Today on The Breakfast Club, James Solomon & Frank Gilmore Talk Jersey City Mayoral Race, Housing, Health Care, Agendas. Listen For More!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FM
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day a week ago. Click up the Breakfast Club
Finish y'all done?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, The More Dangerous Morning Show to Breakfast Club, Charlamagne
to God, Lauren Larrossa, DJ, Envy, Jess Larius and I
don't know what just went. Wow, I know what just went.
I don't know where Envy went though the way back. Okay,
we have counselman James Solomon. He's running for mayor of
Jersey City. Good morning, counselman.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
They did not tell us who his brothers.
Speaker 5 (00:25):
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Nobody told us anything. James Solomon was coming. So I'm sorry, sir.
I think why Envy walked out because he didn't know you,
He didn't know how to introduce you, whatever, whatever.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So I don't have a problem looking like I don't
know nothing.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I have counsel and Frank education Gilmore.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Okay, so Frank, Frank's counseling here in ward f Jersey City.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
That's why you walked out.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
But keep us the information on the brother But I
just thought I.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Didn't I didn't.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I didn't know anything, and he was ready to get prepared.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Yeah, no, no no information, I said, give me a second.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Oh we are started. Yes, how are you?
Speaker 5 (01:09):
I'm doing well, so, Councilman James Salomon, So you're running
from maya of Jersey City.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
That's right. Why that's a great question. So Jersey City
has gotten being one of the most unaffordable cities in
the entire country. Rents up fifty percent five years.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Because it's right next to the bridge, that's right, got the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Holland Tunnel, probably taxed up fifty percent in five years.
And we haven't had a leader who's been focused on
actually making the city affordable, putting money in people's pockets,
making sure the rent doesn't go through the roof. And
so I'm running to deliver an affordable Jersey City.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Are you from Jersey City?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I grew up in Milbourne and I moved to Jersey
City fifteen years ago.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Okay, yeah, so you're familiar with Jersey City, the traffic,
So how do you stop the traffic out in Jersey City?
That's one of the first first of traffic is always
nuts in Jersey to.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Tell people to move. Now, how we're even that?
Speaker 5 (01:51):
And two is the expenses and how are you going
to get this? You know, of course of living so
down so much where people can actually live there.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
So first thing on that one is we got to
get tougher un development. Right Jersey City developers have taken
a lot and it's time for them to start giving
back to us. So right now we basically had luxury
only development, so no affordable in Jersey City, tens of
thousands of units. So I'm the only can I run
for mayor as well as the counsel. When we don't
take money from developers in our campaign, gives us some
real independence. So we're going to demand twenty percent affordable
in all new projects with real rents, So rents one
(02:20):
thousand a month, rents fifteen hundred a month. Because folks
say affordable, but what does that actually mean? So we
want to be specific rents one thousand a month, runds
fifteen hundred a month. And then on transportation, I think
a big thing is just trying to make our mass
trains that work better. So I say, for your New
York viewers, you know path is actually worse than MTA,
It's worse than the subway. We had a train land
on fire a couple of weeks ago, a couple months ago.
So we're going to push to get our pass service
(02:40):
running much more effectively, particularly on the weekends. Improve our
light rail, Jersey City's got a great light rail, and
then improve the buses. We think we can push and
do all those things.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I want to ask you about why tell us the
importance of the city council for people who don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
So, the points of the city Council was really the
check and balance mechanism for the executive brand. So if
you're looking at the president and then you have the
House of Representative and you have Congress, they're opposed to
be that check and balance mechanism from the executive branch.
And I would make the argument that the council races
are more important than the actual mayor or races because
(03:15):
the mayor may want to introduce something, but ultimately the
council was tasked well either approve in or voting that initiative. Now,
so the city council level is so important, especially to
every day residents.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, and I fact is that one thing. So Frank
and I are the only two members currently on the
council that got our seats independently. You know, New Jersey,
Jersey City got a really strong political machine, really powerful forces,
and each of us got to our seats by starting
on the grassroots, knocking on doors, being connected to the people,
and that's partly why we've always been aligned politically. And
you need independent voices on the council because if you
don't have them, you just get the rubber stamp over
(03:50):
and over again. Whatever the machine wants, whatever the money wants,
that's what they get. And so you really need to
have independent voices on your city council pushing the city forward.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
One thing Jersey City is also for is bad flooding.
Right at a call wash in Jersey City, maybe about
fifteen years ago, right, and what street don't even remember
the street, Main street coming up as soon as you
come out the Hoiland Tunnel right on the right hand side.
Bought the wash exactly and then it closed it.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
You know why, because it flooded.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
It flooded, right, So it flood is so bad that
for like two weeks at a time, nobody could actually
get to my call wash because there was so much
water there. And then when they got a car, wise
they'd have to drive through the water, which missed the car.
Didn't make any sense. So why is Jersey City always flooded?
And what could be done to make sure that that
doesn't happen as much.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So if you look at like the old maps, like
where your car wash was, like it used to be water,
I mean the Hudson River used to be there, and
then they filled it in over the years. And so
what we can do is a couple of different things.
One is like you're kind of getting like walky, but
like you kind of want to treat your city like
a sponge.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You want more trees because they suck.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Up the water. You want more poor poor surfaces, your
pavement to be able to soak up the water. And
then you get more pumps to basically push the water out.
So it's just like investments and it's thinking for the
future because it's like getting better right. Climate change is
getting work right. We had Hurricane I I mean I
was in people's basements seeing the flooding devastation. I mean
people's livelihoods. I mean people live in the city, their
whole lives, all their stuff gone. And so we have
(05:09):
to be committed to basically making sure that Jersey City
has the best stormwater resiliency programs, expand your soores, create
that sort of porous sponge like services wherever you can,
and then you help with a flooding.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And you're a cancer.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I am, yes, How does your own medical history drive
your agenda for healthcare?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I mean it's the core I think of who I
am and why I got into public service. I mean,
so just this to the quick story.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Right.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So I was thirty, had gotten married in a month
after the wedding, got the diagnosis. So you just think,
you know, you're thirty, you think you're invincible the life
in front of you, and all of a sudden, you
have cancer. And it made me think deeply about what
it is that I wanted in life, and for me,
it was just two things. It was family in public service.
So it's like, if I get better, if I get
that second chance, that's what I want. And I got lucky, right,
(05:53):
treatment worked. Six months later I was in remission. So
actually this is the ten year anniversary of the diagnosis
and so nine years back in health and so I
was like, you know, family, public service. So my wife
and I have three beautiful daughters, Camilla, Curna and Noel.
They're seven, five and three. And then it was give
back to Jersey City because like Jersey City had my
back during my toughest time, so it's like I have
to have their back and I got to do it
(06:13):
the right way. And so that's what led me to
run for office and in council. I know that I
have to pay a forward. I know that I got
to make sure that people have access to healthcare. So
as a city, we've expanded our health care options, We've
opened up clinics, We're making sure more people can get healthcare.
