Lynn & Tony Know
Lynn & Tony Know
From Art House to City Council: Meredith Burns on Affordability, Schools, and the Pompidou Pivot
Tired of seeing big promises that don’t match what shows up on your block? We sit down with arts leader and city council at-large candidate Meredith Burns for an unfiltered conversation about the choices shaping Jersey City right now—rising property taxes, school outcomes, the Pompidou pivot, and the real work it takes to keep families and artists here for the long haul.
Meredith shares why a glossy “museum” pitch—recast into a community center with uncertain financing—pushed her from running Art House Productions to running for office. She lays out a pragmatic agenda rooted in daily life: curb the taxpayer burden, double the arts trust fund through private and philanthropic support, and strengthen coordination so more families feel confident staying in public schools past pre-K. As a fourth-generation resident with a citywide footprint—from the Heights to downtown to Greenville—she explains why an at-large seat matches her work of convening neighbors, nonprofits, and developers toward practical outcomes.
We also dig into the campaign grind: canvassing that reveals block-by-block realities, a slate dynamic that actually feels like a team, and the debate over donations and labels that distract from basic governance. Meredith speaks candidly about redemption, results, and why local leadership should be measured by stability, services, and culture—trash picked up, budgets balanced, schools improving, and a creative community that doesn’t get priced out of the place it helped build.
If you care about affordability, schools, and keeping Jersey City’s creative core alive, this conversation gives you a grounded look at what change can actually look like from the council dais. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and tell us: what’s the one local fix you want to see first?
Your hosts: @lynnhazan_ and @tonydoesknow
follow us on social @ltkpod!
Hey, welcome to the Lynn and Tony Know podcast. I'm your host, Lynn.
SPEAKER_00:And I'm Tony. We are both wellness coaches and married with kids.
SPEAKER_01:Join us as we talk about all things health, wellness, relationships, life hacks, parenting, and everything in between unfiltered. Thanks for listening and let's get into it. Welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome back.
SPEAKER_01:We're back for a special episode.
unknown:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:This is for our Jersey City people.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, very Jersey City specific. If you don't live in Jersey City, I'm not going to tell you to tune out. Feel free to listen in and uh learn about some local politics. Uh otherwise, we're we're gonna take on some interviewing of some candidates here for the home stretch of the election cycle, which ends uh at the beginning of November. So we are getting down to it. We are within less than a month of election day.
SPEAKER_01:And go out to vote. Go out to vote, but now stop fucking complaining on the internet. Walk to your local polling station and cast your vote. Like I'm so tired of people being keyboard warriors and like not going to vote. And I know, and I've been voting in Jersey City since I moved here, and I'm always astounded at how I I'm always like, you know, I go at like four or five PM and I'm number like 50, you know? Like it's it it astounds me at how little people vote in local elections.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And for our guest today, it's even more important because these these races for city council are decided within such small margins. So any amount of impact can be great, and your vote literally does count when it comes to local elections.
SPEAKER_01:So before you read her bio, I know Meredith, we go way back. Uh she was the executive direct she she's the executive director of Art House Production, which is like the hub of art in Jersey City. And in my chick PJC days, I you know was a huge fan of her work and all that she's done. She's a great human being. So it's not like she just like decided one day to be a city council person. She's part of the Jersey City community. She knows what's up. She knows that, you know, it's a very creative, artistic, a diverse community. And, you know, we're excited to chat with her. So you want to read her little bio?
SPEAKER_00:Nope, you just did. I just did. I mean, that's that's yeah, that that's that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01:And she she also throws the biggest party in Jersey City every year. It's the art house production gala. Everyone in the art creative community goes to this gala. Uh, there's always these awesome themes. You get to dress up and and it's just a good night. You remember I was pregnant with Noah. I was like six weeks pregnant with Noah, where I took Tony to our first theme, which I think was like water something, mermaid something. I don't I we'll ask Meredith. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:I think it's the only time I wore a turtleneck with a suit, though. I can tell you that's it.
