Jersey City Council Candidate Profile: John V. Salierno

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City's municipal election is set for November 2 and the candidate field is full.

With election season in full swing, 24 candidates filed and made it onto November's ballot. There are nine open spots on the City Council and the race of Mayor.

John V. Salierno is running for the Ward D council seat.

Patch sent a candidate profile form to each person who met the filing deadline. We will be posting them individually through the election season. Each one is published in the candidate's own words, but may be shortened for space.

Here is Salierno's responses:

Age (as of Election Day)

33

Party Affiliation

Family

Wife and two children, 4 and 1

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

Clifton High School, 2006

Saint Peter's University, 2010
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

Seton Hall University School of Law, 2012
Juris Doctor

Occupation

Attorney

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none

Campaign website

TruthandMerit.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

To raise the civic consciousness of my community and change government culture.

My principal goal is not to win an election; it is to raise civic consciousness. Would you believe that a Jersey City council candidate needs only about 2,000 votes to win? And that only three candidates are running in a ward of about 20,000 registered voters? The reason is that the vast majority of us simply do not pay attention. I would happier to get more people registered to vote than votes, and for everyone to talk to one other person about this election. That is how democracy works, it requires participation. If we can become more conscious of our government, of our own power to rule ourselves, then we have a real shot at living in a democracy. That is to say, we can have a government that is responsive to the people, that acts out of principle and not expediency, that tells us the truth, and is based on merit.

While there are many issues I care about, something happened in my neighborhood that forced me to enter the race. Three years ago, a woman was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend outside her home on Summit Avenue, a few blocks away from Pershing Field. She had a restraining order against him, and he was texting her that day that he was inside her house waiting for her. A police officer arrived, and despite the text messages, he insisted the woman show him the restraining order, which was inside the house. She retrieved the restraining order unharmed. The officer then asked her for identification, which was also inside. She reminded the officer of the ex-boyfriend’s threats, but he insisted, refusing to accompany her into the house. This time, the ex-boyfriend assaulted the woman, and escaped on foot. The woman was seriously injured, and later sued the police officer. The city council passed a resolution appropriating $30,000 for his legal defense. I have written the Jersey City Police Department about any disciplinary action taken against the officer, but have not received a response.

When I read about this, I felt I could not continue raising my children in this city without telling people about it. We, as a community, cannot let this happen again. We need to promote police officers who do their job, regardless of whose niece or nephew or cousin they are, and punish the ones who don’t instead of funding their legal defense.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Making Jersey City Heights a more desirable place to live, without making it unaffordable and disrupting the community. What attracted me most to Jersey City was how it reshaped itself and adapted in the twenty-first century, while maintaining its old world character and charm. After the rioting, protests, and culture wars that ensued in the 1960's and 1970's, many people abandoned cities for the suburbs. That did not happen in Jersey City to the extent it happened in Newark, Paterson, etc. Sadly, today there is a hollowing out of the city's core, not due to racial and political divisions, but to vast socio-economic disparities. By and large, the real estate development the city has seen is geared only toward the rich, chasing Jersey City's working class out of the community with skyrocketing rents, property taxes, and home prices. This is how communities fall apart, resulting in two juxtaposed worlds: rich and poor, and nothing in between. Two societies of people with nothing in common, living vastly different lifestyles only blocks away from each other, whose children never cross paths because they attend different schools. That is not a community, and we must fight to keep the one we have before it's too late.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am not beholden to anyone except the people in my community. I have not taken, and will not take, campaign money from any donors. Also, I am not running on a slate with other candidates, which means I have not promised anything, and do not owe any allegiance, to anyone in power. Like my slogan, I am about truth and merit, and there is nothing that can make me compromise those principles.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current councilman does not have an independent voice in advocating for Ward D. Running on a slate with other candidates potentially forces him to prioritize other issues before Ward D.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Make the Heights a more desirable, not expensive, place to live.
First, we need to beautify Central Avenue. Have you seen the new trees and lampposts that were installed, standing in a bed of scrap? It’s laughable. I think we should also fine landlords who leave their storefront properties vacant for six months or more.
We need the kind of live events in Riverview-Fisk Park and Pershing Field that we see downtown. The farmers market is a huge success, but we should have it more than once per week.

Our streets are filthy. And let’s face it, street sweeping doesn’t do very much. We invest in equipment and employees and fine ourselves $50 for a service that leaves the street full of bottles, cans, trash, etc. We don’t need street sweeping twice per week on side streets, or daily on main avenues. We would save more and be cleaner if we had people walking around picking up trash.

I also want to do something about the gridlock rush hour traffic in the Heights. How many more traffic light posts will be taken down by a tractor trailer turning from Manhattan Avenue onto Tonnele Avenue, causing three hours of gridlock. I propose making Manhattan and Carlton Avenues one-way streets in either direction with angled parking on one side of the road. Fewer traffic jams would distress drivers and reduce accidents.

Revamp Leonard Gordon Park. There are parts of the park that you can’t walk through because the sidewalks are gone.

Civilian Complaint Review Board. This was an excellent proposal that the council did not pass. Our police department should not police itself. A public check on the police would be healthy for our democracy and strengthen public confidence in the police.

Make real estate developers give something to the city for the huge benefits they receive. We need more schools, parks, police, etc. The current administration has made some progress on this front, but very little.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

You may not believe this because I am a lawyer, but I am a good listener. As the Union City Tenants' Advocacy Attorney, I am constantly hearing from my community, their needs, what works and what doesn't. Most of my clients are poor, and in dire need of a staunch advocate. I want to provide this same advocacy to my neighbors in Ward D. As a father, I understand the challenges of parenting and education. Fundamentally, my experience has ingrained in me the importance of a strong community. None of grows up in a vacuum.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"The time is always right to do what is right."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?