Newport tenants: sign up for City Council on October 21

Sign up to come on October 21.

Sign up by 2 PM on Friday, October 16, to join the Newport and Portside group.

It takes about a minute. A volunteer copies your first name, last name and phone number into the City's speaker form, so those three are required.

First namerequired

Last namerequired

Mobile phone numberrequired

The City's speaker form requires a phone number. Volunteers also use it to reach you about Council meetings.

What would you like to do on October 21? required

I would like to speak I will come to show support, but I will not speak I cannot come, but please keep me updated

Which building do you live in? required

35 River Drive South 55 River Drive South 30 Newport Parkway 40 Newport Parkway Portside Towers Another building

If you are coming with a tenant organization, choose it here.

Jersey City Tenants Union (JCTU) Another organization

Here are documents you can download.

Download the cover letter to send with your income papers.

If you received LeFrak's income letter, print this one-page letter, fill in your name, apartment and the date, sign it, and send it with your papers by October 21. It is in English because it goes to LeFrak's management office. Keep a copy and proof of delivery.

Read the full two-page summary (PDF) Add the meeting to your calendar.

Here is when and where we meet.

Council Chambers, City Hall, 280 Grove Street

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

6 PM

Add the meeting to your calendar. Open the address in your maps app.

The meeting starts at 6 PM.

It is on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Plan to arrive by 5:30 PM so you can sit with your neighbors.

The meeting is at City Hall.

Go to the Council Chambers at City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City. From Newport, the PATH train to Grove Street is one stop toward Journal Square, and City Hall is a short walk south on Grove Street.

You can travel to City Hall with your neighbors.

Choose that option in the sign-up form, and a volunteer will reach you with the meeting point before October 21.

Here is what is happening at Newport.

About 270 of the roughly 1,500 apartments in the four towers were set aside for low- and moderate-income households when the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), a State agency, financed the buildings in 1985.
LeFrak paid off those State loans in July and August 2026. Its September letters told River Drive South tenants that their rents are now subject to market rates and asked for income papers by October 21.
NJHMFA's own list still shows these buildings with affordability restrictions until 2028 and 2029.
The towers have been outside Jersey City's rent control law because of an exemption for new buildings in redevelopment areas. The ordinance that Councilwoman Little and Councilman Ephros are preparing would end that exemption and bring all four towers under rent control.
Under Jersey City's rent control law, the yearly increase for a covered apartment is limited to 4 percent or the rise in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less.

These are the key dates.

LeFrak's River Drive South letters set October 21 as the deadline for income papers.
The first wave of sign-ups closed at 2 PM on Friday, October 16, and wave 2 closed at 11 AM on Tuesday, October 20. Wave 3 is open until 12 PM on Wednesday, October 21. The Council meets at 6 PM on Wednesday, October 21.
Councilwoman Little and Councilman Ephros said a final vote could come as early as November 12.

Four officials met with Newport tenants on October 14.

Senator Raj Mukherji
He said some tenant protections end "not when they prepay that debt, but when the original expiration or balloon date was on the mortgages." His October 13 letter asked NJHMFA to have the owners keep tenants' current rent protections in place and extend the October 21 deadline. He also spoke with the Governor's office, Mayor Solomon and LeFrak about extending the deadline.
Assemblywoman Katie Brennan
She said the City's Division of Affordable Housing is asking LeFrak to let current households send their income papers again and then keep small rent increases for as long as they live there.
Councilwoman Eleana Little
She said LeFrak told her that households who still qualify would see about a 3 percent increase next year, and that the offer covers only one year so far.
Councilman Jake Ephros
He said his office sent the rent control ordinance to the administration for the agenda, with a final vote possible as early as November 12.

No agreement with LeFrak has been announced yet. The ordinance needs five of the nine Council votes.

Read the full two-page summary (PDF)

New Jersey law protects you.

A landlord cannot evict you without a legal reason.
A landlord cannot punish you for organizing. A landlord may not evict you, refuse to renew your lease or substantially change its terms because you organized or tried to enforce your rights (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-10.10).
Keep every letter, lease and renewal offer, and get your own terms in writing.

Do not sign any lease page or rider (an extra page added to a lease) that says your apartment is exempt from rent control until a lawyer reads it.

Free legal help is available.

Northeast New Jersey Legal Services: 201-792-6363, 574 Summit Avenue, Jersey City.

Legal Services of New Jersey tenant hotline: 1-888-576-5529.

The Waterfront Project: thewaterfrontproject.org.

This page gives general information about tenants' rights. It is not legal advice. For advice about your own lease, call one of the free legal services on this page.

Here is how to make your two minutes count.

The strongest statements sound like the person giving them. Use your own words, and choose the points below that are true for you.

An illustration of two neighbors at a kitchen table practicing a short statement.

You can prepare in four steps.

Say your name, your building, and how long you have lived at Newport.
Tell one true story about what the rent change would mean for your household.
Ask the Council for one thing: pass the ordinance that brings all four Newport towers under rent control.
Thank them. About two minutes is plenty.

Ask the Council for these two things, in your own words.