SPEAKER_01:But it was weird walking around all night and like I had this secret that I'm pregnant. It was kind of fun. So I have like a nice memory. Anyway, welcome to the show, Meredith Burns. Hi. So why run for city council?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's uh great question. You know, I mean, I'm an artist and an arts producer. I never thought I would do something like this, but I was really activated by the Pompeo. You know, as an arts producer, I am typically for most arts initiatives, but this was just so kind of half-baked. And um, you know, once we lost the funding from the state, not to bore your listeners, but essentially there's this museum, the Pompeo, it's a French museum. They're under renovation in France, they're about to close their doors for five years. It's a$500 million renovation. They are$250 million short. They're looking for outposts around the world. They found Jersey City, of course, and they're looking to build a museum here. There was going to be a ton of state funding that would chip in to help the operational budget year after year.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. So for editing purposes, we had a little technical difficulty, and we're gonna we're gonna circle back to exactly what the Pompeie was supposed to be and what it kind of has turned into now.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And sorry about this. I'm in uh I'm in the Canopy Hotel. So there might be me. It is, it's really nice. So basically to try and sum this up quickly, I kind of feel like this is a little bit of a a bait and switch. And it was never clear what this museum was supposed to be. First, it was called a museum. And it was, I think, the impression of everybody that there was gonna be modern art there. We'd have Picasso's and, you know, et cetera. And um, and that's not what it's going to be. It's going to be a community center, which will be doing a lot of the same work that many of our nonprofits already do. Work with other artists in town, have vents, have events, have education classes for adults and children. So it does feel like it's cannibalizing the arts community a little bit. And of course, you know, the biggest thing is the finances. I mean, I now walk the city. I'm running at large, which means citywide. I am out every single day, knocking doors, talking to people, talking to homeowners, talking to renters. You know, property taxes are a huge issue. I mean, I am talking to folks in their 70s and 80s with tears in their eyes who are on fixed income, saying, I can't do it. I want to live here and I have nowhere else to go. I mean, that's the thing. There's nowhere for them to go. Like their family is here. Everything they know and love is here in Jersey City, and yet the taxes keep going up and it's becoming impossible for them to make ends meet. So, so the finances of the Pompeo are really, I think, the crux of the issue, which is that originally the state was going to come in and put a large portion of money behind the annual operating budget, which is sizable, just around it'll soon probably be 40 million, 50 million dollars a year. And not only that, the state was going to help with construction costs. So the state pulled out because according to them, you know, it the numbers were not viable. They couldn't make it work. They didn't see how this museum would become the sort of economic driver that it was purported to be. And so then Fullip, you know, he found a loophole. He decided to work with a developer, give the developer a pilot, you know, which is payment in lieu of taxes, so an abatement, and uh say that basically the city and, you know, these apparent tax credits, which she's yet to secure, would pay for the construction, pay for several years of operation, but none of that has materialized. And so now it's just going to be a huge taxpayer burden. You know, recently had the they had to cancel the meeting. It was a couple of days ago, the Jersey City Um Redevelopment Agency was voting on a$40 million loan to take care of the construction. All this just say, this was sort of my motivation for getting in. I was like, you know, what bothered me the most is that the arts community came out and droves against this, telling folks how we were we were concerned. I mean, as someone who runs a nonprofit here in Hudson County, the the philanthropic support is not where other counties in New Jersey are. And I was just concerned about what this would mean for the rest of us here. A lot of people just had, you know, lots of different concerns about this, this project, this initiative. And the city council, pretty much across the board, with with a couple exceptions, all just rubber stamp this project. And that really angered me. And I thought, I can do better than this. I can listen to my constituents better than this. And that's why I decided to uh to sort of throw my hand in the ring, but I kind of then disabused myself of that. But then Jim McGreevy asked me. He said, you know, I think you'd be great. And I was concerned because I have a two-year-old son and I run arthouse productions, and that's a full-time job, and then some. But my family wanted me to do it. My husband really wanted me to do it. My mom wanted me to do it. They just felt like I would be good and uh I could do a good job. And so they said that they would help. And they have. They've really, really helped. They are sort of the, you know, doing amazing work behind the scenes to make this all possible for me. And yeah, and I, you know, and I think the sort of secondary reason, aside from this, this reason that really hit close to home with the arts is that I want to raise my son here. I'm a fourth generation Jersey City resident. I love this city. I I would love to be here long term, but the affordability is out of control. I mean, and everybody knows that. And and the schools are not where they should be. There's like five or six good schools in Jersey City, and there's a$1.2 billion school board budget. And I don't really feel like City Council or the current administration has really done anything to help that issue in the past 12 years. I feel like they have just avoided talking about it because it is, it is complicated and it's difficult to figure out, but we've got to dive in there and start trying to figure it out. I mean, or it's never going to get solved and it's just going to get worse and worse and worse. So, you know, and and you know, Jim has committed to that. I mean, he cares deeply about education and ensuring that every kid from every zip code has access to a great public school. And I'm a thousand percent committed to that too. And I'm really hoping that, you know, we prevail this November and we get in and we can start addressing these issues and making some changes.
SPEAKER_00:Nice. Um, those are obviously great reasons to get involved. I think a lot of us can sit here and talk about reasons why we should, but it takes a lot to actually do it. So from that perspective, I I admire everybody that's running. Even if I disagree with their positions, I do, I do acknowledge the guts that it takes to to withstand the public scrutiny, the public pressure, the criticism, the noise, and everything else that's involved with being in that position. Because, you know, I've I'm sitting next to somebody who has never ran for office, but has withstood public scrutiny and criticism and pressure for as long as I've known her and well beyond that.
SPEAKER_01:So are we talking about?
