For anyone who missed the inauguration yesterday, or wants to hear/see anything again, here is the film on LiveStream.

The ceremony starts around the 20 min. mark. Great job to those that did the filming and audio - very cool to have this available!! Pretty historical day for our town given the way this was done for the public and the sheer amount of dignitaries present. Go us!

In inaugural address, Jersey City's new mayor pledges to run an honest government

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
July 02, 2013 at 1:00 AM

Steven M. Fulop became Jersey City?s 49th mayor today, pledging in an inaugural speech delivered outside City Hall to thousands of supporters that he will oversee an ?efficient? government that will help create one ?beloved community.?

Fulop, 36, is a Wall Street trader and former Downtown City Councilman whose opponents deride as a yuppie who cares only for the city?s tony Waterfront. In his roughly 20-minute address tonight, he noted the disparity between the wealthier Downtown and less affluent inner city.

Despite Jersey City's multitude of varied neighborhoods, he said, the city rises and falls ?as a single community."

?We cannot subscribe to the false choice, between the prosperity of Downtown and the potential of our older neighborhoods,? he said.

The new mayor promised tonight to improve education for the city?s youth, encourage increased investment and get city residents back to work.

But Fulop, who defeated former Mayor Jerramiah Healy on May 14 after focusing heavily on the 2009 corruption sweep that landed numerous Healy allies behind bars on bribery charges, elicited sustained applause for a fourth pledge: to run a government that works.

?Recognizing the rich and colorful legacy of many of Jersey City's past mayors, I offer this one promise: we will be both honest and competent,? he said.

Fulop?s speech came at the tail end of a roughly hour-long ceremony that featured speeches by Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and Mahdi Hemingway, a Jersey City man and close friend of Fulop?s since the mayor?s first run for council in 2005.

Christie took the stage to loud cheers and some scattered boos, with his gubernatorial opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, seated nearby.

?New Jersey cannot reach its true greatness without Jersey City reaching its greatness, too,? Christie said. ?Today is a day filled with hope and promise that new leadership can help us accomplish that goal.?

Heningway, 29, had the crowd in stitches describing his ?unlikely? friendship with the new mayor. Though Fulop?s political ambition made him suspicious when they first met, he said, he?s since come to believe that Fulop is the ?extra push? Jersey City needs.

?Steve is your man,? Hemingway said.

Fulop's ceremonial swearing in (he officially became mayor just after midnight Sunday) came in the middle of a block party only slightly marred by persistent rain that disappeared just before the official proceedings began.

Joan Pusaver, 84, called Fulop?s speech ?beautiful.? Pusaver, who expressed disappointment that she wasn?t able to snag Christie for a personal chat, said she?s hopeful about Jersey City?s future under the new mayor.

?He?s got new ideas, new perspectives on a lot of things that he?s going to do,? he said. ?I hope everything works out for him.?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... t_works.html#incart_river

wow - looks like great turn out today!

Come to think of it now, I wish they could block off Montgomery and Marin to traffic PERMANENTLY!!! Yes, I know it's a pain for the residents who has cars, but it feels great to walk around today with my kids, not having to look over my shoulder like a maniac about those crazy drivers, on our way to VVP today.

Melida Rodas, a recent Fine Arts graduate from New Jersey City University will serve as Inaugural Poet at today's ceremonies.
She is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants.
She has been published in What we hold in common: an introduction to working-class studies.

will they have tents set up to handle the rain?

I'm more concerned with what are the plans if it's pouring out like it was a few moments ago - I assume there's no rain date?

Street Closures from 9:00 a.m. until Midnight today
Grove St. from Grand St. to Christopher Columbus Dr.
Mercer St. from Marin Blvd. to Barrow St.
Montgomery St. from Marin Blvd. to Barrow St.
Wayne St. from Marin Blvd. to Barrow St.
York St. from Marin Blvd. to Barrow St.

Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Mayor Steve Fulop's inaugural address tonight is to be preceded by speeches from Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.

Even more anticipated, at least for Fulop, is a third speech by Mahdi Hemingway, of Jersey City.

"Mahdi is the most important speaker we have," Fulop said. "By far."

Hemingway, 29, and Fulop, 36, make an unlikely pair: Hemingway, a black man who grew up in public housing; Fulop, a white guy from the suburbs whose parents had a vacation home in the Poconos.

But the two formed a bond after an awkward first meeting at the Booker T. Washington complex on Montgomery Street in November 2004. Hemingway was giving a presentation to an afterschool program; Fulop was trying to earn support for his first bid for City Council.

"He stuck out," Hemingway said. "He was a skinny kid back then, with a white dress shirt on, a red tie, a Diet Coke and a buzz cut."

At the time, Hemingway had little patience for politicians. His community had been "lied to" and ignored for so long, Hemingway said, he didn't trust this rising political star with the funny last name, and he had no problem telling Fulop so.

