Tag Archives: Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis

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Mayor’s Corner-Bayonne Mayor James Davis -The Bayonne Role in the Tunnel to Towers Run

Bayonne Mayor James Davis Column Mayor's Corner on role Bayonne played in the Tunnel to Tower Run each September

Each year, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation sponsors a five-kilometer run to honor the sacrifice of Firefighter Stephen Siller on September 11, 2001. On that day, following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Stephen Siller strapped on sixty pounds of equipment and rushed on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the twin towers of the World Trade Center.  It was there that he gave his life while helping others.  He was one of 343 firefighters who perished after responding to the World Trade Center alongside 72 police officers.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the organization formed in Stephen Siller’s name, began by serving widows and orphans from the September 11 attacks.  Later, the foundation expanded its charitable aims to the survivors of military service members and first responders killed in the line of duty.  Tunnel to Towers also assists those who have been injured catastrophically.

The foundation covered the mortgage of Jersey City detective and former Bayonne resident Joseph Seals following his death in 2019. 

Four years ago, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation sponsored a walk across America.  On September 8, 2021, we were proud to welcome Frank Siller, Stephen’s brother, as he walked down the west side of Bayonne on his way to Staten Island in the run-up to September 11. 

For over a decade, Bayonne Fire Captain Michael Pelliccio has led a joint Public Safety team of runners from the Bayonne Fire Department and the Bayonne Police Department that has raised over $100,000 for Tunnel to Towers.  This year, the team will run the route of Firefighter Siller in honor of recently deceased Bayonne Firefighter Joe Coughlin Jr. Joe leaves behind a legacy of dedicated service to the City of Bayonne and his unexpected death is mourned by family and comrades alike. The event is scheduled for the morning of Sunday, September 28, 2025.

To support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and America’s heroes, you can make a donation, become a team member, become a team sponsor, walk or run with the team.  To show your support for the Bayonne Police and Fire Team in the run on September 28, please go online to https://nycrun.t2t.org/bayonnepdfd

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Mayor’s Corner -Bayonne Mayor James Davis-

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis Mayor's Corner

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

On Thursday, September 11, we are commemorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of one of the worst days in our nation’s history. On that day in 2001, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center burned and ultimately crumbled to the ground.  We also saw the Pentagon in flames and an airplane go down in Pennsylvania. Terrorists commandeered flights and took nearly 3,000 innocent lives. Here in Bayonne, twelve of our residents were taken from their families. The images from that day, the emotions we felt, and the pain that was inflicted on us will stay with us forever.

 I was still a police officer in 2001. I used to work from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., and I was sleeping when the initial plane hit.  Then the second plane hit and that’s when a friend called me. My cell phone was ringing next to me. I picked it up and my friend told me what happened.

On September 11, 2001, there was an atmosphere of chaos and shock throughout the region. After the terrorist attacks, I worked all night, and then in the morning I went to Jersey City, signed in to join the emergency operations in New York, and got on a tugboat. I spent the next four days at Ground Zero. 

Before my police career, I worked on Wall Street, so Lower Manhattan was familiar to me. When I got off the tugboat that Wednesday, walking toward the World Trade Center, I had no sense of direction, because the buildings weren’t there anymore. Those buildings were so big, that no matter where you were in Lower Manhattan, you knew where you were.  When I got there the morning after, it was almost surreal. There was rubble like I had never seen before.

In the years since, the new World Trade Center has risen from the rubble.  It stands proudly today. We think about the sweat and toil that so many workers put in on that site to move past the dark days, and put in its place a towering structure that stands as a beacon of the strength and ingenuity of our workers, and our great nation. The neighboring memorials on the site of the original World Trade Center will always remind us of the people we lost on September 11, 2001. The new tower is a sign that we are determined to overcome that terrible day. 

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Mayor’s Corner-Bayonne Mayor James Davis

LABOR DAY 2025

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis Mayor's Corner

On Monday, September 1, our nation will observe Labor Day, which is an occasion to honor all of America’s working people.  The concept for the day began with the trade union movement in the late 1800’s.  The federal government adopted Labor Day as a national holiday in 1894.

Labor Day is a good time to reflect on the rights of workers.  In many countries, workers are not allowed to organize trade unions or to bargain with their employers.  In some dictatorships, no independent labor unions are permitted; only labor front organizations operated by the ruling party are allowed to exist.

 In the United States and other advanced democratic countries, working people have the right to establish independent labor organizations that are not controlled by the government.  That is why there is a strong connection between free labor movements and democracy.  Unions help improve democracy by giving workers a voice in the workplace.  There are dozens of labor unions in the United States.  Most American unions belong to one of two major labor federations: 1) the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations), or 2) the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), which was formerly called Change to Win ).  The AFL-CIO was founded in 1955 when the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged into a combined labor movement.  The Strategic Organizing Center was founded as Change to Win in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO.