SPEAKER_00:Ari. Ari is one of Ari is blowing up the internet right now. No, but I I do I'm I'm familiar intimately with what it looks like behind the scenes to deal with with that sort of role, and it takes a lot of guts, uh, regardless of political positioning. So kudos for you to see a gap that you wanted to fill and decided to take a run at it, because that is very cool. My my next question would be at large seems like one of the hardest positions to run for. Maybe I'm wrong, but it it does feel like it it comes with a unique challenge. Uh if nothing else, just because there's more uh people running at large than in a particular ward, which means that at the end of the day, you have to get people have to get familiar enough with you to trust for with one of the three votes, which I think in city council is probably the most difficult part because people are going to vote for somebody that they quote unquote know, I think. And getting to know three, three candidates per slate is a is a heavy lift for the average person that may be interested, but may not have time to care as much as we would hope to. Like, so the question is why why at large? Why was that the fit for you?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I mean, I think that I sort of have this citywide presence. You know, my family is from the heights, and then my dad, when he moved back when I was 11, moved downtown to Hamilton Park. I run um Art House, which is located downtown, steps from the Grove Street path. And I live in Port Liberté in Greenville. So I do, I do have sort of a a reach across the city. You know, I run programs citywide. So I think that's why it it felt like the right fit as opposed to running ward A. And Brandy on my ticket is also a far better candidate than me for for ward A. And so, so that's that's really it. And in terms of, I guess, you know, who I am, you know, I mean, I'm somebody that I work really hard and I I really don't like to fail. That's sort of, I think, you know, it's a double-edged sword, right? Like it's a good thing and it's a it's also a curse. But I work really hard to succeed because the idea of failure to me is like anathema, like pains me and gives me a lot of anxiety. So, you know, that being said, I think I'm somebody that I really want to do a good job. I want to succeed. And I and I don't have, you know, further ambitions. Like really, I know people are like, no, that's what everyone says when they get into politics. But truly, I am an arts producer through and through. And that's what I'll, you know, do forever. But I I do love this city and I want to throw my hat in and try and and prove it where I feel I can.
SPEAKER_00:So you you mentioned you mentioned you don't like failing, which of course nobody likes failing, but failure and pain are some of our best teachers. We know that. But in terms of if we're to speak in terms of success, you win this November, okay? Now you're you're on the city council and four years go by and you're looking back on your four years at City Council. What does success look like to you? What have you done that you can look back and go, that's what I came here to do?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's interesting. I mean, listen, like there's specific things I want to do with the arts, like specific plans that I want to do with the arts. I want to, you know, increase the arts trust fund. I want to double it. I want to try and double it every year through private foundations and philanthropic support. But I mean, honestly, I I want to feel like at the end of four years, I've, you know, that I've I've achieved a vision with a group of people to make Jersey City more livable for families. That would that would be success to me. If I feel like more families are keeping their kids in the public school system past pre-K, and I'm hearing feedback from folks that Jersey City is a more livable place to be, that would be success because I think that is the number one pressing issue. Quality of life, affordability, the schools. So that that to me is where I will work and that's where I will put my energy and efforts. And again, you know, you now that I'm in this, and of course I knew this before, but you realize that so much is is really dependent on who are who the people are who are in these seats and the decisions that they make. And for me, you know, it's it's an interesting thing that we're, you know, I we've been working very closely as a team, the entire Jim McGreevy slate. And now, you know, we're getting closer to the realization that, oh, you know, there's a possibility that not everybody will get on. And so what does that look like? Who you're working with? But I think I'm the type of person who can build coalitions. I can work with people that I might not politically see eye to eye with, but you know, I treat everybody with respect and I know how to sort of bring different stakeholders to the table who have differing ideas and opinions. So I'm hoping that whomever's up there, I'll be the type of person to be able to work with them and get them sort of aligned with hopefully what is the ultimate vision and um and actually get results. Because this is what I hear all the time. And I know you guys talk about this a lot too, is that there's just so much lips lip service paid out there and not enough people actually doing things. So so that's sort of my, you know, somewhat broad general answer. Um, but I think it it it's being honest because you know, some of it's like you have to get in and look under the hood and see where we're at. We're about to be in a serious deficit crunch. It's gonna be, I've heard, a hundred million dollar deficit for 2026. So, you know, I think for me it's about making the best decisions for the most amount of people. And that's what I want to do. And I think I have the experience, the skill set, the know-how to be able to do that and to guide Jersey City into this next this You said two things in that answer that I that I wanted to touch on that I the both of which I liked.
SPEAKER_00:And and one was something that I'm not used to hearing from candidates in general, and it was very specific to your niche of the arts and what you wanted to accomplish with the arts. And my first thought was, wow, that's that's very specific. I wonder if people will resonate with that that that aren't engaged in the arts. Yeah. And the second was, no, this is this is why she is in the race, and it's specific to what she knows, and it's probably exactly what she can accomplish, which I find to be a more authentic answer than than most, because this is what you know, this is what you know how to do, and this is what you can do with that seat, which I I really like that type of answer that's that's narrowed down to your specific zone of genius.
SPEAKER_01:And I also think that Jersey City in itself, like being here for 15 years, what makes Jersey City unique is the art world, is the creative community. You know, you talk like old school downtown, like 150 Bay. What was the uh name of that? There was like a an art community. Yes. And like, you know, people used to talk to me about all the all the artists that I used to interview would talk to me about how you know there's this whole creative community before people started moving here. And it's it's what made Jersey City special, really. And sadly, you know, as more people move here because they they w want the proximity. And I and I'll be honest, that's I moved to Jersey City 15 years ago because I was paying, I was living in the Upper East Side and I hated it. And I came to Jersey City and the rent was a little bit cheaper. I could get to work easily, and then I discovered the community, and that's where Chick PJC was born. So I'm what one of those people, but I'm one of those people who was like, I'm investing in this community and I'm gonna do my my part. Whereas a lot of people, they just come and they don't really, they just use they just it becomes a transient city. But what Jersey City, what makes it special is the art community. And that's why I've always appreciated your work and the and the work of many people in the in the downtown uh Jersey City like art community, uh the mural program, all these things for continuing the efforts. So I think it's it's a big part of what makes us special.