And an at the national level, you know, it made
me a supporter of universal health care. It made me say,
look like, when you're going through that tough treatment, you
(06:34):
need to be focused on yourself and your family. Then
I have to be worried about insurance and bills on
top of that. To add that extra stress, like your
illness might bring bankruptcy to your family, Like that is
awful to force somebody through. So for me, it made
me a support of universal health care. And I think, look,
other countries, they don't have medical bankruptcies, but we do.
And so that's what led me to decide that that
was the right approach for us. On the national level,
(06:55):
I always support candidates that are pushing for universal health care.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
During the times right now though, where like Meta and
medicare like there's so much conversations about things being cut
and something will happen. We don't know everything, right, but
something will. How do you, you know, personally, as a
cancer survivor, deal with the residents that you're fighting for
when you have to possibly prepare to tell them I
might not be able to help you. As a politician,
(07:18):
how do you maneuver that?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I mean, those are the most brutal conversations because you
get into politics because you want to help people, but
you also can't lie to them. And you know, on healthcare,
you know, we know the Medicaid cuts are coming. I
mean part of what I kind of hated about what
Trump did was he cut it, but he put it
after the election, right, so you're going to feel those
cuts in twenty twenty seven, not this year, so he
can get through the election before people feel it. But
(07:40):
I just tell people that I fight, right. I think
that's the thing is you can't promise things you can't deliver,
but you can promise that you're going to fight. And
so when these elections come in twenty swix, I'm gonna
fight for candidates that want healthcare and get them into office.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
You know, I've been living in Jersey for about I
would say twenty plus years, twenty five years something like that,
and our stay she was back now Street, so familiar
with going through Jersey City. What how come nothing ever changes? Right,
There's been so many different mays in the last twenty
years that I've been living in in Jersey City. Right,
it's still the same. It's still traffic is crazy, it's
still you know, floods all the time. It's still expensive,
(08:15):
it's still very very costly even everything. But it seems
like nothing ever changes. So what will be different with you?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's I think starts with accountsment. We're connected to the people,
like we start there. Neither of us got to where
we got because the machine put us there. And you've
seen that over the years, Right, the machine picks their
person and then you don't serve the people. You serve
the bosses. And I think what we're going to be
able to do is actually get into office and fight
for folks. So again, not taking that developer money. That's huge.
Jersey City has had so much growth and development, which
(08:44):
isn't a bad thing, but it hasn't been for the
whole community. So making sure we actually get affordable units,
in getting those one thousand dollars a month rents in
those large new luxury towers, that's doable. It's a thing
we can deliver. And I think people will see that,
you know, if you're actually a mayor whose job, who's dreaming?
Is this to be too often people if you said
as a stepping stone for the next thing. And I
respect politicians with ambition obviously wouldn't be here if I
(09:05):
didn't have some, But I do think mayor's the dream
job that you actually get to serve your community every day,
go home at night and put your kids to bed,
Like I couldn't imagine a better job. And I think
people will see that they have a mayor who's actually,
you know, gives a shit about them.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What do you think counseling can give them?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
I think I think also when you're talking about the
municipal government and you're talking about the budget and you're
talking about ways to find money, we looked and we
seen that it was several individuals not paying the payroll
teams right, and these institutions historically get away from get
away with not paying because of their ties to elected leadership.
(09:43):
You know, they give these guys hundreds of thousands of
dollars in their campaigns to turn their back when they
see unethical things taking place. So when you have a
government that's grounded and working for the people, you can
ensure that the people that's making the most money is
paying their fair share.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
With that, do with it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Release the burdens on every day homeowners that own one
and two family homes. Right, their taxes are not so
high because we're collecting the share that we're supposed to
be collecting. With the amount of development that transpired in
Jersey City within the last seven to ten years, there's
no way you can have more development and the course
of living going up, you have more ratables, you have
(10:24):
more money coming in. Something isn't right here, right, and
there's a there's a system that say, you know, put
the oners on them and you know they'll do what's right. Right,
you need a government that's going to be transparent and
that's going to hold those developers accountable. You know, I
get the I get the the kickback. Oh he's anti development,
(10:45):
No I'm not. I'm just pro responsible development.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
We want to make sure the development that's taking place.
One benefits the community, and two the developers are paying
their fair share.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I call it or kill a Mike always called the
compassionate capitalism. That's right, Yeah, that's what I agree. Yeah,
I agree should be compassionate capitalism. Like I look at
somebody like going around on Donnie's campaign, right, and all
he's talking about is people having more money in they
pocket and people being safe. I don't know why politicians
complicate any of this, That's all any America wants.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
Well, when people giving you money, you gotta you kind
of gotta do your job, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
For your job is a complicated things.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
No, what I'm saying is when when you have people
who have invested interests in you and they're giving you
these monies and they're you know, taking care of your
family members, and you know, you're giving out these contracts
to all these people who super pack and supporting you.
And that's the messiness in politics, right, so you kind
of lose yourself. They offered me to give me x
(11:44):
amount of money to run on a certain slate, and
I was like, well, I can't be counselmen again, Well,
the people like the counselmen that represent the interests of
the people. That's what makes me unique. That's the only
way I can win a race with fifty thousand going
against two point five million, Right, because the people like representation,
one that understand the problems, one that look like them,
(12:06):
and two that come from where they come from. Right,
That's what makes me unique. So is a disservice to
all of the people who supported me for me to say, Hey,
now I'm in a position to do what I fought
against my whole career.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I agree, and I.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Want to talk about I'm sorry one other thing, crime
because you mentioned crime with Manana. You know, they're saying
that homicides is down, which is a great thing, but
everything else is up when they're talking stolen vehicles is up,
assaults is up, thefts is up, criminal mischief is up.
How do we cut back on some of the crime
that's happened in New Jersey City because a lot of
people where Jersey City was the place where a lot
of people woul go to restaurants, they would go to
the night life was big at one time, but it
(12:41):
slowed down a lot, which is hurting businesses because crime
is up. So how do you combat that?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So I think it's a give you and all the
above approach. So first is, we do need some more officers.
We've lost one hundred and fifty over the last five years.
We get some more officers, get them on the street.
Our current police chief keeps them literally in these fixed posts.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We are not allowed to move.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
So if their crime that happens a block away, you say, hey, officers,
is a crime, they'll literally tell you I can't move.