American labor unions have been responsible for a variety of reforms such as the eight-hour workday, overtime pay, paid vacations, worker health benefits, employee pension plans, workplace safety regulations, and grievance procedures.  By gaining strength in the 20th century, American labor unions raised the living standards for millions of people.  They helped raise workers from poverty into the middle class.  Rising wages enabled American workers to buy homes and cars, to take their families on vacation, and to send their children to college. When unions were strong in the 20th century, they helped raise wages and living standards across the country for union and non-union labor alike.  We need to raise the American standard of living again in the 21st century.

In Bayonne, union members work in a variety of trades and economic sectors, such as building & construction, petrochemicals, maritime, education, healthcare, transportation, retail, and government.  

We should respect the contributions that all American workers make to our families, our communities, and our national economy.  Let’s all work together to improve wages, working conditions, and economic opportunities in the years to come. 

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Soul Machine Will Play Top 40, Yacht Rock, R&B, and Motown in the Bayonne Summer Sounds Concert Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that Soul Machine will present Top 40 songs, Yacht Rock, R&B tunes, and Motown music in the Summer Sounds by the Bay concert on Wednesday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m.   Be ready for a memorable night of singing and dancing.

The concert will take place at the amphitheater on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park.  The concert site is located below the foot of West 16th Street, between Avenue A and Newark Bay. The Recreation Division urges members of the audience to bring their chairs.  No chairs will be provided.

On music days during the summer concert season, in the event of inclement weather, please call 201-471-7590, visit www.leaguelineup.com/bayonnerec, or view the City of Bayonne’s Facebook page to check on the status of that night’s performance.

For more information about the concerts, please contact Pete Amadeo at 201-858-6129 or email BAYONNEREC@AOL.COM.

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MAYOR’S CORNER-CELEBRATING AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis

       

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis Mayor's Corner

   This week, we are celebrating the 249th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. This year, our national holiday will be on Friday, July 4. In Bayonne, for the evening of Wednesday, July 2, we have scheduled children’s amusements at 6:30 p.m., a concert at 7:00 p.m., and fireworks at about 9:15 p.m., in DiDomenico-16th Street Park, weather permitting. The rain date is Thursday, July 3, with events at the same times shown for July 2. There are good reasons to celebrate our great country on any or all of those days.

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Bayonne News, Live Music in Bayonne, Live On Stage

The Beginnings, A Chicago Tribute Band, Will Perform in Summer Sounds Concert on Wednesday, June 25

Bayonne’s Lower Level of DiDomenico 16th Street Park off Avenue A

Chicago Tribute Band In the Beginnings

Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that The Beginnings, a Chicago tribute band, will present hit songs from the 1970s and 1980s in the Summer Sounds by the Bay concert on Wednesday, June 25, at 7:00 p.m.  The group performs in Chicago’s original, classic-era, seven-piece configuration, without the aid of backing tracks or additional musicians. 

The concert will take place at the amphitheater on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park.  The concert site is located below the foot of West 16th Street, between Avenue A and Newark Bay. The Recreation Division encourages audience members to bring their chairs.  No chairs will be provided.

On music days during the summer concert season, in the event of inclement weather, please call 201-471-7590, visit www.leaguelineup.com/bayonnerec, or view the City of Bayonne’s Facebook page to check on the status of that night’s performance.

For more information about the concerts, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Pete Amadeo at 201-858-6129 or email BAYONNEREC@AOL.COM.

Bayonne News, Bayonne Observer insidebayonne.com

Bayonne Farmers’ Market Back on Tuesdays Through October 28

City of Bayonne Logo
Bayonne Farmers Market back on Tuesdays

Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that the Bayonne Farmers’ Market has is returning for the 2025 season.  It will begin on Tuesday, May 27.  The Farmers’ Market will operate on Tuesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. from the springtime through Tuesday, October 28.  The market will operate rain or shine, unless extremely heavy rains make it impossible to function.  The Bayonne Farmers’ Market operates with the support of the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ).

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Bayonne’s Memorial Day Parade is Set for Monday, May 26

Marching in Bayonne for Memorial Day
Bayonne remembers its fallen military men and women with its annual Memorial Day Parade

The Bayonne Memorial Day Parade will take place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2025.  Since 2022, the City of Bayonne has worked in conjunction with the veterans of the Memorial Day Parade Committee to organize the parade. Mayor Jimmy Davis said, “As the son of a proud Korean War veteran, I am glad that the veterans and the City of Bayonne have worked together successfully on the parade.” 