SPEAKER_02:I do too. And we don't want to lose that. You know, we don't want to lose our creative community. We don't. We don't want to lose the creative class here. And because of the affordability issues, we're really we're in real danger of losing that class of people. And we have to fight for it because I think it, you know, if if we're in this ecosystem where it all, we're all affecting one another, you know, like you just said, Lynn, it's what makes Jersey City an attractive place to be. And, you know, we need to attract people in order to keep the businesses running. And, you know, even I know, like, you know, mentioning developers is like a four-letter word in this race, but I don't think it is because they have stake in this game. They have skin in the game here. And so, you know, if they want to ensure that their buildings are fully occupied with folks who have the means to afford the rents that they're charging, you have to make sure that the community at large is a place that they want to be. And not every spot is a transient spot. I mean, Castor and Lofts, where Art House used to reside temporarily before the pandemic and we moved into our new, you know, long-term home, um, is just a very unique neighborhood now in Jersey City. It's all rental units. But I was talking to somebody down there yesterday, Becky, who runs um the farmer's market down there. And, you know, she was, I thought she had a just spot-on calculation of what's happening, which is that, you know, I think for a long time there was this, there was this sort of understanding that folks would cycle in and out. They'd be here for a few years before they moved to the suburbs, or a few years before they moved back into the city. But now people, just given the economics of everything, they're a little stuck. They're not able to afford the house that they want out in the burbs. They're not able to afford or they don't want to go back into New York City for, you know, a smaller footprint and higher rents and a fourth floor walk-up or whatever it might be. And so they're kind of here for the long term in Jersey City. That's kind of us. That's us right now. And so we need to really figure out okay, well, what then does the neighborhood look like? Where is where do they go shopping for groceries? What's exciting for them to do at night? I mean, you need to build a culture. And I think the arts play a large part in that in the local economy. And I think we need to be considered more. I do. I think that you know, and I'm hopeful that artists really see my potential representation on city council as their representate representation on city council.
SPEAKER_01:And yeah, I'm really hoping. How is the artist community taken with your decision? Have they like welcomed it? Are they excited for you?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think they are by and large. I mean, I think, you know, I mean, I think they feel I think they feel excited that I'm doing this. I also do feel to keep it 100% honest. I think that they I think that there is a trepidation around anyone who would want to do this. And I feel that deeply because I think I have some of that same trepidation. I have some of that same sort of like, oh my gosh, why would you want to be in this world? That is so ugly at times. It's like an ugly business. But I hope that they know that like I'm not changing. I'm the same person I'm going to be. And I hope that they can see now that I've been running, you know, I've been running for the past what, seven months? And I think I've done it with a lot of integrity. And I'm certainly not getting into any of the nonsense. I'm just staying true to who I am and what I believe and why I'm doing this. So I hope that they can they can feel some comfort knowing that after that, like now they've they've seen me on this campaign trail for a significant amount of time. But yeah, I do think there's a little bit of like, she wants to be a politician now. Like, who is she? But um but I I mean, and again, I I hate I because I sound like I'm completely conflicting myself, and in some ways I am, but that's whatever, that's human. I don't feel like I'm a politician, you know? I just feel like I'm the same person, I have the same career, but I am running for city council because I believe I can do a good job, I believe I can make a difference, and I believe I can serve both the artists' interests and you know the greater cities' interests as well. How does your two two-year-old feel about it? You know, he has no idea. He has no idea. He's definitely getting used to saying like bye mommy a lot, you know, which is a little breaking. I know. But it's it's uh my husband and I are in the thick of it now. We're just like, it's another month. I mean, it might be another two months given the runoff.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But yeah, things will slow down. It will not be at the same pace. Like, of course, city council people are busy, they're going to events, but this is on a whole nother level. Like I'm going through.
SPEAKER_01:No, and the and the council meetings. I don't how are you gonna get through these long council meetings? That's what I want to know. I know people have asked me to run like in the past. People are like, oh, you should run, you know, like when I was like living downtown. And I was like, just me doing the council meetings, absolutely not. I don't have the attention span. I'm I'm not patient with people. I'm impatient. Like I would probably tell people to shut the fuck up, and that's not very nice. Because you're supposed to validate people.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah, I'd be people ask me, like, I got you can't do that. I got asked to run twice and brilliant.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know why people keep keep asking us. People keep asking Tony or me. It's the weirdest thing.
SPEAKER_00:Well, what you said was particularly interesting because you were like, I stay out of the nonsense. I love the nonsense. I thrive in nonsense. I'll do that all day long. And if I did actually win, there would be nobody left for me to work with because I burned burns great.
