Mamta Singh Council At-Large Candidate Jersey City

Mamta Singh is a mom, a nonprofit leader and advocate for the empowerment of young girls and women. Nearly two decades ago, she immigrated to the United States to raise her family, and would be the first Indian-American elected to the Jersey City Council. As the founder and Executive Director of JCFamilies, she has worked tirelessly to connect women and children to local resources and opportunities for family and youth development. Now, she is running for City Council at-Large to deliver stable property taxes, more youth recreation, and stronger city services for Jersey City’s working families.

This Is what Mamta Singh Jersey City shares about her life in Jersey City and about her decision for running for Jersey city council.

Mamta Singh says…..

When I moved from India to the United States in 2006, I lived in many different cities. Seattle, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Phoenix. None of them felt like home. Before moving to Jersey City, I had always considered returning to India. All that changed when I moved to Jersey City. Seventeen years ago, I arrived in Jersey City with two suitcases in hand and no connections. I was immediately drawn to its diversity. There were people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds. Something changed when I delivered my child; I got into postpartum depression because I had no one to talk to and no one to share my struggle with, no family members living nearby, and no sense of community. That’s when I realized how many other families might be in a situation like mine. Jersey City was not what it is today; there were no music classes for toddlers, no support groups for parents, and no events for families to meet and build a sense of community. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The first of these events started in my apartment. I would frequently walk around my neighborhood and run into other new families. I began to invite them to these fun support groups. What started as 20 people in a small apartment grew and grew, and that’s how JCFamilies was born.

In 2011, I started a website to provide free resources to parents. Moving from another country takes A LOT of work. Trust me, I’ve done it. From what school to send your kids to, access to child care for toddlers, right down to the best parks, swimming pools, and playgrounds around. My organization, JCFamilies, has helped so many people connect with their community more deeply. The website doesn’t just help families find community. Our public events have helped many small business owners communicate directly with their customers. Driving our local economy and helping local entrepreneurs build relationships with their clients. Through my journey with JCFamilies, I connected with many wonderful families and businesses, creating a community and family here.

Over and over, I hear the same concerns. Our school system is broken; we pay taxes for A+ services but receive C results. Rents and the cost of buying a home are through the roof, and our parks are bursting at the seams. Over and over, it’s the same story. Do my friends make it work in Jersey City, paying more for less, or make the decision to move away to the suburbs? For me, the decision to run for City Council comes down to one thing. I don’t want people to have to choose between staying in this beautiful city or moving to the suburbs. We need to build a Jersey City that works for families.

We deserve the best public schools, children need after-school activities that enrich their lives, and working people need to know that their taxes won’t continue to skyrocket while services decline. Every neighborhood deserves its own world-class parks, playgrounds, and green spaces. We need a government that works for you, regardless of whether you live in Greenville, Hamilton Park, the Heights, or Bergen-Lafayette.
That’s why I’m running for city council. And I need your support.

Join me. Donate money, knock on doors, make phone calls, and tell your friends. Because if there is one lesson that I learned from JCFamilies, it’s that you can’t do it alone. It takes all of us to make the change we want to see.