Jersey City Councilman At-Large Rolando Lavarro and Councilman James Solomon will host interviews with candidates to fill the Ward D council seat left vacant with the passing of Councilman Michael Yun earlier this month due to COVID-19.
The public may submit questions in advance and view the recorded interviews online.
Invitations for an interview were sent to Jocelyn Patrick, Patrick Ambrossi, Sean Connors, and Cynthia Hadjiyannis who all expressed interest in the position publicly.
The Jersey City Council has 30 days from the day the seat was vacated to appoint a temporary replacement.
The term of the appointment will be until November 2020, when a special election will be held to elect a Ward D council member for the remainder of the term which expires in December 2021.
The council will vote on an appointment on Wednesday, May 6.
“In past appointments for council seat vacancies, Councilman Yun staunchly fought for transparency in the process,” said Councilman Lavarro. “To honor his legacy on the Council and do right by the residents of the Jersey City Heights, we need to have a participative process where Heights residents can get to know the candidates and ask them questions.”
“As Councilman Yun’s son Benjamin said, his father would want a transparent process to thoroughly vet and then select his successor,” said Councilman Solomon. “Interviews of all candidates will be open to the public to ensure the people’s voice is heard.”
Interviews will be shared on the evening of Tuesday, April 28 on Councilman Solomon and Councilman Lavarro’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.
To submit questions to Ward D Council member candidates or to request an interview, email rlavarro@jcnj.org and jsolomon@jcnj.org
