Finally, Jersey City’s voting populace has spoken and they did it with passion by electing Steven Fulop!
Voters saw that somebody with well-schemed measures and innovative maneuvers will come to change the face of this diversely populated community. That is why the May 14 election made Fulop the messiah of change. Fulop gives out that veritable air of sincerity and compassion far from the usual-run-of-the-mill political figure. He is a new breed of public servant who’d never be daunted by debilitating negative publicity, and won to save the city from its deteriorating status.
Re-electionist Jersey City mayor Jerramiah Healy conceded defeat even before 9:00 pm to Fulop after more than 50 percent of the tallied votes favored the latter. The 62-year old Healy, who held office since 2004, failed to win a third full term when the idealistic 36-year-old city councilor exhibited a powerful strategic scheme on his bid for Jersey City’s mayoral post.
A bleak mist had clouded over Healy’s Oakland Avenue campaign headquarters in the Heights after initial election returns showed Steven Fulop’s strong lead that heralded an overwhelming victory.
The final results showed top-vote-getters as follow based from Ron Zeltlinger’s Jersey Jornal report:
Mayor:
• Steven Fulop 20, 373 (52.80 %)
• Jerramiah Healy 14,575 (37.78 %)
• Jerry Walker 3,209
• Abdul Malik 398
Top 6 councilors-at-large:
• Joyce C. Waterman 14,756 (17.68%)
• Rolando Lavarro, Jr. 14,609 (17.50%)
• Daniel Rivera 14, 228 (17.05%)
• Viola S. Richardson 11,899
• Peter Brennan 10,899
• Omar Perez 9,843
Top 2 ward councilors
Ward A:
• Charles T. Epps, Jr 2, 646
• Francis Gajewski 2,298
Ward B:
• Khemraj “Chico” Ramcal 1,700
• Gerald Meyers 1,528
Ward C:
• Richard Boggiano 1,671
• Nidia R. Lopez 1,458
Ward D:
• Michael Yun 2,213
• Sean Connors 1,774
Ward E:
• Candice Osborne 3,831
• Daniel B. Levin 1,450
Ward F:
• Diane Coleman 2,415
• Jermaine Robinson 2,355
Enthusiastic Team Fulop campaign leaders, supporters and volunteers celebrated an early victory in euphoric and highly spirited jubilation at the downtown’s Zeppelin Hall following Fulop’s massive lead over Healy. Earlier, a packed group exultantly converged at Team Fulop’s headquarters.
However, the three councilors-at-large, together with three others and two candidates from each Ward, will be subjected to a runoff re-match on June 11 having had failed to obtain at least 50 percent plus one of the total votes. They will all be back on the trail and be engaged again in a much more heated campaign.
Incidentally, Team Fulop’s council candidate Candice Osborne of Ward E was fortunate to have garnered sufficient votes or more than the stipulated threshold which automatically excluded her from the runoff.
Despite an avalanche of black propaganda and destructive ploys that attempted to divide the unified bond among Filipino voters, Team Fulop remained undeterred. The team constantly reminded its followers and supporters to ignore every false accusations which target divisiveness but instead concentrate on recruiting more voters and keep focused.
Even during election day, May 14, a destructive letter with malicious intent was circulated and distributed among Filipinos urging them to just vote for Rolando Lavarro, Jr. and drop Fulop from the list. What made the uncanny missive even more irritatingly devastating was the anonymous sender’s use of the letterhead of PAFCOM, a Fil-Am non-profit Jersey City-based organization, in a desperate attempt to convince recipients of its authenticity. Sadly, it failed flat from its devilish motive,
The recently concluded 2013 Jersey City mayoral race was a contentious match having had two other candidates, Jerry Walker and Abdul Malik, sharing some few percentages of the total votes.
Steven Fulop, they say, is “a breath of fresh air” in the city’s rotten political arena.
Truly a new breed of a public servant profusely equipped with new ideas and fresh community service approach, Fulop is ready to give Jersey City its much-needed “ray of hope.”
