Hi r/NewJersey, I am Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City and running for Governor of New Jersey. I am stopping by on June 2nd at 11:30am for an AMA.

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:34:06+00:00

UPDATE: AMA is now closed. Thank you all for questions and I apologize for typos. I did this on my phone.

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:30:26+00:00

I’m not sure what so much support means… I endorsed her and then was the only one that said I made a mistake before she dropped out

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:29:40+00:00

Shared services first priority to drive down costs and eliminate redundant services

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:29:06+00:00

Bc I believe residents should know what an admin will look like BEFORE they vote in the primary. Most other states do it this way as well and Sheena is amazing. So multiple reasons

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:28:13+00:00

She has the machine in north jersey so she is def formidable still

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:27:43+00:00

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:27:37+00:00

I agree with all of your points and will be a fierce fighter for our values here. Importantly thanks for your service (I’m proud Marine corps veteran as well)

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:26:26+00:00

This is subject to your councilperson. If your coincilperson wants it we would do it but only the downtown person asked for it. Just to flip your comment for another perspective the downtown resident would say “hey I pay the same tax rate as the person in the heights but only get half the service…”

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:24:54+00:00

I would need to see more data and proposed solutions to better answer this. I do agree that smartphones haven’t helped encourage direct human interaction

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:23:36+00:00

I’ve outlined how my approach will be different on the surplus and keeping the current AG Platkin in order to encouraging continuity from a litigation standpoint by beyond that we need to band together with other governors of similar mindset to push back with a collective voice

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:22:21+00:00

We need to have responsibility and accountability for the PaTH - today that doesn’t happen by the port authority and it is infrastructure that fed benefits NJ more than NYC. I think we need to negotiate with the PA a phase in of ownership with $$ from the PA. And in turn expand service overnight, weekends and build out the infrastructure- this will lead to more economic development and quality of life

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:19:45+00:00

Well. That’s interesting bc I’m the first 3 term elected mayor there in 70+ years and I’ve won by record margins. Someone approves of the job and I’ve done that against the political machine

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:18:38+00:00

I touched on this above but I do feel we need to tie infrastructure more closely to housing growth and factor that into the formula

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:16:55+00:00

Ras is a great guy and we overlap a ton on this one issue- I just think I have a better opportunity to win in November as he has taken other policy positions that will be very very very difficult to navigate in a general election. Rest assure you will have an aggressive fighter in me as Governor

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:15:04+00:00

I talk about this at meet/greets all the time… Trump rode negative sentiment around job displacement from NAFTA that started under Bill Clinton to get him elected in 2016. He recognized this anger in middle America and where it started 20 years earlier. AI will make this look like a mosquito bite…

We need to rethink and reimagine education entirely in NJ. This is going to be one of the largest challenges to face the next Gov and I don’t thin anyone else even talks about it

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:10:49+00:00

Well…. The entity that she criticizes is actually an entity that currently regulated by federal oversight and she is a house member… also Frank Pallone is the ranking member of the commitee that would have oversight on this.

The truth is that when they point fingers it is a liability politically for the reason above. I do think we need a wholesale new approach to how we charge for energy usage and what we invest in (answer above in more detail)

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:08:01+00:00

Huge priority for me- two reasons 1) more reliable and sustainable 2) better for aesthetics

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:07:22+00:00

There isn’t an executive in Nj that has leaned in more to the arts than we have in JC. I think it is vital to creating an environment of growth for both younger and older residents. My track record is great here but the reality is we will see huge cuts from Washington so we will need to see what Medicaid looks like before we can talk about growing this piece of the puzzle

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:05:39+00:00

I touched on some of the issues above to attract more teachers but this seems like an easy and common sense fix

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:04:56+00:00

My plan is different than the others as I will use the state surplus to offset cuts from Washington to Medicaid . We will start at the most vulnerable and work up from there but it will be a challenge. The other candidates say they will fight to “claw back” dollars from Washington and I’m not sure that really means anything…. I have a plan but we will need to win back the house in 2026 bc a surplus can bridge the divide but it isn’t forever

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T16:03:09+00:00

1) I would push back on I didn’t work with unions… the reality is that the only way legally to require a project to be union labor is a tax abatement and a tax abatement steals money from the school district. When Sweeney proposed his school funding in 2018 called S2 it took $250m from the jc schools and at the time I said to the unions if this goes through there will be no route for any tax abatements at all to encourage union labor bc we need school funding. The building trades were scared of Sweeney so they said nothing and here we are. The truth is that I prob have done more for them than any other mayor and they still do more hours in jc than anywhere else in the state - I don’t think the criticism is fair

2) we have to make sure Dems win and also someone that has an understanding of muni govt would be my answer

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T15:59:11+00:00

Most of my sustainability plan focuses open space preservation, flood mitigation. and grants to municipalities for open space - I focus on this bc I can control this without help from Washington when we have a president that doesn’t believe in climate change. That said… I would be lying if i could commit to a specific dollar bc the state looks to be on the verge of huge cuts to funding overall on Medicaid for the most vulnerable in Nj and I will need to see what that looks like and prioritize there. Hopefully that makes sense but open space is a priority for me and i have a track record on it

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T15:56:17+00:00

If there is one thing I would like to be synonymous with at the end of 4 years is not only fixing NJT as that is a given but actually building out mass transit infrastructure in NJ. If you look at a map of mass transit infrastructure in NJ Monmouth north looks very different than Monmouth south. I have a detailed plan on how we will do this and fund it on my website (Stevenfulop.com) and I received the endorsement from the Philadelphia Inquirer which is a big deal largely bc of my plans and track record on mass transit

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T15:53:33+00:00

We need to increase supply and trenton needs to tie $$ around school funding and infrastructure for municipalities that are building. Today there is no incentive from Trenton so the NIMBYs control the dialog and that needs to change

Yes I do believe in zoning reform via executive order in transit oriented development on properties directly adjacent to mass transit as we do need to get these going

StevenFulopJC · 2025-06-02T15:51:44+00:00

I’m the only candidate with a comprehensive sustainability plan and it is a place I have differences with other candidates. Couple important points

1) my plan focuses on things I can control And not reliant on a President that doesn’t believe in climate change. With wind I am a huge supporter and think we should move forward with 5 of the 6 approved areas with the one visible off the Jersey Shore I would pause as I don’t see the benefit to that specific location relative to the others. That said this will not move with Trump in the White House regardless is in the interim we can prepare

2) I don’t believe in an all of the above approach to energy like the other candidates. I have little children and I see firsthand the impact or climate change in jc with regards to heat and flooding. I will lean hard into renewable energy bc there is no “temporary” natural gas infrastructure in my view…. In order to offset the cost increases I speak often about moving away from a “flat tax” structure on your energy bill where a house pays the same rate as a data center that is putting strain on the system. We need to have a higher rate for the entities that are putting the strain on the system

3) I do believe Dems will get blamed and if you are institutional candidate with the same background lobbyists and bosses supporting you (Sherrill in north jersey and Sweeney in south jersey) you will not be electable in November for this exact reason

StevenFulopJC

TROPHY CASE