Jersey City Finance Director, Deputy Mayor and Digital Director Resign as Mayor Solomon Restructures His Team

Three senior officials are leaving Jersey City Hall. Mayor James Solomon has accepted the resignations of Finance Director Bill Viqueira, Deputy Mayor Keshav Poddar and Digital Director Megan Malloy, the City of Jersey City announced Thursday, Oct. 8.

The city described the move as a restructuring of the mayor's leadership team. According to the release, the administration wants to stabilize and strengthen the city's finances and speed up affordable housing construction, after the City Council approved the Canal Crossing project, the first piece of Solomon's "Building for Working Families" agenda. The city said all three officials are committed to an orderly transition. The release does not say when the resignations take effect.

Who is stepping in

According to the city:

• Kyle Greaves will serve as acting finance director.
• Kimberly Wallace Scalcione will serve as acting press secretary.
• Annisia Cialone, the director of Housing and Economic Development, will continue leading the city's housing efforts.

The city also said it will launch a search for its next finance director, someone to keep strengthening the city's finances, find new sources of revenue and address "outstanding financial and audit matters."

What they said

"Jersey City is experiencing an affordability crisis which requires nothing short of excellence from my leadership team at City Hall," Solomon said in the release. He thanked Viqueira, Poddar and Malloy for their work and said the administration is focused on "a new vision and leadership needed for the work ahead."

In the same release, Viqueira called it a privilege to serve the city during "an important time," Poddar pointed to the city's work to build more affordable housing, and Malloy thanked the mayor for the chance to serve as digital director.

Context

Hudson County View, which also reported the resignations on Oct. 8, said Viqueira, a former NJ Transit CFO and treasurer, was hired early this year and had been central to the city's response to its budget deficit, including explaining the city’s corrective action plan to the City Council. The outlet reported that Poddar led Solomon's transition team before overseeing development projects such as Canal Crossing, and that Malloy had briefly stepped in as acting communications director after Communications Director Nathaniel Styer left the city about two weeks earlier.

Hudson County View also reported that Corporation Counsel Sarah Levine submitted her resignation earlier in the week and is expected to stay until Nov. 20, and that the interim lineup does not name a replacement for Poddar's post.

City Council President Denise Ridley said the choice of who fills the roles is the mayor's, but that she hopes he picks "strong and experienced individuals," according to a statement reported by Hudson County View.

People interested in jobs with the city can find openings at jerseycitynj.gov/jobs.

Source: City of Jersey City, "Mayor Solomon Restructures Leadership Team to Deliver on His Agenda", press release, Oct. 8, 2026. Additional reporting: Hudson County View.

Photo: Jersey City Hall. King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.