Tenants press council over Portside enforcement as it confirms HEDC director amid criticism

Council members confirmed Anicia Cielone as director of the Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce (Resolution 26149) on March 25, 2026, after a night of extended public comment from Portside Towers residents who said the city has failed to enforce rent‑leveling and housing‑code laws.

Portside tenants and advocates told the council the Bureau of Rent Leveling has not calculated a single legal rent for 527 units at Portside Towers, despite a 2022 board ruling that found rents unauthorized and thousands of reported code violations. “The board ruled unanimously. Since then, how many rents have been adjusted? None,” tenant advocate Joel told the council, adding that the bureau has not ordered rebates or started the 30‑day clock that would allow tenants to withhold overcharges.

Speakers offered ordinance citations and concrete requests. Daniel asked the council to enforce Jersey City Ordinance 07153, which he said requires Portside security to close Washington Street at night to protect a Korean War memorial; he calculated potential penalties and urged enforcement. Carol and Sylvia Lu described submitting detailed documentation to the city and getting no substantive follow‑up. “Not one tenant has received a result,” Carol said of rent adjustments and fines.

Several council members acknowledged the complaints and pledged oversight. Councilperson Zupa said the city needs a hospital in the Heights but also noted the importance of enforcement questions raised in caucus. Councilperson Gilmore and others praised the investigatory committee’s work and vowed follow‑up. Councilperson Lavaro—who voted no on the HEDC confirmation—explained his dissent as a matter of record: he said the department Cielone led for nearly eight years had overseen outcomes he described as harmful to working families and wanted a director who would actively change course. “This vote is not personal… I will be vigilant and I will be engaged,” Lavaro said after explaining his no vote.

Cielone told the council she would cooperate with the Rent Protection Special Investigatory Committee and with the bureau to improve enforcement, but several public speakers and tenant advocates said commitments alone were not sufficient. Tenant advocates requested an in‑depth, public report on why thousands of complaints and hundreds of violations had not produced enforceable remedies or collected fines.

The council confirmed the appointment 7–2 (Councilpersons Gilmour and Lavaro opposed). The confirmation vote and the broader Portside testimony mainstreamed tenant enforcement and code‑collection failures as a council priority; multiple members said they would press for reports and enforcement steps in committee hearings.

What’s next: Tenants asked for specific actions—formal reports from the Bureau of Rent Leveling and corporation counsel, an accounting of uncollected fines, and a timetable for adjustments and rebates. Several council members committed to follow‑up in the Rent Protection Special Investigatory Committee and to seek regular updates from the administration.