Call it in a block away.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
That's nuts.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
So we're going to change that approach, actually get folks
on the beaten moving. But then you gotta invest in
the community.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Ultimately, part of the reason that those petty crimes have
gone up is we're not offering opportunities for young people
in Jersey City. So we're gonna change that. We're gonna
have a plan for a thousand summer jobs, get folks
off the street, give them use opportunities, income to to
be able to find what gives them validation, find what
gives them hope. And then we've got a plan to
basically make sure we have violence interrupters everywhere in the city.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
Now they're saying that a lot of the officers are
leaving because they feel like the city is not behind them,
meaning people are getting arrested, and they're re arresting the
same people over and over and over again. They're getting
non cash bails and they're coming out and doing these
same crimes. And a lot of officers are saying that,
you know, why risk my life in Jersey City when
I can go down south where they feel like they
(13:54):
respect the law a lot better in the Florida Florida.
I'm talking in Houston. I'm talking in places like that
where they feel.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Like, well, I mean, I'm I'm on a record. I'm
a huge fan of cash list bells. Being in that
situation and seeing several individuals sitting in county jail for
two and three years for petty crimes because they don't
have the financial stability to get out. But there is
there needs to be a conversation for repeat offenders. I'm
(14:25):
na at one point when it like this first uh
no cash bell came into play and we've seen a
lot of people who was arrested of firearms being able
to come home and subsequently some of those individuals end
up dead or killing other people. So I think that
you know, while there's some benefits, there's some setbacks that
we need to be able to tweak out. And ultimately
(14:46):
I think the state have done a better job with that,
keeping violent offenders in there longer until they either I
guess sentence or zonerator or however that go. But when
you're talking about crime, right, in order to really address crime,
you have have to first understand crime right. So we've
done a fairly decent job as it relates to homicide
(15:06):
and violence crimes being down across the city. And that's
because we have organizations like using Partnership CMO, Credible Messengers,
you know, a bunch of groups that I work with.
We do what we call high level intervention with individuals
who may particulate, participate in gain violence and things like that.
So it's about funding those institutions. They're doing this stuff
(15:29):
with no money, with no money on a shoe screen budget,
so we invest in them they can do more. Now,
when you're talking about petty crime, what are some of
the motivations of individuals committing petty crime? A lot of
these crimes are people breaking in cars still a laptops
because it's visible, taking change and things like that. These
are people with drug addiction. These are people that have problems. Right,
(15:52):
you treat the You treat the problem and not the symtom.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
You get these people in rehabs, you have opportunities for
them to rehability, excuse me, rehabilitate themselves. Right, And that's
how you have a holistic approach to crime.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Do you think the gentrification, the gentrification in Jersey City
will be beneficial or it will be too many residents
being displaced?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Well, it's a gentrification is already there, right, So it
always tells people. I always tell people it's at the
end of the day already. Now, I'm a black man
in America, right, I'm of the opinion. Right, if gentrification
is here, you have to be a part of the system.
It's coming. In fact, it's already here. Right, I'm encouraging people.
(16:36):
And this is outside of politics. Right, Buy up whatever
you can buy up, get together with two or three people,
buy it up. Buy your grandmother house, get your family house,
don't sell the house. Right, because gentrification is here. And
to really have stake in the game, you have to
own property. You have to have ownership. I don't care
(16:57):
who's in charge. You have to have ownership. So you
have to be proactive. Man, it's already here, and you
have to become a willing participant inside of this cycle. Right.
And I tell people all the time, right, crime is
going to is gonna move. Because that's the good thing
about gentrification, right. It eradicates a certain element of a community, right,
(17:22):
because it's an influx of not just black or white,
it's just individuals on a high end of the socioeconomical ladder, right,
people that make more money. So with that group of people,
it's certain certain stuff that's just not going to be around.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
So the gentrification is there, there's also an opportunity for
people to benefit from it. Right. I ain't sitting around
complaining about, Oh this person is buying up no participate.
Get with a brother or sister.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I got two.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
Friends they living, they paying three thousand dollars on each
floor in the house.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Get a mortgage.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Right, don't get in the business of complaining it like
let's boost.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
Something about no, no, no, no, they can't put down money.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
Know about the But okay, so politicians that come here
are just in general, when I talk to them, they
will name all these programs on these resources. But when
you just talk to the regular person. Grandmam is ten
years back taxes. You don't even have the energy to
think about that, and you don't know you don't know
who to call to find out. Right, what are you
doing to bridge that gap of Hey, I'm giving you
(18:27):
the resource because I want to make sure y'all can
be in an ownership conversation.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
This is what Frank is great at, right. So you
know he calls himself Frank Educational Gilmore. But there's a
reason for that, right. Frank is in the community every day.
He literally goes door to door to let people know.
He held a couple of specific meetings about hey, how
do you benefit from home ownership? How do you access
the resources that are there? And the community trust Frank
And so Frank is out there every day doing that.
But I think it gets back to something you were
talking about with Mom Donnie. It's just understanding that, like,
(18:50):
part of our job is money in people's pockets.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Part of the reason you know people didn't care about
things Mom Donnie tweeted six years ago, was because he
showed that he was actually the one guy who's want
to fight some powerful interests to get more money in
people's pockets right, freeze rent, right, get more affordable homes built.
And that's what we're doing. And that's what I think
for unmally like race is about. It's like, look, we
got people who should be able to buy their homes,
who should be able to stay in Jersey City, but
(19:13):
they don't know about it, and we're going to actually
be focused on getting them money because we don't have
other people telling us what to do. We don't have
bosses giving us an order, we don't have developers demanding
that we prioritize them over the homeowners. But we're going
to be out there every day knocking on doors, hosting
community meetings and like getting people education so they can
actually benefit from changes that are happening in the community.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
And also, like something my office did, right, we host
these first time home buyers seminar.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
We just have one.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Saturday, right, and we have a newsletter that go out.
I'm very involved in the community, and my whole thing
is I'm telling people is like, this is what's available.
My whole platform is about educating people. It's really the
main reason I'm into politics. I'm not really I don't
like politics, to be completely honest, right. But I'm in
(20:01):
it because I want to hurt I want to help
people out right, and I'm encouraging them. It's like it
seems hard because in black and brown communities, like we
don't have these conversations about homeownership as much as we should. Right,
So I'm encouraging them. I remember, I'm a recipient of
a first time home buyer house. It took me a
year to close on that house. The people I was
(20:24):
working with, they said, mister Gilmore, you have encountered every
single setback that you can encounter and purchased in the house.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
So I use that to fuel me to help the
next person, to help the next family. I'm teaching them
outside of my job that if your house have a
lean on it, what you can do to get this
lean off, how you can leverage the equity in your house.
Because us we're looking at the house, I'm looking at
the value in the land. Right. So it's about educating.
(20:54):
That's the most important thing that I didn't I think
I really was successful at accomplishing this first term is
educating the people, and I think that's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
It's education.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Now, you shot up in the polls, right, you a
year ago, you were a down low yeah, and you
shot back up where it's almost neck and neck. Why
do you think that is?
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Yeah, well it gets back to money and pockets, right,
being directly a focus on affordability each and every day.
