1953 | June 30, 1957 | Democratic | ||
| 34 | Charles S. Witkowski | July 1, 1957 | June 30, 1961 | Democratic | ||
| 35 | Thomas Gangemi | July 1, 1961 | September 26, 1963 | Democratic | He resigned because it was found he was not a U.S. citizen and couldn't serve. | |
| 36 | Thomas J. Whelan | November 13, 1963 | July 6, 1971 | Democratic | He was removed from office due to legal issues. | |
| 37 | Charles Kiva Krieger | August 5, 1971 | November 8, 1971 | Democratic | He was chosen as temporary mayor after Whelan was removed. He was the second Jewish mayor. | |
| 38 | Paul T. Jordan | November 9, 1971 | June 30, 1977 | Democratic | When elected at age 30, he was the youngest mayor of Jersey City. | |
| 39 | Thomas F.X. Smith | July 1, 1977 | May 12, 1981 | Democratic | He resigned to try to become governor. | |
| 40 | Gerald McCann | July 1, 1981 | June 30, 1985 | Democratic | When elected at age 31, he was the second-youngest mayor. | |
| 41 | Anthony R. Cucci | July 1, 1985 | June 30, 1989 | Democratic | ||
| 42 | Gerald McCann | July 1, 1989 | February 13, 1992 | Democratic | He was removed from office during his second term due to legal issues. | |
| 43 | Marilyn Roman | February 14, 1992 | June 30, 1992 | Democratic | As City Council President, she became acting mayor. She was the first female mayor of Jersey City. | |
| 44 | Joseph Rakowski | July 1, 1992 | November 10, 1992 | Democratic | He was acting mayor because he was the City Council President when the office became empty. | |
| 45 | Bret Schundler | November 11, 1992 | June 30, 2001 | Republican | He was the first Republican mayor elected since 1913. | |
| 46 | Glenn Cunningham | July 1, 2001 | May 25, 2004 | Democratic | He was the first African American mayor of Jersey City. He passed away while in office. | |
| 47 | L. Harvey Smith | May 26, 2004 | November 11, 2004 | Democratic | He was acting mayor because he was the City Council President when the office became empty. | |
| 48 | Jerramiah Healy | November 12, 2004 | June 30, 2013 | Democratic | ||
| 49 | Steven Fulop | July 1, 2013 | Incumbent | Democratic | He is the current mayor and the third Jewish mayor of Jersey City. | |
Mayors Who Held Other Important Jobs
Some mayors of Jersey City also held other important public offices before or after being mayor.
| Mayor | Mayoral term(s) | Other offices held | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley S. Gregory | 1838–1840, 1841–1842, 1858–1860 | U.S. House of Representatives (1847–1849) | |
| Samuel Wescott | 1857–1858 | New Jersey State Senator (1860–1862) | |
| Orestes Cleveland | 1864–1867, 1886–1892 | U.S. House of Representatives (1869–1871) | |
| Peter Farmer Wanser | 1892–1897 | New Jersey General Assemblyman (1882–1883) | |
| Glenn Cunningham | 2001–2004 | New Jersey State Senator (2004) | |
| L. Harvey Smith | 2004 | New Jersey State Senator (2003–2004) New Jersey General Assemblyman (2008–2010) |
See also
