As part of his bid for Jersey City mayoral, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) formally unveiled Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County Executive Director Pamela Johnson as his Ward A council candidate last night.
“We’re a team. Solving problems in this city takes a team effort, not one individual’s effort, not one individual’s ego. It takes a team. Pam is an amazing fit to be part of our team,” O’Dea said on the corner of Wade Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
He commended her work to try and keep Jersey City streets safe, noting that she herself was a gunshot victim 20 years ago.
“It took a lot of courage. To many, it was controversial. But it was the right thing to do. She always had the courage to stand up and speak out,” O’Dea continued.
“There’s been many times in my career that I’ve had to stand up and speak out against the powers to be. We, as elected and official and community leaders are here to represent the people and fight for the people. Pam is gonna be an amazing councilperson.”
He also vowed to work closely with the city council to improve the quality of life for all residents, indicating he wanted to end the tale of two cities.
“This is where my parents decided to lay their foundation. I was born and raised as a child of Ward A. I am proud to join team O’Dea to help move our campaign forward. I intend to stand on my strong Ward A roots,” Johnson exclaimed.
Johnson, who had run for the Ward A council seat in 2017, had been floated for O’Dea’s ticket for a while, mentioned outright when Councilman-at-Large Daniel Rivera joined the team late last month, as HCV first reported.
At Wednesday evening’s event, she added that she wanted to work on education outside the classroom, restore youth recreation facilities, and enhance school programs for the youth, among other things.
“We will continue to advocate for safe neighborhoods, addressing the challenges of comm violence and trauma, mental health services, and family support by creating avenues for opportunity and resources,” Johnson stated, also hoping to prioritize working with community organizations in Greenville.
“We fight for funding for our parks for our families to enjoy. It’s not about me. It’s about the residents of Ward A. We are stronger together … Ward A tough, Ward A strong. Let’s get to work!”
Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore, former Ward B Councilman Chris Gadsden, and Hudson County Clerk E. Junior Maldonado, Hudson County Register Jeff Dublin, Council-at-large candidate Kristen Zadroga-Hart, and activist Elvin Dominici, were present as well.
Dublin noted that Dominici, who came up short in a crowed council-at-large field in 2021, would be running with O’Dea in Ward D.
Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, who defeated Johnson and Joe Conte in 2017, has said she plans on being on the ballot next year, but has not announced any plans beyond that as of this writing.
Additionally, Brandi Warren is running for the Ward A council seat on former Gov. Jim McGreevey’s mayoral campaign ticket slate.
The non-partisan Jersey City municipal elections are on November 5th, 2025.
