Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has named former NJ Transit CFO/treasure and Gateway Development Commission senior advisor Bill Viqueira as the city’s finance director, pending city council approval tomorrow.

New Jersey City Finance Director Bill Viqueira. Photo via hispanicexecutive.com.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“We ran on a promise to deliver a Jersey City government as good as its people and be honest with Jersey City residents about our fiscal challenges. Bill Viqueira has the experience and the expertise to help us do exactly that,” Solomon said in a statement.

“He’s managed billion-dollar budgets, reorganized departments, and knows what it takes to bring transparency and accountability to public finances. And as someone who grew up in Union City and lives in Jersey City, he understands what’s at stake for working families in Hudson County.”

Prior to his public sector service, Viqueira had a distinguished career in corporate finance, beginning as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch before joining Lucent Technologies as Treasurer and head of Mergers & Acquisitions.

He has served as CFO at both venture-backed and NYSE-listed companies and held senior treasury and M&A roles at Monster Worldwide.

“I’m honored to return to public service in the city I call home. Jersey City faces real fiscal challenges, and the residents deserve straight talk and sound management,” Viqueira added.

“I look forward to working with Mayor Solomon and his team to build a finance operation that serves the people of Jersey City with integrity and excellence.”

Viqueira holds board certifications from the Latino Corporate Directors Association and IBDC.D from the Pfister Strategy Group.

He also served on the State of New Jersey’s COVID-19 Compliance and Oversight Task Force established by Executive Order 166 and has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.

The Jersey City Council caucus convenes today at City Hall, 280 Grove St., at 4 p.m., delayed due to Sunday’s snowstorm, with their regular session convening tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Both public meetings will stream live on Microsoft Teams.