But then also it's the dynamic of the race and
it's not too different than which you guys seen in
New York. Know you guys are Jersey residents, but what
folks in NewYork have seen, right, My main opponent is
a disgraced former governor, not Andrew Cuomo, Jim McGreevy who
resigned and scandal twenty years ago. And he started with
everybody right. The governor endorsed him, all the bosses endorsed him.
(21:33):
He raised five million dollars, which is like three times
as much as anybody's ever raised in Jersey City before,
and so you know he starts at the lead. But
just like Cuomo came back down to earth, it's the
same thing with McGreevy, because when you knock on someone's door,
they don't care about any of that. The only thing
they're asking about is how can I make your life better?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
And I can show look on the kitty council. We
banned the use of illegal algorithms to ban to set
rents high. We repealed the fees they put on our
pre public pools. We've been about doing work for people
in the community, and so when you get to tell
that story to people, they're like, I might not have
known about you six months ago, but I want you
to be the mayor because you seem like you're actually
gonna try to make my life better. The guy who
reports to Charles Kushner, he's not gonna make my life better.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Counsel Gilma, why are you supporting consum asylum?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Oh that's a great question. I mean, I've supported Counselman
Salomon because he's been like one of my biggest allies
on the council and I've witnessed how he worked firsthand.
We're the only two independent council people. And just to
give you guys of a reality on how that looks,
that means we only have two votes. You need five
(22:37):
votes to get anything passed. So whenever the administration come
in with something that's like the regular person we're looking
it's like, this is dumb. Why a is they voting
and they get passed? Is because the administration have these
these these council people that's a part of the administration,
and they just vote for whatever the administration want. I've
witnessed Counselman Salomon work with the odds against US seven
(23:00):
too and to get meaningful legislation passed. I've witnessed him
argue with League and say, listen, I didn't ask you
if we can do it or we can't do what
I'm saying, find a way in which we can do it,
because they know Torrius were saying, oh, we can't do this,
we can't do that right Whenever it's me or counsel
and Salmon coming to them, but everybody else they go
and they try to make a way. So for me,
(23:21):
when I'm looking at it, I'm looking at one who
is really genuine about doing the job, who have the experience,
who can have the financial capacity to get to the
finishing line, and who I would be able to work
with best to get the most resources for my war,
because ultimately I want to make sure my residents and
ward f are taken care of, and Counselm and Salomon
(23:43):
have proven to be that individual. Fun fact, everybody running
for May wanted me before they even made any announcements. Everybody,
if we can get gilmore, we're in a good position.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
So they used to say. I was like the hot
my friend saying you the hot chicken eye. Everybody watch
you and I and I, you know, I waited patiently
and I looked at who was because for me, like
who you're connected to is really important.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
You know.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
My mentors say, be mind for the company you keep right.
So and I see Counselor in Salemon have done a
great job by surrounding himself around people who's really into
doing the business of the municipal government. For me, I said,
you know, I have to get behind that, right, you know,
Like I said, people have offered me very lucrative things,
(24:33):
and some people is looking at me like, oh, what's
wrong with this guy? He don't understand politics. And I'm like, no,
I don't understand politics the way you understand it.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
So that's why I'm supporting Counselor in Solomon, and that's
why he's going to be our next mayor.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
All right, Well, wrapping me closing this out, what do
you want to say to your residence in Jersey City.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, it was a question that ver you asked which
was like your things haven't changed. So I get the cynicism,
I get why people are frustrated, but I do think
we can we can have hope. We can have genuine
public servants that each and every day get up and
think their job is to serve other people and make
their lives better. So I asked for everyone's vote if
you live in Jersey City, because genuinely, we can make
the city more affordable. We can end the luxury only
(25:15):
housing and get housing that actually people can afford. We
have a plan to get rent to own for teachers, firefighters, nurses, cops,
make sure that they're able to stay in the city
that they serve. We're going to cap rent increases and
we're going to stabilize property taxes, which had gone up
fifty percent in five years. So if you want leadership
that's independent, that puts the people first, and the only
bosses the residents of Jersey City, then we're asking for
(25:37):
your vote.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Is the last question? O y, I'm I thought that
was the last week.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Keep going.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
With so many influences, artists and etc.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Etc.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
In Jersey City, have you guys ever said, you know what,
let me work with them to make sure that we
can protect our own community because he might somebody might
be strong. He I've seen what Ross Brocket day a
long time ago. What this guy might be strong in
this war. This guy might be strong in this ward.
And we work together, we can stop some of the crimes,
have you guys?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Yeah, I mean, so that's that's the pro you know,
shout out to my brother Rose Baraka. That's that's my
big brother, that's my mentor. And that's something we've done.
Like on a micro level, we haven't really got to
the place where we need to get to as it
relates to that. But to your point, that is so important,
(26:23):
as these are the people that's on the ground that
actually know the people and they are related to the people.
So you have to one fund that initiative and to
be serious about it, right, don't fund it one year
or halfway and then the next year not funded.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
I'm looking at naught because nor in Jersey City is
similar in a lot of things. And I'm looking across
the bridge and I'm saying, Wow, they're doing a great
a lot of great things, like the twenty four hours apiece,
like that is beautiful.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
That is beautiful.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Now people feel like they're a part, like we belong right,
so they're more vested. It's kind of like the homeowner
versus the renter.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Homeowners take more care of the property because they understand
how it affects their property value. Right, And you just
make sure everyone's a part of the conversation, everyone is benefiting.
And I think ultimately that's they ideal match is a
match made in heaven when we do that.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
You know, Counsel Asylum and they just dropped a hit piece.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
On you and oh yeah, the city time they said
you come from a privileged background.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't you know.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I saw him do that with Mundannie And I'm like,
I don't see why that about public service, Like, I don't.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
You're gonna penalize me from my parents making the right decision.
That's kind of how life should work.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Your parents should put you in the best position to succeed.
And you asked telling me about the cancer diagnosis like that,
you know it was this thing that like just all
the scales fell away. Now that's what matters is are
you dedicating your life to making other people's lives better?
And do you fight for what's right? And when I talked,
when I got someone's door. The question is how are
you going to lower my rent? How you make sure
(27:58):
my kids public school is better? How are you going
to make sure I can cross the streets safely and
not get run over that how are you gonna stop
the flooding? That's those the questions they ask. And I
think we're gonna win because we don't get distracted by
all the you know, the bs. We just talk about
how we're gonna make your life better in the city.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
More Councilman Gilmore, Countman Salomon, good luck.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
Damn vote. When can they go out there and vote?
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So early voting is open now so you can vote
ten am to ten am to eight pm at twelve
sites across Jersey City and then election day is November fourth.
