JC Live Wire Currents

04/19/25

    Just over a year ago, on April 10th, the Jersey City Municipal Council nearly unanimously voted 7-0-1 to approve a Ranked Choice Voting “trigger” ordinance that would enact the ranked choice method of ballots in municipal and school board elections, contingent upon passage of authorizing state legislation in Trenton.

    There was a fair amount of public support for the initiative and advocates nationwide chalked it up as a small victory for a concept still remarkably unfamiliar to the average voter. Hoboken had recently in December 2021 become the first city in New Jersey to approve RCV.

    Proponents of ranked choice voting defend it as the most logical form of electoral representation, a “win-win” scenario for everyone, and democracy in its purest form. Theoretically, Republicans stand to benefit with second and third choice votes from Libertarians, disaffected Democrats, other third parties, and undecided voters. In turn, Democrats would receive votes from pragmatic Greens, less obedient Republicans, third parties, and those same undecideds. Critics have called the ranked choice system confusing and anathema to the “one citizen, one vote” doctrine.

    So how will RCV work in Jersey City? The immediate answer is that it won’t. Not without you, it won’t. Without increased public support and demand, the ranked choice voting bills currently before the state legislature, A4042 in the Assembly and S1622 in the Senate, face an uncertain future, most especially in the in the current stormy political climate.

    As for how RCV functions in practice, the idea is so simple one can perhaps understand how folks conditioned to only two options might get confused. In the most basic of terms, a voter is able to rank their choice of candidates as first, second, third, and so on to however many candidates are listed on a ballot. At the final tally, the votes from the least vote-getters are distributed upward to the voter’s next choice(s) in mathematical succession, an “instant run-off”, until an undisputable winner of the contest is clearly confirmed. Costly and time-consuming run-off elections are eliminated.

    National organizations such as Rank the Voteand Fair Vote exist to help educate the public about RCV and provide updates on advances throughout the country. Fair Vote includes a New Jersey page. Voter Choice NJ is an organization focused on the garden state and has posted an online petition in support of the Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act, the RCV legislation primarily sponsored by state Senators Linda R. Greenstein and Andrew Zwicker, the latter a perennial champion and sponsor of RCV bills who has received bipartisan support for ranked choice voting from leading New Jersey Republicans such as Vince Polistina.

    At the time Jersey City approved its ordinance, there was national attention on the proposed bill and its subsequent passing. Mayor Steve Fulop expressed support for the initiative, as did Senator Raj Mukherji, Assemblyman John Allen, and County Commissioner Bill O’Dea. Ward E Councilman and now mayoral candidate James Solomon co-sponsored the Jersey City bill and could be seen everywhere on local media espousing the merits of RCV. There were favorable op-eds in the Jersey Journal and other regional publications. At the hearing itself, there was a who’s who line-up of Hudson County notables on the speaker list in support of the legislation.

    And then the waiting began. The following month, Red Bank became the third New Jersey municipality to officially endorse ranked choice voting with a borough resolution. In late August the town of Princeton also passed a reform resolution expressing support for state-level ranked choice voting legislation. On September 11th, US Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), US Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), and US Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) reintroduced the bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act to require RCV for all congressional primary and general elections.

    A full year has passed since the Jersey City resolution. The main bill before the New Jersey Legislature floats aimlessly in legislative limbo, as did similar bills before it, all of which ultimately dissipated into the ether. For the ranked choice voting initiative to succeed in New Jersey, a monumental effort by the electorate has to take place. Only widespread support will make it happen.

    At the very least, and not at all the least of it, RCV in local elections would certainly generate civic interest and activity, level the political playing field, and offer a voice to the voiceless. At the federal level, ranked choice voting disperses with election “spoiler” disputes at the dinner table and, had it been implemented in the 2024 elections, would have undoubtedly afforded the country an opportunity to avert the national catastrophe of the dumpster fire currently raging unabated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

Downtown, 01/26/25 - This past Sunday Jersey City showed its support and concern for Gazans in the aftermath of the war with Israel, which was declared a permanent ceasefire two weeks ago.

   The Palestinian Cultural Fair held at Grace Church Van Vorst was hosted by a coalition of relief organizations and student groups including New Jersey Peace Action, Ceasefire Now NJ, HCCC for Palestine, and others, with all proceeds going to Heal Palestine and PCRF.

   There were cultural talks, musical performances, embroidery demonstrations, art pop-ups, and an assortment of vendors. The line for a taste of Palestinian food was so serious a second entrance had to be opened.

Pavonia/Newport 01/17/25 – The world’s highest rated flexible workspace provider has partnered with Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE), the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm.

    In a Tuesday e-blast, Industrious founder Jamie Hodari expressed exuberance at the acquisition deal which will supercharge the coworking company’s reach and resources, as well as give CBRE a tremendous advantage in the workspace outsourcing market just as demand is growing and many more employees are returning to the office.

    Mr. Hodari will also be taking a lead role in CBRE’s building operating businesses (7B SF; $20B annual revenue; 95,000 employees). The acquisition deal consists of a 100% stake investment by CBRE, raising Industrious’s valuation to $800 million.

    The Jersey City Industrious location in Newport Tower (pictured) is just one of more than 160 outposts in over 65 global markets. In the commercial real estate industry, Industrious is recognized by leaders and observers for its ledger-easy model based on revenue partnership agreements with building owners, as opposed to traditional leases.