JERSEY CITY, NJ — Councilman At-Large Rolando Lavarro and Councilman James Solomon will release videos of public conversations with all candidates for the Jersey City Council’s vacant Ward D seat. These candidate talks, which include answers to pre-submitted questions from Jersey City residents, will be available to the public online starting at 7:30pm, Tuesday April 28, at https://bit.ly/WardDCouncilInterviews

The Jersey City Heights Ward D seat was formerly held by Councilman Michael Yun, a longtime Heights resident and advocate, who passed away on April 6th due to Covid-19 related complications.

The two councilmembers interviewed six candidates who publicly expressed interest in the appointment: Jocelyn Patrick, Patrick Ambrossi, Yousef Saleh, Rafael Torres, Brian Rans and Cynthia Hadjiyannis.

The City Council has 30 days from the day the seat is vacated to appoint a temporary replacement. The term of the appointment will be until November 2020, when a special election will determine the Councilmember for the remainder of the term, which runs through December 2021. The Council vote for the appointment will take place no later than Wednesday, May 6th at a meeting of the City Council.

“Councilman Yun advocated for an open and transparent process which we did, honoring his legacy,” Lavarro said. “Just as importantly, this is what Heights residents and all Jersey City residents deserve.”

Councilman Solomon added, “As elected representatives, our first and only responsibility is to Jersey City residents. Councilman Yun’s successor will answer not to City Hall, but to you. We’re committed to involving the people of Jersey City in this selection process until a public vote can be held.”