Polls are open six am to eight pm on election
day in New Jersey.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Now get out there and vote. And we appreciate you
bub so joining.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
We appreciate it. Thank you having it's the breakfast club.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
Good morning every day a week ago.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Pack your ass up the breakfast club. You don't finish
for y'all done
Every day a week ago. Click up the Breakfast Club
Finish y'all done?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, The More Dangerous Morning Show to Breakfast Club, Charlamagne
to God, Lauren Larrossa, DJ, Envy, Jess Larius and I
don't know what just went. Wow, I know what just went.
I don't know where Envy went though the way back. Okay,
we have counselman James Solomon. He's running for mayor of
Jersey City. Good morning, counselman.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
They did not tell us who his brothers.
Speaker 5 (00:25):
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Nobody told us anything. James Solomon was coming. So I'm sorry, sir.
I think why Envy walked out because he didn't know you,
He didn't know how to introduce you, whatever, whatever.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So I don't have a problem looking like I don't
know nothing.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I have counsel and Frank education Gilmore.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Okay, so Frank, Frank's counseling here in ward f Jersey City.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
That's why you walked out.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
But keep us the information on the brother But I
just thought I.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Didn't I didn't.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I didn't know anything, and he was ready to get prepared.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Yeah, no, no no information, I said, give me a second.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Oh we are started. Yes, how are you?
Speaker 5 (01:09):
I'm doing well, so, Councilman James Salomon, So you're running
from maya of Jersey City.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
That's right. Why that's a great question. So Jersey City
has gotten being one of the most unaffordable cities in
the entire country. Rents up fifty percent five years.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Because it's right next to the bridge, that's right, got the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Holland Tunnel, probably taxed up fifty percent in five years.
And we haven't had a leader who's been focused on
actually making the city affordable, putting money in people's pockets,
making sure the rent doesn't go through the roof. And
so I'm running to deliver an affordable Jersey City.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Are you from Jersey City?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I grew up in Milbourne and I moved to Jersey
City fifteen years ago.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Okay, yeah, so you're familiar with Jersey City, the traffic,
So how do you stop the traffic out in Jersey City?
That's one of the first first of traffic is always
nuts in Jersey to.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Tell people to move. Now, how we're even that?
Speaker 5 (01:51):
And two is the expenses and how are you going
to get this? You know, of course of living so
down so much where people can actually live there.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
So first thing on that one is we got to
get tougher un development. Right Jersey City developers have taken
a lot and it's time for them to start giving
back to us. So right now we basically had luxury
only development, so no affordable in Jersey City, tens of
thousands of units. So I'm the only can I run
for mayor as well as the counsel. When we don't
take money from developers in our campaign, gives us some
real independence. So we're going to demand twenty percent affordable
in all new projects with real rents, So rents one
(02:20):
thousand a month, rents fifteen hundred a month. Because folks
say affordable, but what does that actually mean? So we
want to be specific rents one thousand a month, runds
fifteen hundred a month. And then on transportation, I think
a big thing is just trying to make our mass
trains that work better. So I say, for your New
York viewers, you know path is actually worse than MTA,
It's worse than the subway. We had a train land
on fire a couple of weeks ago, a couple months ago.
So we're going to push to get our pass service
(02:40):
running much more effectively, particularly on the weekends. Improve our
light rail, Jersey City's got a great light rail, and
then improve the buses. We think we can push and
do all those things.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I want to ask you about why tell us the
importance of the city council for people who don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
So, the points of the city Council was really the
check and balance mechanism for the executive brand. So if
you're looking at the president and then you have the
House of Representative and you have Congress, they're opposed to
be that check and balance mechanism from the executive branch.
And I would make the argument that the council races
are more important than the actual mayor or races because
(03:15):
the mayor may want to introduce something, but ultimately the
council was tasked well either approve in or voting that initiative. Now,
so the city council level is so important, especially to
every day residents.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, and I fact is that one thing. So Frank
and I are the only two members currently on the
council that got our seats independently. You know, New Jersey,
Jersey City got a really strong political machine, really powerful forces,
and each of us got to our seats by starting
on the grassroots, knocking on doors, being connected to the people,
and that's partly why we've always been aligned politically. And
you need independent voices on the council because if you
don't have them, you just get the rubber stamp over
(03:50):
and over again. Whatever the machine wants, whatever the money wants,
that's what they get. And so you really need to
have independent voices on your city council pushing the city forward.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
One thing Jersey City is also for is bad flooding.
Right at a call wash in Jersey City, maybe about
fifteen years ago, right, and what street don't even remember
the street, Main street coming up as soon as you
come out the Hoiland Tunnel right on the right hand side.
Bought the wash exactly and then it closed it.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
You know why, because it flooded.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
It flooded, right, So it flood is so bad that
for like two weeks at a time, nobody could actually
get to my call wash because there was so much
water there. And then when they got a car, wise
they'd have to drive through the water, which missed the car.
Didn't make any sense. So why is Jersey City always flooded?
And what could be done to make sure that that
doesn't happen as much.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So if you look at like the old maps, like
where your car wash was, like it used to be water,
I mean the Hudson River used to be there, and
then they filled it in over the years. And so
what we can do is a couple of different things.
One is like you're kind of getting like walky, but
like you kind of want to treat your city like
a sponge.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You want more trees because they suck.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Up the water. You want more poor poor surfaces, your
pavement to be able to soak up the water. And
then you get more pumps to basically push the water out.
So it's just like investments and it's thinking for the
future because it's like getting better right. Climate change is
getting work right. We had Hurricane I I mean I
was in people's basements seeing the flooding devastation. I mean
people's livelihoods. I mean people live in the city, their
whole lives, all their stuff gone. And so we have
(05:09):
to be committed to basically making sure that Jersey City
has the best stormwater resiliency programs, expand your soores, create
that sort of porous sponge like services wherever you can,
and then you help with a flooding.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And you're a cancer.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I am, yes, How does your own medical history drive
your agenda for healthcare?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I mean it's the core I think of who I
am and why I got into public service. I mean,
so just this to the quick story.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Right.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So I was thirty, had gotten married in a month
after the wedding, got the diagnosis. So you just think,
you know, you're thirty, you think you're invincible the life
in front of you, and all of a sudden, you
have cancer. And it made me think deeply about what
it is that I wanted in life, and for me,
it was just two things. It was family in public service.
So it's like, if I get better, if I get
that second chance, that's what I want. And I got lucky, right,
(05:53):
treatment worked. Six months later I was in remission. So
actually this is the ten year anniversary of the diagnosis
and so nine years back in health and so I
was like, you know, family, public service. So my wife
and I have three beautiful daughters, Camilla, Curna and Noel.
They're seven, five and three. And then it was give
back to Jersey City because like Jersey City had my
back during my toughest time, so it's like I have
to have their back and I got to do it
(06:13):
the right way. And so that's what led me to
run for office and in council. I know that I
have to pay a forward. I know that I got
to make sure that people have access to healthcare. So
as a city, we've expanded our health care options, We've
opened up clinics, We're making sure more people can get healthcare.