SPEAKER_01:I would take a flamethrower to everybody, and by the end of it, even if I won, it the He he's been blocked by probably like thirty percent of the people currently running.
SPEAKER_00:I've been blocked by three candidates, which I believe by law, if they win, they have to unblock me because I don't think you can block people from an official official account that you use for campaigning.
SPEAKER_02:Good to know. I'm gonna double check on that.
SPEAKER_00:But I don't I don't one of them will probably win at least. But I'm not gonna mention names here. I'll probably blast it out on on social media again at some point, whatever. But the other the other part of it is is like I I don't have I don't have the voice that I want to represent everybody. I want to represent the things that I care about right now, and and that's about it. Like I don't and I'm I'm aware of it too. Like I don't want to speak for everyone. I don't want to represent everyone. I don't think I'm as effective if I if I'm beholden to to literally considering everyone, which I can do, but that's not where I am right now. So I would never consider it.
SPEAKER_01:And I've dealt with enough local drama that I could really that I'm really interested, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And so what is worth, Meredith? You do not read like a politician.
SPEAKER_01:You're not. Yeah. I was surprised. When I saw your name, I was like, oh wow. Like, because I know you from art house, you know, and and I I know you like she must really want. And my first reaction was like, she must really care and want change, you know, because that's what I would do too. Of course I want change, but I don't I don't have the capacity to do it, but I I appreciate what you're doing because I get it. Because you get frustrated. It's like you feel like, are they doing what are you doing? Like, are you doing anything? Spending your time on, you know, like I see, and I'm not gonna name names, but I see current council people just spending time on things that aren't moving the needle forward for our community because they want clicks. Because they want clicks, they want votes, and it's frustrating. And it's like, why are you spending time on things that don't, you know, that don't help us in any way? And it's like, what have you done in the past four or eight years? What have you accomplished? I have no idea. And I appreciate a woman standing up and like, I'm I'm gonna do something about this, you know?
SPEAKER_00:So seven months in, is this what you thought it was gonna be?
SPEAKER_02:I knew it was going to be very intense. My husband, I think, thought it would be contained that I would only campaign on the weekends and maybe a couple nights a week. I knew and I tried to prepare him. I said, it's gonna be full on. Um and it is full on. And it just, you know, kicked up a notch in October. But I have to say, I adore canvassing. Like I love it. I love, like I have never I volunteered phone banking before for Obama and Hillary and yeah, but I had never canvassed with any candidate. I always thought that it would be, I'd be very awkward. And, you know, you're knocking on people's. I just feel like we things have also changed. I think like we're I'm an older millennial. I think you guys are too. And you know, like we just don't do that as millennials. That's just like we I have anxiety.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I have anxiety making a phone call.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, if you call me on the phone, I'm like, why you're a weirdo. Don't don't call me, text me first, please.
SPEAKER_02:Well, yeah, I mean, I actually am a phone person. Every like my staff, they are not phone people, and they're always like, you are on the phone constantly, but but I am certainly not a I'm gonna just pop in and say hello person. Like my family, like we're just not pop-in people, you know. So in the beginning it was kind of like, you know, be soft. But now I love it. And it's shocking to me how people love it too. They love to sort of meet the candidates and to they and they get right into the heart of it. Like they tell you immediately what their concerns are, and I think it's cathartic for them. And it's just it's just great to make that, you know, in-person connection with people. Um, and you know, I thought I knew the city. I'm fourth generation. I've been around and no, like I didn't I didn't know the city. I now know the city in a whole new way. Walking it block by block. I mean, and and you know, again, it's kind of cliche. We talk about the diversity in Jersey City all the time, but it is oh my god, it truly is the most diverse city in America. And uh, and that is a gift to all of us. And so I enjoy that immensely. The events and sort of popping around and trying to make these like calculated appearances and and trying to like, you know, have a connection in 20 minutes with the person who's running the thing is that's not my favorite part. But uh but yeah, but I I think it it's a privilege to run. It really is. And honestly, I know, I mean, I totally respect what you both just said that you sort of have you have a very clear agenda of the activism that you are embarking upon. And and I find myself to be more of a convener and a collaborator and uh, okay, we have these very opposing views. How do we move forward?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, that's why I think I'll be, you know, I think I'm well suited and um and and and I think that's a great answer. But to everything you see, I'm a bridge burner. Yeah. And I and he her name, her last name is is Burns. My last name is Burns, it's true. Yeah, and I'm from a family of firefighters, so I guess that's you know No way. Yeah, so last name is destiny, yeah. But no, I mean, I I hear you and I hear that on the campaign trail all the time about current council candidates. And I I try and be compassionate and understanding and magnanimous about when I hear that, well, this person has done nothing for me, or I they've been in in whatever in that seat for 12 years, and what have they done? Because I understand that it's not just them, right? Like they are voting as a group and the majority wins, and you know, so I get that it's difficult, but I do think that we need to do a better job of communicating um with our, you know. Know with our residents about what it is that we are doing and accomplishing. And you know, we just need to be out there more. And I think the current administration for a lot of different reasons just has not been, especially in the past four years. So I know that our ticket, especially Jim McGreevy, he wants to be out there all the time. I mean, he loves it. We love him.