I remember what he had initially declared during Team Fulop’s kick-off party last January 12 at its Kennedy-Morton headquarters: “My team is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and work, seriously work. We are one body, one mind, and with one single agenda, to take this journey to the next level!” And based on his uncompromising focus and hard-driven attitude with innovative efficient political plans, failure is definitely not an option.
Fulop’s crusade for better education, more affordable housing and improved living conditions, clean and safe streets, and transparent governance put him in an acid test under watchful eyes. But far from being mediocre in both skills, intellect, and dedication, his constituents are confident that his victory will effectively deliver what he decreed in his platform as they believe that his office will usher a complete revitalization in the city’s diminishing public trust.
A sweeping change is in the offing while Fulop’s winning is highly challenged with great expectations as the current urban voters are as updated, better informed, and fundamentally educated unlike before. Their common choice to elect a new leader more than manifested their battle cry for change and that leaves Fulop widely exposed to the public’s scrutinizing eyes.
Getting to know Jersey City’s new mayor, Steven Fulop
Steven is a first generation American born to Arthur, a delicatessen proprietor in Newark, NJ., and Carmen, a daughter of a Holocaust survivor who worked in an immigration services office. The newly elected Jersey City mayor is conscientiously armed with just the right intellectual capabilities stemming from his completion of Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Binghamton, his Masters in Public Administration at the Columbia University, and his Masters in Business Administration at the New York University.
Fulop’s main focus was finance that catapulted him to an enviable rank at Goldman Sach’s. But his career was instantly aborted by the horrendous 9-11 event which gave him a change of heart. He decided to leave his job when his focus switched to his patriotic duty. For him, enlisting in the United States Marine Corp was the best option at that time.
His deployment to Iraq from 2002 to 2006 where he was the Corporal of the 6th Engineer Support Battalion gave him and his unit several meritorious awards and heroic recognitions for their exemplary service which include the most significant ones: Overseas Service Ribbon, Meritorious Masts, and the Presidential Unit Citation.
After his heroic journey from the war front, Steven started serving his community via being the President of the Historic Paulus Hook Association and the President of Downtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations.
Though young in age, Steve’s maturity was built by his profound experiences from people-to-people encounters and keen awareness of his community problems.
He was first elected to the Jersey City Council as Ward E Councilman on May 10, 2005 at the age of 27. He was the youngest elected official in the JC Council and the third in the entire political history of the city. He was re-elected in 2009 with 63 percent of votes which represented the largest majority of any elected official of the city.
The 36 year old Jersey City Mayor-elect has been the consistent voice of opposition to Healy’s administration that made him the object of black propaganda and character-assassinating campaigns during the entire election period.
As a civil or public servant, Steven has worked for local charities in the Hudson County. As a Councilman, he concentrated on ethics reform measures among elected government officials. He has donated his first two-year council salary to the York Street Project to help women and children break to the cycle of poverty and improve education options for families in Jersey City.
Being born on February 28 makes Steven a Piscean. Pisceans have a key life phrase: “I sacrifice” which is made even significant by their mantra: “I offer my love to all but I am grounded!” These words boil down to only one thing: Service for Pisceans are innately suffused with genuine feeling and empathy. They are truly compassionate and unconditionally loving people. Because of his friendly nature, he could effortlessly bring great satisfaction to those who are comfortable enough to come into contact with him.
Fulop’s social reforms, policy measures, and decision-making in the government are expected to surpass what his predecessor has accomplished.
The editorial of Star Ledger’s May 9 issue boldly quoted: “Fulop has already transformed the politics of a city that solely needed it.” That sure-fire forecast could have enormously fueled voters’ weakening momentum and deliberately ignited the almost dying ember within hopefuls’ hearts.
Embracing a strong campaign slogan: ‘Moving Jersey City forward!, Fulop Team now bears a challenging burden heavily bestowed upon them to deliver their platforms with responsiveness, accountability, transparency, and gratifying results.
Indeed, Team Fulop’s aggressive campaign finished the ordeal solidly with undermined strength and empowered enthusiasm. Now, with Steven Fulop as the new Jersey City mayor, they are all ready to roll up their sleeves and raring to go to work to prove the worth they’re expected of.
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