And an at the national level, you know, it made
me a supporter of universal health care. It made me say,
look like, when you're going through that tough treatment, you
(06:34):
need to be focused on yourself and your family. Then
I have to be worried about insurance and bills on
top of that. To add that extra stress, like your
illness might bring bankruptcy to your family, Like that is
awful to force somebody through. So for me, it made
me a support of universal health care. And I think, look,
other countries, they don't have medical bankruptcies, but we do.
And so that's what led me to decide that that
was the right approach for us. On the national level,
(06:55):
I always support candidates that are pushing for universal health care.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
During the times right now though, where like Meta and
medicare like there's so much conversations about things being cut
and something will happen. We don't know everything, right, but
something will. How do you, you know, personally, as a
cancer survivor, deal with the residents that you're fighting for
when you have to possibly prepare to tell them I
might not be able to help you. As a politician,
(07:18):
how do you maneuver that?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I mean, those are the most brutal conversations because you
get into politics because you want to help people, but
you also can't lie to them. And you know, on healthcare,
you know, we know the Medicaid cuts are coming. I
mean part of what I kind of hated about what
Trump did was he cut it, but he put it
after the election, right, so you're going to feel those
cuts in twenty twenty seven, not this year, so he
can get through the election before people feel it. But
(07:40):
I just tell people that I fight, right. I think
that's the thing is you can't promise things you can't deliver,
but you can promise that you're going to fight. And
so when these elections come in twenty swix, I'm gonna
fight for candidates that want healthcare and get them into office.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
You know, I've been living in Jersey for about I
would say twenty plus years, twenty five years something like that,
and our stay she was back now Street, so familiar
with going through Jersey City. What how come nothing ever changes? Right,
There's been so many different mays in the last twenty
years that I've been living in in Jersey City. Right,
it's still the same. It's still traffic is crazy, it's
still you know, floods all the time. It's still expensive,
(08:15):
it's still very very costly even everything. But it seems
like nothing ever changes. So what will be different with you?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's I think starts with accountsment. We're connected to the people,
like we start there. Neither of us got to where
we got because the machine put us there. And you've
seen that over the years, Right, the machine picks their
person and then you don't serve the people. You serve
the bosses. And I think what we're going to be
able to do is actually get into office and fight
for folks. So again, not taking that developer money. That's huge.
Jersey City has had so much growth and development, which
(08:44):
isn't a bad thing, but it hasn't been for the
whole community. So making sure we actually get affordable units,
in getting those one thousand dollars a month rents in
those large new luxury towers, that's doable. It's a thing
we can deliver. And I think people will see that,
you know, if you're actually a mayor whose job, who's dreaming?
Is this to be too often people if you said
as a stepping stone for the next thing. And I
respect politicians with ambition obviously wouldn't be here if I
(09:05):
didn't have some, But I do think mayor's the dream
job that you actually get to serve your community every day,
go home at night and put your kids to bed,
Like I couldn't imagine a better job. And I think
people will see that they have a mayor who's actually,
you know, gives a shit about them.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What do you think counseling can give them?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
I think I think also when you're talking about the
municipal government and you're talking about the budget and you're
talking about ways to find money, we looked and we
seen that it was several individuals not paying the payroll
teams right, and these institutions historically get away from get
away with not paying because of their ties to elected leadership.
(09:43):
You know, they give these guys hundreds of thousands of
dollars in their campaigns to turn their back when they
see unethical things taking place. So when you have a
government that's grounded and working for the people, you can
ensure that the people that's making the most money is
paying their fair share.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
With that, do with it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Release the burdens on every day homeowners that own one
and two family homes. Right, their taxes are not so
high because we're collecting the share that we're supposed to
be collecting. With the amount of development that transpired in
Jersey City within the last seven to ten years, there's
no way you can have more development and the course
of living going up, you have more ratables, you have
(10:24):
more money coming in. Something isn't right here, right, and
there's a there's a system that say, you know, put
the oners on them and you know they'll do what's right. Right,
you need a government that's going to be transparent and
that's going to hold those developers accountable. You know, I
get the I get the the kickback. Oh he's anti development,
(10:45):
No I'm not. I'm just pro responsible development.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
We want to make sure the development that's taking place.
One benefits the community, and two the developers are paying
their fair share.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I call it or kill a Mike always called the
compassionate capitalism. That's right, Yeah, that's what I agree. Yeah,
I agree should be compassionate capitalism. Like I look at
somebody like going around on Donnie's campaign, right, and all
he's talking about is people having more money in they
pocket and people being safe. I don't know why politicians
complicate any of this, That's all any America wants.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
Well, when people giving you money, you gotta you kind
of gotta do your job, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
For your job is a complicated things.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
No, what I'm saying is when when you have people
who have invested interests in you and they're giving you
these monies and they're you know, taking care of your
family members, and you know, you're giving out these contracts
to all these people who super pack and supporting you.
And that's the messiness in politics, right, so you kind
of lose yourself. They offered me to give me x
(11:44):
amount of money to run on a certain slate, and
I was like, well, I can't be counselmen again, Well,
the people like the counselmen that represent the interests of
the people. That's what makes me unique. That's the only
way I can win a race with fifty thousand going
against two point five million, Right, because the people like representation,
one that understand the problems, one that look like them,
(12:06):
and two that come from where they come from. Right,
That's what makes me unique. So is a disservice to
all of the people who supported me for me to say, Hey,
now I'm in a position to do what I fought
against my whole career.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I agree, and I.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Want to talk about I'm sorry one other thing, crime
because you mentioned crime with Manana. You know, they're saying
that homicides is down, which is a great thing, but
everything else is up when they're talking stolen vehicles is up,
assaults is up, thefts is up, criminal mischief is up.
How do we cut back on some of the crime
that's happened in New Jersey City because a lot of
people where Jersey City was the place where a lot
of people woul go to restaurants, they would go to
the night life was big at one time, but it
(12:41):
slowed down a lot, which is hurting businesses because crime
is up. So how do you combat that?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So I think it's a give you and all the
above approach. So first is, we do need some more officers.
We've lost one hundred and fifty over the last five years.
We get some more officers, get them on the street.
Our current police chief keeps them literally in these fixed posts.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We are not allowed to move.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
So if their crime that happens a block away, you say, hey, officers,
is a crime, they'll literally tell you I can't move.
Call it in a block away.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
That's nuts.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
So we're going to change that approach, actually get folks
on the beaten moving. But then you gotta invest in
the community.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Ultimately, part of the reason that those petty crimes have
gone up is we're not offering opportunities for young people
in Jersey City. So we're gonna change that. We're gonna
have a plan for a thousand summer jobs, get folks
off the street, give them use opportunities, income to to
be able to find what gives them validation, find what
gives them hope. And then we've got a plan to
basically make sure we have violence interrupters everywhere in the city.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
Now they're saying that a lot of the officers are
leaving because they feel like the city is not behind them,
meaning people are getting arrested, and they're re arresting the
same people over and over and over again. They're getting
non cash bails and they're coming out and doing these
same crimes. And a lot of officers are saying that,
you know, why risk my life in Jersey City when
I can go down south where they feel like they
(13:54):
respect the law a lot better in the Florida Florida.