SPEAKER_01:He's great. I mean, he's very clear that we're, you know, he's our guy.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, listen, full disclosure for everybody. Are you kidding?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we are we are big.
SPEAKER_00:No, we're we're 100% all in on McGreevy for our listeners. We are not paid. We have not dime. We have no official role in the campaign.
SPEAKER_01:We've also been like we haven't been podcasting. Like we're in our mom and dad era, and you know, we podcasted our birth story, and then we wanted to talk to you and and see if other candidates wanted to talk. Like we're not we're not we have nothing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. We we want we want Jim to win. I am completely open to interviewing people from any, any, literally any slate.
SPEAKER_01:I think some people are not gonna want to talk to you.
SPEAKER_00:That's fine. I don't care. But I I will I listen, the invitation is there. I will talk to anybody, I will debate ideas with anybody, but I'm full on with I I know I'm voting for in the mayoral race. There are some gaps I'm filling elsewhere, but I know who I'm voting for for mayor. And this is kind of the idea is like I am chronically online. I study, I read every Hudson County Chronicles, Hudson County View, uh Jersey City Times. I read every every single thing. So I'm probably more informed on local politics than a lot of people, and I still don't know all the candidates, and I still don't know who I'm gonna vote for across the board. So we figured we'd give some insights to candidates that are willing to come on and and you know tell us a little bit about themselves because how do you how do you wrap your head around all these candidates? It's next to impossible. Yeah. So the other thing that I was I wanted to go back to is that what I liked hearing and what I what I've seen, what I've witnessed is how cohesive your slate seems to be in terms of like you guys do really you all seem like a team and you you do seem to ride for each other in a very, very meaningful way. And we know candidates on other slates where if we challenge them on the slate, they're like, oh well, you know, I just had to pick one because you can't run independent, and we had to we had to go with somebody in order to stand a chance. And it's like you don't have to wait to vote for them, you know, wink wink. And it's like uh okay.
SPEAKER_01:It's so icky, it's like the weirdest thing. I don't like that either. That feels like a common thing. We've heard that yeah, we've heard that like twice already.
SPEAKER_00:I've heard it multiple times.
SPEAKER_01:And it's just like it gives us the ick.
SPEAKER_00:It's like I've heard it multiple times in the assembly race uh with those slates, and I've heard it multiple times now in the mayoral race, like well, you know, like you don't have to vote for him, you can just vote. It's like, well, but you will you picked your slate for a reason, presumably. And if you only picked it to get your profile raised, that's on you. You're still tied to that wagon. If you picked it because you believe in it, then stand on it and say, no, I back my guy because or girl because that's who I believe in. Yeah. Um, and that's not what I'm hearing in a lot of camps, uh, but what I heard from you now twice unsolicited was how much you enjoy being on your ticket and who you're around. So how did how did you how did you get involved with Jim specifically and and become a part of his ticket?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I really not know Jim at all. He he came to the ribbon cutting at Art House. I saw him, there was a lot of people there, and he was across the room. I was like, wow, oh, that's the former governor. And then we never connected um that day. He later showed up to several other art house events and we sort of chatted a little bit. And then I went to a meet and greet that he had at Port Liberté. And I sort of challenged him on some things as he was chatting about what he'd do for the city. And then shortly after that, he contacted me and said, you know, would you run at large on my ticket? And I said, I said, I don't think so. I was like, I don't think this is really for me at this time. Um but he said, just you know, give it some thought. And it was over the holidays, and uh, and that's when I spent time talking to my family. And they said, you know, you should really do this. But I'm so glad I did because I've learned so much from Jim as a leader. Um he's taught me a lot. He's a he's a class act. He is such a class act. He really is, and I like the way he I think in all candid candor that I as a woman, as a woman boss, oh Ari.
SPEAKER_00:So he's like, wrap it up, guys.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Oh my goodness. Well, I'll just say that I've learned a lot from him. And then when I met the rest of the team, I I it's just a team of good-hearted people. Like you just feel it across the board. And I feel like I have seven uh eight new friends, you know, for life. People that I can really count on, rely on. They're just loyal, good, quality people who care deeply about this city, who have already been doing the work in the community helping people. They're not doing it to raise their pro. It's not it's just not that kind of ticket. I mean, so I I really and I just feel like there's not a ton of ego on our team. I really there's like no diva in the room. And I I really like that because I have a difficult time when there's sort of like a problematic, you know, personality in the room that's taking over and makes it all about them. And we don't have that on our ticket at all. It's just, yeah, I can't recommend any of them enough. I really do feel like they are the best choice for Jersey City. So I hope everyone will do their research and take a look and you know, in my humble opinion, vote McGreavy. Well sorry, I'm sorry, and I can't.
