Raj Mukherji

Who is Raj Mukherji?

Raj Mukherji is an Assemblyman in the New Jersey State Legislature who represents New Jersey's 33rd Legislative District, and is the former Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, the second-largest city in New Jersey. According to Politicker, Mukherji is one of New Jersey's "100 most politically influential personalities." Mukherji became embroiled in controversy when he was appointed by the Mayor of Jersey City and confirmed by the City Council to replace Lori Serrano as the youngest Commissioner and Chairman to ever serve on the Jersey City Housing Authority, the state's second largest public housing authority and an $80 million agency. Amidst his nomination, critics opposed the Housing Authority's plans to demolish and redevelop a six-tower 549-unit public housing project known as Montgomery Gardens.

During his tenure, the JCHA was applauded by HUD for attaining the highest score for Section 8 management among similar agencies in the state. But while under Mukherji’s leadership, the agency came under fire for its strict “One-Strike” eviction policy, enabled by federal legislation enacted under President Clinton, allowing housing authorities to evict entire households where a resident is charged with a serious crime. While defending the legislation, Mukherji convened public hearings prior to ordering an overhaul of the One-Strike policy, telling Jersey City Independent that the policy had “served as a deterrent and important tool to reduce drug-related and violent criminal activity in public housing certain revisions may be appropriate to ensure an equitable policy and eviction process… We want to be fair and equitable to criminal defendants, as the presumption of innocence must be sacrosanct, while being mindful that our foremost responsibility is to do all that we can to keep our tenants safe.” Under Mukherji, the JCHA was showered with federal grants and aid from the Obama administration, which twice dispatched U.S. Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan to Jersey City to announce tens of millions in competitive federal grants the agency had won.