I'm talking in Houston. I'm talking in places like that
where they feel.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Like, well, I mean, I'm I'm on a record. I'm
a huge fan of cash list bells. Being in that
situation and seeing several individuals sitting in county jail for
two and three years for petty crimes because they don't
have the financial stability to get out. But there is
there needs to be a conversation for repeat offenders. I'm
(14:25):
na at one point when it like this first uh
no cash bell came into play and we've seen a
lot of people who was arrested of firearms being able
to come home and subsequently some of those individuals end
up dead or killing other people. So I think that
you know, while there's some benefits, there's some setbacks that
we need to be able to tweak out. And ultimately
(14:46):
I think the state have done a better job with that,
keeping violent offenders in there longer until they either I
guess sentence or zonerator or however that go. But when
you're talking about crime, right, in order to really address crime,
you have have to first understand crime right. So we've
done a fairly decent job as it relates to homicide
(15:06):
and violence crimes being down across the city. And that's
because we have organizations like using Partnership CMO, Credible Messengers,
you know, a bunch of groups that I work with.
We do what we call high level intervention with individuals
who may particulate, participate in gain violence and things like that.
So it's about funding those institutions. They're doing this stuff
(15:29):
with no money, with no money on a shoe screen budget,
so we invest in them they can do more. Now,
when you're talking about petty crime, what are some of
the motivations of individuals committing petty crime? A lot of
these crimes are people breaking in cars still a laptops
because it's visible, taking change and things like that. These
are people with drug addiction. These are people that have problems. Right,
(15:52):
you treat the You treat the problem and not the symtom.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
You get these people in rehabs, you have opportunities for
them to rehability, excuse me, rehabilitate themselves. Right, And that's
how you have a holistic approach to crime.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Do you think the gentrification, the gentrification in Jersey City
will be beneficial or it will be too many residents
being displaced?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Well, it's a gentrification is already there, right, So it
always tells people. I always tell people it's at the
end of the day already. Now, I'm a black man
in America, right, I'm of the opinion. Right, if gentrification
is here, you have to be a part of the system.
It's coming. In fact, it's already here. Right, I'm encouraging people.
(16:36):
And this is outside of politics. Right, Buy up whatever
you can buy up, get together with two or three people,
buy it up. Buy your grandmother house, get your family house,
don't sell the house. Right, because gentrification is here. And
to really have stake in the game, you have to
own property. You have to have ownership. I don't care
(16:57):
who's in charge. You have to have ownership. So you
have to be proactive. Man, it's already here, and you
have to become a willing participant inside of this cycle. Right.
And I tell people all the time, right, crime is
going to is gonna move. Because that's the good thing
about gentrification, right. It eradicates a certain element of a community, right,
(17:22):
because it's an influx of not just black or white,
it's just individuals on a high end of the socioeconomical ladder, right,
people that make more money. So with that group of people,
it's certain certain stuff that's just not going to be around.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
So the gentrification is there, there's also an opportunity for
people to benefit from it. Right. I ain't sitting around
complaining about, Oh this person is buying up no participate.
Get with a brother or sister.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I got two.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
Friends they living, they paying three thousand dollars on each
floor in the house.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Get a mortgage.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Right, don't get in the business of complaining it like
let's boost.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
Something about no, no, no, no, they can't put down money.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
Know about the But okay, so politicians that come here
are just in general, when I talk to them, they
will name all these programs on these resources. But when
you just talk to the regular person. Grandmam is ten
years back taxes. You don't even have the energy to
think about that, and you don't know you don't know
who to call to find out. Right, what are you
doing to bridge that gap of Hey, I'm giving you
(18:27):
the resource because I want to make sure y'all can
be in an ownership conversation.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
This is what Frank is great at, right. So you
know he calls himself Frank Educational Gilmore. But there's a
reason for that, right. Frank is in the community every day.
He literally goes door to door to let people know.
He held a couple of specific meetings about hey, how
do you benefit from home ownership? How do you access
the resources that are there? And the community trust Frank
And so Frank is out there every day doing that.
But I think it gets back to something you were
talking about with Mom Donnie. It's just understanding that, like,
(18:50):
part of our job is money in people's pockets.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Part of the reason you know people didn't care about
things Mom Donnie tweeted six years ago, was because he
showed that he was actually the one guy who's want
to fight some powerful interests to get more money in
people's pockets right, freeze rent, right, get more affordable homes built.
And that's what we're doing. And that's what I think
for unmally like race is about. It's like, look, we
got people who should be able to buy their homes,
who should be able to stay in Jersey City, but
(19:13):
they don't know about it, and we're going to actually
be focused on getting them money because we don't have
other people telling us what to do. We don't have
bosses giving us an order, we don't have developers demanding
that we prioritize them over the homeowners. But we're going
to be out there every day knocking on doors, hosting
community meetings and like getting people education so they can
actually benefit from changes that are happening in the community.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
And also, like something my office did, right, we host
these first time home buyers seminar.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
We just have one.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Saturday, right, and we have a newsletter that go out.
I'm very involved in the community, and my whole thing
is I'm telling people is like, this is what's available.
My whole platform is about educating people. It's really the
main reason I'm into politics. I'm not really I don't
like politics, to be completely honest, right. But I'm in
(20:01):
it because I want to hurt I want to help
people out right, and I'm encouraging them. It's like it
seems hard because in black and brown communities, like we
don't have these conversations about homeownership as much as we should. Right,
So I'm encouraging them. I remember, I'm a recipient of
a first time home buyer house. It took me a
year to close on that house. The people I was
(20:24):
working with, they said, mister Gilmore, you have encountered every
single setback that you can encounter and purchased in the house.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
So I use that to fuel me to help the
next person, to help the next family. I'm teaching them
outside of my job that if your house have a
lean on it, what you can do to get this
lean off, how you can leverage the equity in your house.
Because us we're looking at the house, I'm looking at
the value in the land. Right. So it's about educating.
(20:54):
That's the most important thing that I didn't I think
I really was successful at accomplishing this first term is
educating the people, and I think that's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
It's education.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Now, you shot up in the polls, right, you a
year ago, you were a down low yeah, and you
shot back up where it's almost neck and neck. Why
do you think that is?
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Yeah, well it gets back to money and pockets, right,
being directly a focus on affordability each and every day.