The grand marshal of the 2025 parade will be former Mayor Richard A. Rutkowski, who served in the U.S. Army in the 1950’s.  He was posted to Iran, where he trained Iranian troops.  He shook hands with the Shah of Iran.  Rutkowski was at the Russian border during the Iraqi crisis of 1958.  Following his military service, former Mayor Rutkowski became active in various veterans’ posts, including: American Polish Vets, Catholic War Veterans Post 1612, Joyce-Herbert VFW Post 226, and Cpt P.J.E. Hogan Disabled American Veterans Chapter 5.  Along with many other veterans, Rutkowski speaks at the historic Joyce-Herbert V.F.W. Post 226 Veterans Museum, educating our youth and community about our military history.

Pete Amadeo, the Supervisor of the City of Bayonne’s Recreation Division, has worked with Barry Jones, the parade chairman, and the other veterans on the Memorial Day Parade Committee to invite various organizations to take part in the parade in both 2022 and 2023.   Mr. Jones is an Army veteran from the Vietnam era.

There will be a ceremony at the traditional start of the parade on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, at 10:00 a.m., at Fifth Street by the World War I Monument.   Immediately after the ceremony, the march will begin at 5th Street and will proceed up Broadway.   It will pass the reviewing stand in front of American Legion Post 19 and will end at 32nd Street and Broadway. 

Any organizations still wishing to march, please contact Pete Amadeo at 201-858-6127 or email bayonnerec@aol.com.  

Mayor Davis stated, “From the American Revolution to the present, more than 42 million Americans have served in our military during war.  Of them, more than one million died in the service, whether in battle or elsewhere during wartime.”  Mayor Davis concluded, “Veterans often remind us that ‘freedom is not free.’ That means that America’s fighting men and women have purchased our freedom with their sacrifices since 1775.  We owe our freedom and our way of life to them. Please show your gratitude for those who gave their lives for our country by coming to the memorial ceremonies and to the parade.”

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Bayonne Elks #434 Host Blessing of the Bikes

The Annual Blessing of the Bikes hosted by Bayonne Elks #434 began on Saturday, April 19th.

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis stopped by with members of the Municipal Council. Pictured with Mayor Davis, 2ND Ward Council Member Jacqueline Weimmer, Council Member at Large Loyad Booker, Council Member at Large Juan M Perez, and members of the Bayonne Police Department

Live music is provided by “She Said No”

Bayonne News, Bayonne Observer insidebayonne.com

MAYOR’S CORNER-Thnking About St. Patrick’s Day

Mayor Davis 2018 Inaugural
Bayonne Mayor James Davis

Bayonne Mayor James Davis

This month, much of the world will celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, the anniversary of the death of the patron saint of Ireland.  St. Patrick is credited with converting Ireland to Christianity in the fifth century after Christ.

Today, there are well over seventy million people around the world of Irish descent. For Irish-Americans, this feast day is a time for us to celebrate the contributions that Irish immigrants and their descendants have made to this country.

There is scarcely an area of American life that has not been touched by Irish-Americans.  Just to take a recent example, a few weeks ago, the NBC television network celebrated the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.  During its history, that show has featured such Irish-American cast members as Jane Curtin, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Farley, Colin Quinn, Molly Shannon, Julia Sweeney, and Nora Dunn, among others.  Martin Short, another former cast member, is Irish-Canadian.

Elsewhere in television, Irish-Americans have made their mark as great talk show hosts:  Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas (real name: Michael Delaney Dowd, Jr.), and Jimmy Fallon (after leaving Saturday Night Live).

The ancestors of many American presidents came from Ireland: John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama (on his mother’s side), Richard Nixon, James K. Polk, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Ulysses Grant, William McKinley, and others.

Here in Bayonne, the Irish began arriving in large numbers in the 1800’s. Most came here with very little money and a willingness to work hard. Many of the early Irish immigrants lived in the old Fourth Ward (now part of the First Ward) in the Bergen Point area. Bayonne’s Irish-American community has been noted for its large presence in the government sector.  Irish-American elected officials, police officers, firefighters, civil servants, school administrators, and teachers have played major roles in our city’s history.

Wherever the Irish have gone, they have brought their religious faith, great music, and gift for language with them.  The Irish also carry memories of suffering from religious persecution, poverty, foreign occupation, and the Great Hunger of 1845-51. 

Millions of Irish-Americans are grateful for the opportunities this country has provided.  Irish-Americans should be proud of our progress in this country and of our cultural heritage.

On Sunday, March 23, when Bayonne is having our annual St. Patrick’s Parade.  We begin marching at 1:00 p.m. at 5th Street and Broadway.  The parade will move up Broadway to 39th Street.  It will move westward on 39th Street to Avenue C, and then will march northward up Avenue C to the viewing stand between 40th and 41st Streets.  Finally, the parade will finish up in the front portion of Gregg-Bayonne County Park.  I look forward to seeing you at the parade!