Former Governor Jim McGreevey Returns to His Roots with Jersey City Mayoral Bid

Jim McGreevey, the 52nd Governor of New Jersey and now a candidate for Jersey City mayor, invited me to his home to have a sit-down interview with HudPost. Inside his Jersey City residence, we spoke about his upbringing in Hudson County, the lessons he has learned from a life in public service, and why he believes now is the right time to return to elected office.

“I was born in Hudson County at Margaret Hague Hospital,” he said. “My grandparents came from Ireland and settled here. I remember my grandmother saying, ‘I saw the Statue of Liberty and I knew we were safe.’ For us, Jersey City was sacred soil. It was a place where parents could do better for their children.”

McGreevey’s early years were rooted in working-class values and service. His mother was a charge nurse at the old Jersey City Medical Center. His father, a Marine drill instructor, worked in the transportation industry. “He was tough, but he had a gift for people,” McGreevey said. “I like to think I was blessed with both his people skills and my mother’s compassion.”

Though he once seriously considered becoming a priest, it was politics that ultimately called him. “I volunteered for a congressman after high school and caught the bug,” he said.

His political journey took him from local office to the New Jersey State Senate and then to the governor’s mansion. But his time in office came to a dramatic end in 2004, when he resigned as governor. McGreevey now refers to that chapter as a turning point, not a downfall.

“I lost everything. And that was a gift,” he said. “It gave me a perspective I never had before. I spent the last decade working with men and women coming home from prison, from war, from addiction. Walking in their shoes changed everything.”

McGreevey is the head of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation and has helped thousands of people build new lives. The corporation puts an emphasis on job training, legal support, mental health services, and industry-recognized credentials in trades that offer stable employment.

“We talk about second chances, but some people never even had a first chance,” he said. “We cannot expect success without building the full pipeline. Not just training or just a job, but everything that surrounds opportunity.”

The former Governor explained how that experience reshaped how he views public service and what a city truly needs. 

“Jersey City today is a tale of two cities,” he said. “Downtown looks like Manhattan, but so many longtime families are being priced out. A veteran told me after mass one Sunday that he was leaving for South Carolina because his grandchildren would never be able to afford to live here. That really got to me.”

If elected, McGreevey says he wants to focus on education, opportunity, and rebuilding a sense of community. He pointed to Jersey City’s public schools as a place where urgent change is needed.

“Only 10 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math. Just 36 percent of third graders are reading at grade level,” he said. “That is not acceptable. This is not rocket science. It is about doing the basics well.”

He also hopes to expand youth and senior programming throughout the city. “There used to be after-school basketball, police athletic leagues, and summer camps. Now there are kids growing up with no place to go and seniors with nowhere to gather. That’s not right.”

At the heart of McGreevey’s campaign is a call for public trust.

“I want people to trust their mayor again,” he said. “I’ll be out in the neighborhoods. I’ll hold town halls. I’ll be walking door to door. People will probably get tired of seeing me, but I want them to know I’m here.”

His vision for Jersey City focuses not on growth or status, but on common values.

“My dream is that this city becomes a community that truly cares for one another. That we become a beloved community, where people feel seen and supported, no matter what part of the city they live in.”