2 Socialists Take Office In NJ's Second Largest City This Month: What To Know

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The second largest city in New Jersey is preparing to welcome several new council members this month — including a pair who bucked the traditional two-party system.

Jake Ephros and Joel Brooks, who ran as Democratic Socialists, won their Nov. 4 races to represent individual Jersey City council neighborhoods, a rare occurrence in a state where partisan elections are usually awarded to a Democrat or Republican.

"Affordability" has become the rallying cry among several local officials taking office next month, including incoming Jersey City Mayor James Solomon (who ran as a Democrat). The two Democratic Socialist council candidates have likewise promised to focus on economic issues in a city whose rents have become among the highest in the nation: READ MORE: Rents In Jersey City And Hoboken Are Highest In Country

What To Expect

Ephros will represent Jersey City Heights, an enclave atop the Palisades cliffs to the west of Hoboken. The area is known for a restaurant and arts scene and several parks. Unlike many neighborhoods in Jersey City, the Heights lacks direct train access and water access, although residents can take an elevator down the hill to use the light rail in Hoboken.

Ephros was the first candidate to announce his run for the Ward D seat, ultimately beating Catherine Healy, who ran on the mayoral slate of ex-Gov. James McGreevey.

Last week, Ephros laid out his mission for Patch: "In my mind, the government is obligated to use every power at their disposal, every time, to protect the people, not billionaires' profits. That’s how I plan to govern, and it’s why I believe so strongly in policies like universal rent control and safe, clean, green streets."

Ephros may have tough issues to address. As reported in Patch, the Heights' 153-year-old Heights University Hospital was largely shut down in November by new owners, who are keeping a few essential services.

And several apartment complexes in Jersey City, taken over by corporations in the last decade, are now embroiled in battles with tenants over the rents. READ MORE: Tenants File $400M Federal Lawsuit Against Corporate Landlord In Hudson County

Meanwhile, Brooks' Ward B neighborhood is on the west side, away from the waterfront and the skyscrapers rising in central Journal Square.

"The birth of my daughter has only made my commitment to democratic socialism stronger," Brooks told Patch. "I’ve always known that a better world was possible, but now, I acutely feel the responsibility of bringing about that world; it’s hard not to when you’re holding a baby. That’s what being in DSA is all about. It’s about understanding the possibility of a community that is vested in each other, and fighting for it.”

What About Critics?

In America, critics sometimes confuse Socialists with Communists. American schools have taught about a period in which people were falsely labeled Communists.

A campaign spokesman for Brooks and Ephros said that the country already uses some Socialist-type systems, noting, "K-12 education is a public good, as are the library and firefighting. So why shouldn't we think of how we can make the public goods of housing, transit, and healthcare in reach for working-class people?

The Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist group in the country, counted 14 wins during this election cycle among its supporters for elected office in America. Ephros and Brooks each drew more than 60 percent of their voters, a higher number than the others.

The other candidates include Zohran Mamdani, who took office as New York City mayor on Thursday.

But What's A Democratic Socialist?

The differences among capitalism, communism, fascism, and socialism are clarified in this chart.

The New York Times explained, in an early story about Mamdani, "The simplest way to understand democratic socialism, from an academic standpoint, is as an ideology rooted in its opposition to capitalism and wanting to shift power to workers from corporations."

The Democratic Socialists of America, to which the Jersey City candidates belong, calls it "a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society."

Ephros and Brooks' campaign manager said that "fear-mongering tactics" were used against both candidates during the campaign, and noted, "We look forward to making Jake and Joel’s plans for universal childcare, universal rent control, and safe, clean, green streets a reality. ”

Read more about the candidates' election victory here.

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