Fulop convinced Hemingway to meet him one-on-one to discuss issues facing public housing residents, the African American community and more. Then a student at Bloomfield College, Hemingway said he was wary but warmed up to Fulop's entreaties to help get him elected.

Asked when he changed his mind about Fulop, Hemingway laughed and said: "He came to the projects at night.''

The two kept in contact after Fulop's 2005 election, and Hemingway said the friendship was something of a turning point for him.

Like Fulop, he became a U.S. Marine (Fulop wrote him letters during training), and he soon yearned to work in the financial sector like Fulop, a Wall Street trader.

After graduating from Bloomfield College, Hemingway applied to Harvard, was accepted, and then struggled to figure out how to pay for it -- until Fulop offered to co-sign a student loan.

"Isn't that something?" Hemingway said. "He believed in me."

Today, with a bachelor's in criminal justice/sociology and a master's in government, Hemingway is preparing to move to Washington, where he's just gotten a job with Public Campaign, a campaign finance reform nonprofit.

Hemingway will tell more of his story tonight. Fulop suspects his friend is nervous, but Hemingway said he's not fazed at the thought of speaking in front of thousands of residents and officials including a U.S. senator and the governor.

Mostly, he said, he wants to tell the world about his friend, the new mayor of Jersey City.

"Steve's my boy."

Political Insider: Parade of pols from miles around coming Monday

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
June 29, 2013 at 6:06 AM

Monday is Steven Fulop?s old-fashioned block party. The occasion is the public swearing-in of Mayor-elect Fulop and members of the City Council for what should prove to be an interesting four years of reform, high expectations and some futile resistance.

When the hoi polloi see Fulop on a stage at the front of City Hall, he will already be the city?s chief executive, but the ceremony should provide a bookmark in city history. As first mentioned in this column, the outdoor ceremony is meant to mirror the one held in 1977 by man-of-the-people Mayor Tommie F. X. Smith.

For a moment I thought that were Smith alive today, I don?t know if he would have related to today?s Downtown residents who back the new mayor. Then again, The Mouth That Roared was a gregarious guy who made everyone believe he liked them ? even if there isn?t an Irishman on the City Council.

Since Smith isn?t around, Fulop has extended an invitation to all the living former mayors of the city. The question is who will show up? Will outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy appear? It seems some in Healy?s administration say the invite wasn?t personal. There could be an empty seat, but don?t worry, ex-Mayor Gerry McCann?s aura is big enough to take up at least two seats.

You?ll definitely have to walk there because they plan to close off a more than two-block area around City Hall on Grove Street. You need room for food vendors, bands and the masses. I expect to see that police crowd tower put to use.

If there is any consolation ? and some humor ? there are newly elected officials who will have a long way to walk. New council people have been told that they have to park down at the Boys and Girls Club and then hoof it back because the City Hall parking lot is closed ? because it is being saved for invited dignitaries, say some sources. The A-listers mentioned include Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, state senators from all over and a bevy of officials seeking federal office.

Christie and Menendez are expected to speak at the ceremonies.

Journal Square Councilman-elect Richard Boggiano, who is expected to be the oil in Fulop?s Walden Pond, was asked about the City Hall lot and he used an expletive deleted and left the impression that there may be some damage to his car?s grill should anyone try to prevent him from parking.

INSIDER NOTES

-- When Eliu Rivera?s Hudson County freeholder seat comes up for grabs in a 2014 November race, there may be another candidate running in the Jersey City district besides ex-council members Junior Maldonado and Nidia Lopez. Sources close to the Boggiano camp say his daughter Katrina is thinking about jumping into the political waters. Rivera resigned because of health issues ? and he is in Puerto Rico.

-- Last Saturday, Fulop held a town hall meeting at the Zeppelin Hall beer joint where three Democratic candidates in the August primary for the late Frank Lautenberg?s U.S. Senate seat answered questions from about 150 people.

You know things have changed in Jersey City when instead of questions about ?how many jobs you?se guys are getting for us?? there are inquiries about Israel and the situation in Syria.

Fielding the questions were Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rush ?Jeopardy? Holt.

The highlight was a question by a guy in the back who looked suspiciously like someone who sometimes drives Fulop to events. He asked Booker how he could have endorsed Healy. The Newark mayor gave his Ralph Kramden ?homina? reaction and then spewed a number of explanations, finishing with how he and Fulop talked and all was forgiven, no doubt in a politically expedient way.

-- I see the Hudson County Democratic Organization made a daring endorsement and pledged their support to Booker.

-- I was fooled to believe that a number of big name officials were going to show up at last week?s Filipino Friendship Parade and Festival last weekend in Jersey City. There was no Christie, no Menendez and no Booker. State Sen. and Democratic candidate for governor Barbara Buono did show up, really.

