Municipal elections in Jersey City, New Jersey (2016)
2017 →
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| 2016 Jersey City elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: September 6, 2016 |
| General election: November 8, 2016 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: City council |
| Total seats up: 1 |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2016 |
Jersey City voters were already scheduled to cast ballots before the special city council election was required. A ballot measure moving the city's regular election cycle from May to November was approved.
Candidates for the Ward B seat had until September 6, 2016, to file with the Hudson County Clerk's office. Because it was a special election, potential candidates only had to gather 100 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. In a general election, the signature threshold was 1 percent of the total number of registered voters in the ward.[1]
This election was one of Ballotpedia's top 10 local-level races in 2016. Click here to read the full list.
Elections
General election
Candidate list
Ward B
- ☐ John Hallanan III (i)
- ☑ Chris Gadsden
- ☐ LeKendrick Shaw
Results
| Jersey City City Council Ward B, Special Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Chris Gadsden |
46.88% | 2,416 |
| John Hallanan III Incumbent | 40.03% | 2,063 |
| LeKendrick Shaw | 12.94% | 667 |
| Write-in votes | 0.16% | 8 |
| Total Votes | 5,154 | |
| Source: Hudson County Clerk, "Official election results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Ballot measures
Information coming soon.
Issues
Property tax revaluation to begin following legal battles
On November 18, 2015, state officials informed Jersey City that it was under investigation to determine whether the city should be directed to conduct a tax revaluation. The last revaluation had been completed in 1988. After the investigation, the state treasurer directed the city to complete a revaluation by November 1, 2017.
Background
Ramchal was arrested for drunk driving following a three-car collision on March 14, 2015, which led to a charge of assault by auto and a charge of theft of service following an investigation of his vehicle's GPS data. Ramchal pleaded not guilty to both charges. According to police reports, Ramchal failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level of 0.15. The legal limit was 0.8.[2][3][4][5]
The vehicle Ramchal was driving at the time was registered to the Jersey City Incinerator Authority. Ramchal used it as an employee of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, where he earned $46,799 annually. The authority fired Ramchal in June 2015 after the examination of the GPS records showed that the councilman's reported work on timesheets did not align with the location of the vehicle. On October 15, 2015, the county charged Ramchal with theft of service.[2][3]
According to NJ.com, sources close to Ramchal indicated the councilman expected to have his drivers license suspended and some form of light punishment. Ramchal's fellow council members did not call for him to resign, and local media remarked on the low degree of public response to the charges brought against the councilman.[6]
In May 2016, Ramchal plead guilty to assault by auto and theft by deception, and agreed to plead guilty to drunken driving. While the prosecutor's office stated it planned to seek probation rather than jail time, the pleas barred Ramchal from holding any public or elected office in the state going forward.[7]
About the city
- See also: Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of 2010, its population was 247,597.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Jersey City uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[8]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Jersey City, New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jersey City | New Jersey | |
| Population | 247,597 | 8,791,894 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 14 | 7,354 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 35.9% | 67.8% |
| Black/African American | 22.9% | 13.5% |
| Asian | 25.1% | 9.5% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Other (single race) | 11.8% | 6.3% |
| Multiple | 3.8% | 2.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 28.5% | 20.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 87.6% | 89.8% |
| College graduation rate | 47.5% | 39.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $70,752 | $82,545 |
| Persons below poverty level | 17.2% | 10% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Jersey City' 'city council election'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Jersey City, New Jersey | New Jersey | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NJ.com, "Deadline nears to run for Jersey City council vacancy," August 31, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NJ.com, "Jersey City councilman charged with drunken driving after three-car collision," March 14, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NJ.com, "Councilman Ramchal DWI police report," March 14, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Hundreds come to Jersey City City Council meeting to protest corruption," July 29, 2009
- ↑ NJ.com, "Jersey City council members open up about colleague accused of DWI," March 23, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Little political fallout for Jersey City councilman hit with DWI charge one year ago," March 14, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Jersey City councilman resigns after guilty pleas related to DWI arrest," May 12, 2016
- ↑ City of Jersey City Municipal Code, Art. II.3-3, Art. III.3-10, accessed October 28, 2014
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