McGreevey Accepts Invitation To Debate Solomon In Jersey City Mayoral Runoff

JERSEY CITY, NJ — As the Jersey City mayoral runoff nears on Dec. 2, Ward E Councilman James Solomon and former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey have both said they plan to debate.

McGreevey said on Friday that he had accepted an invitation from Hudson County Chamber of Commerce CEO Emory Edwards to host a debate.

"Jersey City deserves leadership that shows up, listens, and answers tough questions,” said McGreevey on Friday. “I welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can make our city more affordable, safer, and fairer for everyone, and I’ll debate these issues anytime, anywhere.”

Solomon had challenged McGreevey to six debates earlier in the week.

Neither candidate drew more than 50 percent of the vote total during Tuesday's elections, prompting the runoff.

Without all of the mail-in votes counted, Solomon had the most votes out of six candidates as of Wednesday, with 17,200. McGreevey had 15,042.

The third-place candidate, County Commissioner Bill O'Dea, amassed 12,750 votes.

Solomon said he believes that McGreevey avoided debates in the past so he wouldn't have to answer questions about taking donations from groups that supported Pres. Donald Trump. READ MORE: Jersey City Candidate McGreevey Responds To Questions About Donations, Federal Actions

See McGreevey's candidate profile posted for Patch last month. Solomon's campaign chose not to participate. READ MORE: Jersey City Mayoral Candidate Jim McGreevey Responds To Q&A

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