Local Group Helps Slay Airbnbs In Jersey City

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Residents Tuesday sent a message with their overwhelming approval of new rules governing short-term rentals in Jersey City, including Airbnbs.

The referendum lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin, 16,193 to 7,201, according to election results from the Hudson County Clerk's Office.

"It is a landmark election," said Ron Simoncini, executive director of the Jersey City Property Owners Association, one of the community groups that worked to get the referendum question passed. "I don't think people fully understand how impactful this will be. It represents a mandate on Mayor Steve Fulop's popularity and guides future policy regarding Airbnb."

The stakes were high for Airbnb, and potentially Jersey City's economy. Short-term apartment rentals contributed $40 million to the Jersey City economy last year, an Airbnb spokesperson said recently.

According to Simoncini, Airbnb spent millions on their "no" vote campaign, bombarding residents with mailings almost daily. NJ.com reported Airbnb spent more than $3 million on the election. The New York Times reported Airbnb spent $4.2 million. Fulop said Airbnb spent $5 million. Simoncini said he and others spent a fraction of that amount.

"I just want to say you brought a campaign of misinformation to Jersey City, you lied repeatedly, you spent $5 million and... Jersey City showed you what they thought," Fulop said in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

"There was a possibility that Airbnb could make a persuasive case, but they did not make a persuasive case, and they spent a lot of money doing it," Simoncini said. "They had billions of dollars at stake."

Business Insider called the defeat "a loss for Airbnb as it nears its 2020 Initial Public Offering."

Fulop declared a win for Jersey City less than one hour after the polls closed, NJ.com reported.

"They thought their money would win and I'm proud that Jersey City said otherwise," Fulop told The New York Times. "If I was an investor in Airbnb I would certainly take note, as this message of regulation wasn't sent by politicians, but it was dictated directly from the people."

Christopher Nulty, a spokesperson for Airbnb, issued a statement about the vote Tuesday night.

"From the start of this campaign, we knew this was going to be one of the toughest fights we've faced, with the big New York hotel industry determined to fight home sharing, but we had an obligation to stand up for our community," Nulty said in a statement Tuesday night after the polls closed. "It's unfortunate to see the hotel-backed special interests run a campaign that moves Jersey City in a different direction."

On Airbnb's website Wednesday morning, more than 300 properties listed to stay come up when a user typed in "Jersey City." There were more than 100,000 guest reviews for places to stay in Jersey City, according to the Airbnb website.

Related:

• Jersey City Approves Short-Term Rental Rules
• Developer Ran Illegal Airbnb Hotel In Jersey City: Officials
• A 'Yes' Vote Protects Jersey City Residents: Association
• Airbnbs Have Generated $40M For Jersey City Economy, Company Says

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com