Please introduce the ordinance that brings all four Newport towers under Jersey City rent control at the November 12 Council meeting, and pass it.
Please set each apartment's starting rent at its legal rent on October 7, 2026, so rent increases taken since then do not become permanent.

AThese are good things to bring up.

Say your name, your building, and how long you have lived at Newport.
Say who lives with you, such as children, parents, a partner or a neighbor you look after.
Mention your ties to Jersey City, such as your job, your children's school, your place of worship and the shops you use.
Explain what LeFrak's letter or renewal offer would mean for your household, with your own numbers if you are comfortable sharing them.
Remind the Council that a State agency financed these towers in 1985 and that about 270 apartments were set aside for low- and moderate-income households in return.
Point out that NJHMFA's own list still shows these buildings with affordability restrictions until 2028 and 2029.
Tell them that you want to stay in your home.

BAvoid these, because they can weaken the request.

Do not ask for help for only your own building. Speak for all four towers, at 35 and 55 River Drive South and 30 and 40 Newport Parkway.
Do not ask for a one-year deal. A one-year offer leaves every household facing the same problem next year.
Do not ask for a new tax break or a deal with LeFrak. Ask the Council for rent control.
Do not ask for a resolution or a study. Only an ordinance can change the City's rent control law.
Do not ask to be moved to other housing. Say that you want to stay in your home.
Do not share private details you would not want made public, such as your income, immigration status or medical history. Council meetings are recorded and posted online.
Do not attack anyone personally. The Council members in the room are the votes Newport needs.
Do not guess about the law. Talk about your own life, and leave the legal arguments to the lawyers and volunteers.

CYou can sound like yourself.

Speak the way you would talk to a neighbor. Short sentences are fine.
You may read from a page. Many speakers do.
If you get nervous, pause, take a breath, and look at your notes.
If you would rather speak in another language, say so in the sign-up form, and a volunteer will help you plan it.

If you would like help, choose it in the sign-up form, and a volunteer will help you write and practice, in your language if you prefer.

Here are two short samples you can adapt.

Tap Copy, then paste the sample into your notes app and change the blanks.

This sample is for a household that pays a moderate-income rent.

Good evening. My name is ____, and I have lived at ____ for ____ years with my ____. [If you received LeFrak's September letter:] LeFrak's letter told us our rent is now subject to market rates. For my family, that would mean ____. These towers were financed by the State in 1985 with apartments set aside for households like mine. Please introduce and pass the ordinance that brings all four Newport towers under Jersey City rent control. Thank you.

This sample is for a neighbor who pays market rent.

Good evening. My name is ____, and I live at ____. I pay market rent, and I am here for neighbors who have lived in these towers for decades and keep this community together. Please introduce and pass the ordinance that brings all four Newport towers under Jersey City rent control, and protect every household that lives here now. Thank you.

You can write to the Mayor and all nine Council members by copying three pieces.

Copy each piece below into a new email. Add your name, your building and how long you have lived at Newport, and change any words you like. The message is in English because the Council works in English.

First, copy the addresses into the To line.

Next, copy the subject.

Then copy the message, and fill in the blanks.

After you send your email, please tap the button below so we can count it. We do not ask for your name.

Here are answers to common questions.

1Do I need to register with the City myself?

You do not need to. Volunteers will register everyone who signs up here to speak, as one Newport and Portside group.

2Do I have to speak?

You do not have to speak. A full room of neighbors matters even if you only listen.

3Who will see my sign-up?

Only the Newport Tenant Association's organizers see it. Speaking at the meeting is public, and Council meetings are recorded.

4What if I cannot come on October 21?

Choose the option to stay updated in the form, and write to the Mayor and the Council with the button on this page.

5Does it cost anything?

It is free. Council meetings are open to the public.

Stand with your Newport neighbors at City Hall on October 21.The City Council meets on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 6 PM.

All four Newport towers are going to City Hall as one group.

Here are documents you can download.

Here is when and where we meet.

The meeting starts at 6 PM.

The meeting is at City Hall.

You can travel to City Hall with your neighbors.

Here is what is happening at Newport.

These are the key dates.

Four officials met with Newport tenants on October 14.

New Jersey law protects you.

Free legal help is available.

This page can write your request for free legal help.

Here is how to make your two minutes count.

Ask the Council for these two things, in your own words.

Here are two short samples you can adapt.

You can write to the Mayor and all nine Council members by copying three pieces.

Here are answers to common questions.

Thank you, {name}. Your sign-up was successful.

Stand with your Newport neighbors at City Hall on October 21.The City Council meets on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 6 PM.

All four Newport towers are going to City Hall as one group.

Sign up to come on October 21.

You are changing your sign-up.

Thank you, {name}. You are on the list.

Here are documents you can download.

Here is when and where we meet.

The meeting starts at 6 PM.

The meeting is at City Hall.

You can travel to City Hall with your neighbors.

Here is what is happening at Newport.

These are the key dates.

Four officials met with Newport tenants on October 14.

New Jersey law protects you.

Free legal help is available.

This page can write your request for free legal help.

Here is how to make your two minutes count.

Ask the Council for these two things, in your own words.

Here are two short samples you can adapt.

You can write to the Mayor and all nine Council members by copying three pieces.

Here are answers to common questions.