SPEAKER_01:We really why don't you uh finish up? I'll take her. Yeah, she's gonna so nice talking to you. Likewise, my boss. Of course. So I'll let you guys finish up.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I only had like one more thing I kind of wanted to touch on because like I I think I think it matters to a lot of people, and and that is like obviously with a body of work as large as Jim McGreeby's, you you have the things that people are going to bring up and and beat him over the head with, and presumably you too, as the campaign goes on. What what do you say to people that are like, well, this this happened and he got he left in disgrace and all these things, and he takes contributions from XYZ and all like how do you reconcile some of the criticisms that come his way? I know how I do, uh, but I'm curious as a candidate on his ticket how you how you respond to some of that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, it's very frustrating to me because I think, you know, all of the details get left out. And I think there's just so much misinformation out there about what happened, about the decisions he made. But all I can say, because Jim always, you know, I think Jim's oh good, I can finally see you now, Tony. You know, Jim is very cognizant of not being defensive. And uh, so you know, but I will just say that I think this is a person who owned his mistakes. He didn't, you know, continue to serve as governor after he'd very publicly admitted to his mistakes. He stepped down. I mean, that's somebody who owns it and says, you're right. I've lost your trust, I'm leaving. And this is somebody who, you know, didn't go on to corporate America or whatever. He went to re-entry. He built New Jersey reentry, which serves court involved people, immigrants, veterans, addicts, victims of domestic violence. He has 13 locations across New Jersey doing job training, legal aid, housing placement. I mean, that's significant real work working with our most forgotten about populations. That is somebody who is in the thick of it. And I respect that tremendously. And I do not want to live in a world in general where people are irredeemable, where people make mistakes and then that's it. We just toss them aside and they have to what? We have to bring people back into the fold. And I think Jim has redeemed himself. I think his reasons for wanting to do this are legitimate. And I think he loves Jersey City. I think for him, talks about this a lot on the campaign trail that he, you know, he has plenty of guys that he's worked with who are court involved from Jersey City who, after they come out of prison, can no longer afford to move back to Jersey City where their families and support system are. And there's a real problem there. And I think for him, this is really legacy. He wants to do a great job. He doesn't have any future ambitions, right? He wants to walk down the hill as he says. Those are his words. And I think he wants to feel like, okay, I have, I have done a job, you know, job well done here in Jersey City, the home of my family, my parents, my grandparents. So I really believe in Jim. I believe in his leadership. I believe that he is the best person for this job, frankly. I think we're lucky to have somebody with his level of experience wanting to do this. And I wish more people would be open to that. And it upsets me that I feel like some of our most apparently, you know, progressive people are kind of closed-minded when it comes to this. And that, you know, that upsets me. But of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion. And but I just think we should be, we should be open to the fact that Jim McGreevy deserves a second chance. He's done great work. And and I think he's gonna be. I mean, I I hope he's going to win. And I I think if he does win, I'm really hoping that the proof will be in the pudding then, right? People will see the results, they'll see the city change for the better. And I hope that they will change their minds eventually and open their hearts to to him and the the entire, you know, the entire ticket. Hopefully we all get on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, listen, we're we're rooting for you. I think the criticism, I mean, fair game to criticize criticize anybody, criticize a candidate, criticize whatever, but you and I are both in a unique position of sobriety where if I was if I was measured today by the things I did 10, 11 years ago, what are we talking about? I would, you know, there would be can cannon fodder. Like I've I've made numerous mistakes in my life that are some some that I will never repeat again simply because of the growth that I've had, and that's just over 10 years. So, you know, some of that stuff is just like, yeah, I understand why you want to talk about it, but at the same time, like your house is glass for sure. Like, let's be honest.
SPEAKER_02:Like we've all made mistakes, and it doesn't take away the fact that he is, I think, an amazing leader. You know, I think we need to sort of recognize that that he has unique skills that I think are are really well suited to take us out of some of the mess that we're in here. And I I feel that way. Thank you, Tony, for sort of mentioning that, because that is a unique part of my journey where, yeah, for sure. I, you know, I'm I'm an AA, I think you're an AA. And you know, you hear stories all the time and you see the transformation, and we can't give up on people. We just can't. What kind of society is that if we just give up on people for the mistakes that they've made or the regrets that they have? So and I feel the same way. Um I've personally changed, you know, so much in my own life. And so I know it's possible. Change, change, redemption is possible. And so I hope that I hope that other folks can eventually open their hearts to that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I would I would say change and redemption are not only possible, that for most people they're inevitable. If you're leading a life of any sort of purpose or mission, those things are just gonna be part of the recipe. If they aren't, then I don't know. I I want to say if they aren't, you're not pushing hard enough. So that's kind of where I land on it. And as far as I'll just put this down on tape just to have it, the criticism of him taking don donations from Republicans is one of the craziest criticisms I I can imagine because what you're essentially saying is like not only do I disagree with their political viewpoint, I view them as so other than me that it's repulsive that they would even be allowed to give money to a candidate that's in a that's a Democrat in Jersey City, which is I listen, I'm a registered Democrat, but I I am by no means like very far left at all. But the idea of any of the candidates taking money from somebody that I might not agree with politically is like, I don't, I don't care. Like, do everything you have to do to win and get your and get yourself in a position to make the change that you want to make. I don't like this like uh this pearl clutching over where the money comes from. I agreed there are probably some places that you wouldn't want to see, but like I don't care if if a candidate takes a money money from a Republican. Like I might change my registration now and donate to to everyone else as a Republican, just so I can say that everybody took donations from Republicans and they can just shut up about it. But it's you are an agitator.