But then also it's the dynamic of the race and
it's not too different than which you guys seen in
New York. Know you guys are Jersey residents, but what
folks in NewYork have seen, right, My main opponent is
a disgraced former governor, not Andrew Cuomo, Jim McGreevy who
resigned and scandal twenty years ago. And he started with
everybody right. The governor endorsed him, all the bosses endorsed him.
(21:33):
He raised five million dollars, which is like three times
as much as anybody's ever raised in Jersey City before,
and so you know he starts at the lead. But
just like Cuomo came back down to earth, it's the
same thing with McGreevy, because when you knock on someone's door,
they don't care about any of that. The only thing
they're asking about is how can I make your life better?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
And I can show look on the kitty council. We
banned the use of illegal algorithms to ban to set
rents high. We repealed the fees they put on our
pre public pools. We've been about doing work for people
in the community, and so when you get to tell
that story to people, they're like, I might not have
known about you six months ago, but I want you
to be the mayor because you seem like you're actually
gonna try to make my life better. The guy who
reports to Charles Kushner, he's not gonna make my life better.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Counsel Gilma, why are you supporting consum asylum?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Oh that's a great question. I mean, I've supported Counselman
Salomon because he's been like one of my biggest allies
on the council and I've witnessed how he worked firsthand.
We're the only two independent council people. And just to
give you guys of a reality on how that looks,
that means we only have two votes. You need five
(22:37):
votes to get anything passed. So whenever the administration come
in with something that's like the regular person we're looking
it's like, this is dumb. Why a is they voting
and they get passed? Is because the administration have these
these these council people that's a part of the administration,
and they just vote for whatever the administration want. I've
witnessed Counselman Salomon work with the odds against US seven
(23:00):
too and to get meaningful legislation passed. I've witnessed him
argue with League and say, listen, I didn't ask you
if we can do it or we can't do what
I'm saying, find a way in which we can do it,
because they know Torrius were saying, oh, we can't do this,
we can't do that right Whenever it's me or counsel
and Salmon coming to them, but everybody else they go
and they try to make a way. So for me,
(23:21):
when I'm looking at it, I'm looking at one who
is really genuine about doing the job, who have the experience,
who can have the financial capacity to get to the
finishing line, and who I would be able to work
with best to get the most resources for my war,
because ultimately I want to make sure my residents and
ward f are taken care of, and Counselm and Salomon
(23:43):
have proven to be that individual. Fun fact, everybody running
for May wanted me before they even made any announcements. Everybody,
if we can get gilmore, we're in a good position.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
So they used to say. I was like the hot
my friend saying you the hot chicken eye. Everybody watch
you and I and I, you know, I waited patiently
and I looked at who was because for me, like
who you're connected to is really important.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
You know.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
My mentors say, be mind for the company you keep right.
So and I see Counselor in Salemon have done a
great job by surrounding himself around people who's really into
doing the business of the municipal government. For me, I said,
you know, I have to get behind that, right, you know,
Like I said, people have offered me very lucrative things,
(24:33):
and some people is looking at me like, oh, what's
wrong with this guy? He don't understand politics. And I'm like, no,
I don't understand politics the way you understand it.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
So that's why I'm supporting Counselor in Solomon, and that's
why he's going to be our next mayor.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
All right, Well, wrapping me closing this out, what do
you want to say to your residence in Jersey City.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, it was a question that ver you asked which
was like your things haven't changed. So I get the cynicism,
I get why people are frustrated, but I do think
we can we can have hope. We can have genuine
public servants that each and every day get up and
think their job is to serve other people and make
their lives better. So I asked for everyone's vote if
you live in Jersey City, because genuinely, we can make
the city more affordable. We can end the luxury only
(25:15):
housing and get housing that actually people can afford. We
have a plan to get rent to own for teachers, firefighters, nurses, cops,
make sure that they're able to stay in the city
that they serve. We're going to cap rent increases and
we're going to stabilize property taxes, which had gone up
fifty percent in five years. So if you want leadership
that's independent, that puts the people first, and the only
bosses the residents of Jersey City, then we're asking for
(25:37):
your vote.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Is the last question? O y, I'm I thought that
was the last week.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Keep going.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
With so many influences, artists and etc.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Etc.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
In Jersey City, have you guys ever said, you know what,
let me work with them to make sure that we
can protect our own community because he might somebody might
be strong. He I've seen what Ross Brocket day a
long time ago. What this guy might be strong in
this war. This guy might be strong in this ward.
And we work together, we can stop some of the crimes,
have you guys?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Yeah, I mean, so that's that's the pro you know,
shout out to my brother Rose Baraka. That's that's my
big brother, that's my mentor. And that's something we've done.
Like on a micro level, we haven't really got to
the place where we need to get to as it
relates to that. But to your point, that is so important,
(26:23):
as these are the people that's on the ground that
actually know the people and they are related to the people.
So you have to one fund that initiative and to
be serious about it, right, don't fund it one year
or halfway and then the next year not funded.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
I'm looking at naught because nor in Jersey City is
similar in a lot of things. And I'm looking across
the bridge and I'm saying, Wow, they're doing a great
a lot of great things, like the twenty four hours apiece,
like that is beautiful.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
That is beautiful.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Now people feel like they're a part, like we belong right,
so they're more vested. It's kind of like the homeowner
versus the renter.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Homeowners take more care of the property because they understand
how it affects their property value. Right, And you just
make sure everyone's a part of the conversation, everyone is benefiting.
And I think ultimately that's they ideal match is a
match made in heaven when we do that.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
You know, Counsel Asylum and they just dropped a hit piece.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
On you and oh yeah, the city time they said
you come from a privileged background.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't you know.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I saw him do that with Mundannie And I'm like,
I don't see why that about public service, Like, I don't.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
You're gonna penalize me from my parents making the right decision.
That's kind of how life should work.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Your parents should put you in the best position to succeed.
And you asked telling me about the cancer diagnosis like that,
you know it was this thing that like just all
the scales fell away. Now that's what matters is are
you dedicating your life to making other people's lives better?
And do you fight for what's right? And when I talked,
when I got someone's door. The question is how are
you going to lower my rent? How you make sure
(27:58):
my kids public school is better? How are you going
to make sure I can cross the streets safely and
not get run over that how are you gonna stop
the flooding? That's those the questions they ask. And I
think we're gonna win because we don't get distracted by
all the you know, the bs. We just talk about
how we're gonna make your life better in the city.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
More Councilman Gilmore, Countman Salomon, good luck.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
Damn vote. When can they go out there and vote?
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So early voting is open now so you can vote
ten am to ten am to eight pm at twelve
sites across Jersey City and then election day is November fourth.
Polls are open six am to eight pm on election
day in New Jersey.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Now get out there and vote. And we appreciate you
bub so joining.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
We appreciate it. Thank you having it's the breakfast club.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
Good morning every day a week ago.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Pack your ass up the breakfast club. You don't finish
for y'all done
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!