Jersey City Department of Infrastructure Director Barkha Patel has submitted her resignation letter today, planning to leave City Hall after a decade of service before the next administration comes in.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Please accept this letter as a formal resignation from my position as Director of the Department of Infrastructure for the City of Jersey City, effective January 14, 2026. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve in this capacity since 2022 and for the opportunity to grow through the various roles I’ve held in City government over the past decade,” she wrote today.
“It has been an honor to work for the residents of Jersey City. I will continue to support the operations of the Department and assist in any way possible during the remainder of my time here.”
Patel has been a part of Mayor Steven Fulop’s administration since May 2016, where she started out as a transportation planner before getting promoted to transportation director in December 2018.
She then became deputy city manager in June 2021 before finally being named the department of infrastructure director in May 2022.
Additionally, Patel was credited for helping the city earn the “2023 Complete Streets Excellence and Champion Award” for their successful implementation of their Vision Zero Action Plan in November 2023 and leading the renovation of dozens of local parks.
“Our team delivered the most transformative administration Jersey City has seen since Mayor Hague in the 1940s,” Fulop told HCV.
“We fundamentally rebuilt the city’s infrastructure, from major flood mitigation investments and complete streets redesigns to parks, schools, utilities, and transit-oriented growth, while modernizing how government actually functions. Jersey City is now one of the best mid-size cities in the country because of the caliber of leadership we put in place, and Barkha was a crucial part of delivering that transformation.”
Mayor-elect James Solomon, who has served as the Ward E councilman since 2018 and started a public jobs portal for his administration this week, also commended Patel on her leadership.
“Barkha Patel has been a dedicated public servant who delivered real results for Jersey City residents. Her work on Vision Zero, safe streets infrastructure, sustainability, and our parks system made our city more livable and safer for families. I’m grateful for her service and wish her well in her next chapter,” he said in a statement.
Solomon will be sworn in as Jersey City’s 50th mayor on January 15th, 2026.