SPEAKER_02:I love it.
SPEAKER_00:A little bit, yes.
SPEAKER_02:I I just think it's a slippery slope and and where does it end? Do we are we okay with, you know, sort of differentiating by type, but not by degree, right? What if somebody is more of a Democrat or they have certain opinions about, you know, undocumented pe is that okay? Or, you know, like where where does it end? Where does it begin and where does it end? I mean, ultimately, this is a nonpartisan race. And I just think that I know some of the Republicans who've actually been skewered for, you know, the MAGA Republicans. And some of them are just independents, right? They're not actual Yeah, yeah. And they donate to a lot of different campaigns, right? And that doesn't necessarily mean, you know, I think what frustrates me so much too in the rhetoric is like that means he's going to do everything they want him to do. Like, that's not what that means.
SPEAKER_00:You know, it's not what a$5,000 donation gets you. Let's be honest. Like you don't get to call the shots for the phone. He gets a phone donating five. You don't you don't get to call in a bunch of favors for that. It's just not that's not how it works at all.
SPEAKER_02:I should just say something that is like because I'm not for money, I'm from a working class family. I just think that and and Jim's not for money, he's from a working class family. And I just think if we get into this again, slippery slope, where does it begin, where does it end, of who we allow to donate to campaigns, then the only people who are going to be able to run for office are people who are independently wealthy. And I don't think that's really fair.
SPEAKER_00:No, and I can only I can only think of one off the top of my head that that would benefit. So other than that, do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:It's it's not fair that, oh, well, you can make sort of these you can have these principles, but but you can have those principles because they're easy principles to have right. Because if you just have a family that's going to bankroll your whole campaign, then so do you know what I mean? Like, and again, like no one no one is in charge of who they were born to or how they were brought. Like that's not but at the same time, I think I do think that this has gotten twisted. I think it is it's just typical politics that have used this as a way to sort of paint Jim as something other than a Democrat who helps the most forgotten about populations. MAGA, I mean, my understanding, my broad understand, and I I just hate the sort of generalization across the board, but I just, you know, Jim McGreevy is not MAGA. He's just not MAGA. And he is, you know, he's not, and I don't want to speak for him because I know, but I'm telling you, the man is not in the pocket of Trump. He's just not. And he wants to do a good job for Jersey City. He wants to, you know, as he sort of says, the Fiorello LaGuardia quote of, you know, there's no Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. And that's what we're doing here. We're making this city work. We're getting back to basics. We're talking about infrastructure and the school system and taxes and the arts and community and workforce housing and affordable housing and making that all possible for people. So to sort of get in this, I think, ridiculous whatever, political fight about whether or not Jim McGreevy is MAGA is to me just ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00:It's ridiculous, but it's effective. And that's why I wanted to talk about it. Because if we're talking about whether or not Jim McGreevy's MAGA, then we're not talking about how good he could be as a mayor. And and so that's I understand if I was on that side, I would be doing the same thing. Like as a as a tactician, I would absolutely I would drag that out and and get as much mileage out of it as I can. But at the same time, like I think that what you're all's messaging behind that is is like it doesn't matter because it's not well, we know that. We know it's not true, but but regardless of whether or not we think it's true, the perception rules whatever people are going to is how people are going to be swayed. So truth doesn't really matter in this moment. What I like doing is saying, you find it true, great, you don't think it's true, great. What I'm telling you is it doesn't matter one way or the other. It doesn't affect the governance, it doesn't affect how Jersey City is going to be ran. Trump isn't coming into Jersey City to tell anybody X, Y, Z, because none of it matters. Yeah. Like it doesn't matter. Like that, that's what I think is like the the biggest way to combat it because you're not going to convince people that already think it's true that it's not true. Yeah. And you're not going to convince people that think it's untrue that it is true. What you can convince people of is that none of it matters. It doesn't matter at the end of the day. It doesn't matter that when he sits in that chair, whether he has Republicans behind him or Democrats behind him, it's can he be effective at delivering on the things that he said he was going to do? And that's about it.
SPEAKER_02:A thousand percent. I think you're spot on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I generally think I'm sp- I'm just kidding. Meredith, thank you so much. Your my first impression of you was a video where you were you were very down to earth and you were even self-deprecating. You were, I think you were talking about your teeth, which I I don't even remember why you were making fun of your your smile or something, because I was like, oh, that's funny and and endearing, but at the same time, not something that it would have ever occurred to me elsewhere. But you come across as very down to earth and in it for the right reasons. And even after a long-form conversation, I still hold that opinion of you. Um, and I want to thank you very much for your time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, thank you. I still appreciate it. Both doing this. Yeah, and I feel the same way. So thank you. And I know my gosh, you weren't in those like early months with a newborn. So I appreciate it even more that you've decided to do this. And I hope everybody comes on and talks to you. I really do.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we're gonna we'll take as many as as many as are willing, I'll make time for. Like that's my that's my promise. And I won't get everybody, obviously. But listen, the door is open, so if people want to take advantage of it, great. If they don't, that's fine too. Yeah. But I'm glad you did, and I'm glad you got to kick it off for us.