-- On Wednesday, Urban Concerns founders Bruce Alston and Robert Mays were ready to lead a late afternoon rally in front of City Hall. It was to be ?a call for immediate action be taken by the next administration in addressing the Issues of violence, jobs, tax Reval, education reform and quality of life issues in Jersey City.? It seemed more like some political muscle flexing. Wisely, they cancelled the event, not because the crowd was disguised as commuters rushing by, but because the promoters were concerned about possible inclement weather.

-- Unfortunately, I?ll have to have someone else tell me about the Jersey City inauguration. I?ll be vacationing on the high seas on a ship that leaves from Bayonne today. The way things have been going for Peninsula City Mayor Mark Smith these days, I half expect to look over the railing as I board and see Mark in the bay. Only kidding, but I don?t know about a column next week. We?ll see.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... e_of_po.html#incart_river

Quote:
You mean you hope there is enough food for him.

Chris Christie will be there? I hope there's enough food for everyone!

Jersey City Inauguration Invitation & Details

Please find details below on the invitation and details for the inauguration.
I sincerely hope you can attend.
Steve


Official Inauguration Ceremony For

Mayor Steven M. Fulop to Be Held at City Hall

Residents Invited to Attend Inaugural Celebration

JERSEY CITY - The Official Inauguration of Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the 49th Mayor of Jersey City, will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 1, 2013 outside of City Hall, 280 Grove Street in a public celebration that invites residents to participate in the event.

Mayor-Elect Fulop chose an Inauguration format similar to that of Mayor Thomas Smith in the 1970s in the hope of bringing the people back to City Hall to be part of the ceremony and part of the civic process.

"We believe that government should be responsive and should work for the people, which is why we chose to break with tradition and have our Inaugural ceremony at City Hall and after the work hours, so as many people could participate as possible," said Mayor-Elect Fulop. "The Inauguration is the first step in the process of bringing change to city government and we want the residents of Jersey City to be with us each step of the way."

At 6 p.m., Mayor Fulop will be sworn in by the Honorable Katharine S. Hayden, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey. Mayor Fulop will then deliver his Inaugural Address and outline his administration's vision and goals. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez will deliver remarks. The nine City Council members will also be sworn in during the ceremony.

The block party celebration, which is free and open to the public, will take place between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and will include a performance by ELEW, who has performed for President Barack Obama at the White House, as well as local Jersey City bands, food vendors, and much more. Residents are encouraged to participate in the festivities and welcome their new Mayor and City Council. The block party celebration is not paid for with taxpayer dollars, but is paid for by the Election Fund of Steven Fulop.

On May 14th, 2013, Jersey City residents voted resoundingly to elect Steven M. Fulop as their next Mayor with 53 percent of the vote. Candice Osborne was also elected the Ward E Councilwoman on May 14th, while the other eight Council races were decided in a run-off election held on June 11th, 2013.

The newly-elected At-Large Council Members are Joyce Waterman, Rolando Lavarro, and Daniel Rivera; Ward A Councilman Frank Gajewski; Ward B Councilman Khemraj ''Chico'' Ramchal; Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano; Ward D Councilman Michael Yun; Ward E Councilwoman Candice Osborne; and Ward F Councilwoman Diane Coleman.

Jersey City mayor-elect to be sworn-in during free block party

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal ,
June 21, 2013 at 10:48 AM

Jersey City Mayor-elect Steve Fulop will be inaugurated in front of City Hall next month after a free block party that Fulop hopes will encourage as many residents as possible to join in the festivities.

Fulop, who will be the city?s 49th mayor, will take his oath of office Monday, July 1 at 6 p.m. outside City Hall, 280 Grove St. The mayor-elect chose an inauguration format similar to former Mayor Thomas Smith, who ran the city for four years starting in 1977.

"We believe that government should be responsive and should work for the people, which is why we chose to break with tradition and have our inaugural ceremony at City Hall and after the work hours, so as many people could participate as possible," Fulop said in a statement from the city.

Fulop will be sworn in by federal Judge Katharine S. Hayden, and he will then deliver an inaugural address. Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Bob Menendez will also speak at the ceremony, the city said today.

"The inauguration is the first step in the process of bringing change to city government and we want the residents of Jersey City to be with us each step of the way," Fulop said.

The block party, free and open to the public, will run from 4 to 8 p.m. and include performances by New Jersey pianist ELEW, who has performed at the White House, and local Jersey City bands.

The city said today the inauguration will be paid for with Fulop's campaign fund, not taxpayer dollars.

Fulop on May 14 won a decisive victory in the mayor?s race against outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy. A two-term Downtown councilman, Fulop has said he wants to make Jersey City ?the best mid-size city in the nation.?

The nine members of the next City Council will also be sworn in on July 1. Most are Fulop allies.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _free_block_party.html#/0