Thursday, April 24^th

Phony Fulop And
Affordable Health Care:
A $2 Million Pay-to-Play Scandal

“There is so many pressing demands that need to be addressed from property taxes, Municipal Utilities Authority, Pershing Field and the need for quality family recreational facilities,” said former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, who called on the city in February to ditch the project. “That ought to be a priority before any Pompidou museum.” (2)

Thursday, April 17^th

Phony Fulop took a secret trip to Paris to plan his legacy French museum in Jersey City and pushed for
tax breaks for Donald Trump’s
in-laws to fund it.

“When obstacles are put in front of us here in Jersey City — we don’t quit,” Fulop wrote in an op-ed after funding was pulled for his French museum in Jersey City. “In Jersey City, we improvise, we adapt, and we overcome.”

Yet, after the funding was pulled for his highly touted and long-planned legacy Pompidou Museum project he said it was because of “politics” and immediately offered a 30-year taxpayer funded abatement to the Kushner Real Estate Group.

 Hardly an “improvisation” in New Jersey politics.

In 2023, Fulop and several Jersey City officials quietly jetted to France for a four-day trip to consult with officials from the Pompidou Museum. Termed a “work trip” by Phony Fulop, the public wasn’t told about the trip until after it was over—and to this day, Fulop has refused to disclose who paid for it.

And the councilman whose Ward would have been home to the Fulop vanity project was not even invited on this “work trip” to gather information. (1)

While Fulop insists no taxpayer funds were used, the refusal to disclose who paid for the trip raises red flags, especially given the project’s multi-million-dollar price tag. 

The NJEDA cited the financial burden to state taxpayers, global supply chain conflicts, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and “an irreconcilable operating gap” as the reason for the pause in the Journal Square project. (2)

In short, the Fulop vanity project was no longer affordable for taxpayers.

When presented with the fact that state taxpayers could no longer fund his project, Phony Fulop lashed out and said he was being unfairly punished for political reasons.

Leaping into action as the Chief Executive of a major city, Phony Fulop said: “Over the next week, we need to discuss with our partners abroad and see if there is a path forward.”

He also boldly proclaimed: “In Jersey City, we improvise, we adapt, and we overcome.” (2)

Tax breaks for developers, of course!  In this case, a 30-year tax abatement for Donald Trump’s in-laws, the Kushner Real Estate Group. (3) (4).

Like countless deals with the very real estate developers Phony Fulop continues to claim he stands against, he simply proposed a tax break for KRE in exchange for relocating the museum into one of its incoming skyscrapers.

• • The city would receive about $4 million in its first year, instead of $7.7 million through traditional taxes. (5)
  • No affordable units were provided for in this proposal because “building affordable units would change the economics of the whole project.” (5)

If the reaction to Phony Fulop’s vision in Jersey City is any indication, YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR, LITERALLY, ANYONE ELSE FOR GOVERNOR:

• • “I feel like it’s being forced down our throat”
  • “What’s this gonna cost the taxpayers? … The stores in Journal Square aren’t open. Bookstores are closed, the restaurants are gone …” (3)

“There is so many pressing demands that need to be addressed from property taxes, Municipal Utilities Authority, Pershing Field and the need for quality family recreational facilities,” said former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, who called on the city in February to ditch the project. “That ought to be a priority before any Pompidou museum.” (2)

Thursday, April 10^th

Phony Steve Fulop’s Own Messaging
Says He’s Fighting Political Insiders

Fulop’s mayoral campaign donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to New Jersey Democratic parties across the state between 2013 and the end of September 2016—the start of his tenure as Jersey City Mayor until he announced he would no longer run for governor in 2017:

Top Democratic Party Recipients (2013 – 9/2016) Amount ($)

Bergen County Democratic Committee $67,525.00

NJ Democratic State Committee $58,000.00

Mercer County Democratic Committee $47,400.00

Monmouth County Democrats $33,750.00

Hudson County Democratic Organization $30,300.00

Somerset County Democratic Committee $20,500.00

Essex County Democratic Committee $11,600.00

Middlesex County Democratic Organization $10,250.00

Morristown Democratic Committee $10,000.00

Jersey City Democratic Organization $8,000.00

Hunterdon County Democratic Committee $5,400.00

Monroe Township Democratic Organization $5,000.00

Edison Democrats 2015 $5,000.00

(1)

Contracts: At his inauguration, Fulop pledged to be “honest and competent” unlike prior Jersey City mayors. (2) Just a few years later, his administration handed out at least $1.7 million in taxpayer-funded contracts to politically connected firms and party insiders. (3) One contract went to a firm tied to a Middlesex County power broker—allegedly in exchange for political backing. When that support didn’t come through, Fulop canceled the deal. (4)

Phony Fulop isn’t trying to clean up politics. The only thing Phony Fulop is trying to clean up is his path to power. He doesn’t want to fight the bosses—he wants to be one.

Thursday, April 3^rd

Phony Fulop has got to be kidding. Fighting for working families?
He’s living in a multimillion-dollar penthouse and a beachfront mansion!

Fulop did not mention that he lived in Jersey City while responding to a point by Narragansett Councilman that most of the people complaining about the proposal were not full-time residents. He told the council:

Thursday, March 27^th

Phony Fulop has got to be kidding. Fighting corruption?
His campaign is bankrolled by developers, corporate PACs, and even Trump donors!

Since announcing his campaign for governor, Fulop has taken $4,900 from billionaire real estate developer Joe Cayre, who’s given Trump nearly $1 million, including the following:

Fulop took $4,900 from Betty Schwartz. Schwartz has given Donald Trump $26,600.

Fulop is supported by GOP donor Sherman Cammeyer, accepting the maximum primary contribution of $4,900 in his bid for governor. Cammeyer has only ever contributed to Republican federal candidates and gave Donald Trump nearly $15,000 in 2020.