Steven Fulop has been the mayor of Jersey City for more than a decade. Now, he's reflecting on his career as he moves to New York for his next job.

Fulop reflected on his public career, which started at the age of 27, first as a Jersey City councilman and then as the city's mayor, starting in 2013. He said he's proud of how it has developed over the years.

He recently spoke to CBS News New York's Christine Sloan, who has covered him since he entered public life 20 years ago.  

"I am excited for the next chapter, but a little bit of sadness as it relates to kind of closing the door on the experience here," he said.

"The city of the backbone to New Jersey"

Some of his accomplishments include adding more than $1.4 billion in new taxable property value, creating more affordable housing and updating city parks, according to the city's website.  

"I mean, the city is the backbone to New Jersey now in economic development. We are a beacon of light and an example to other cities across the country," he said.

He also hired hundreds of new police officers and firefighters, launched the Citi Bike system locally and passed a paid sick leave ordinance.

Transition to the private sector

Fulop ran for New Jersey governor in the 2025 race but lost in the Democratic primary. He didn't seek re-election as Jersey City mayor, as he was focusing on his other campaign.

As he steps out of his public career, he will be the next president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for New York City. The nonprofit organization represents and advocates for 350 of the largest corporations in New York.

"The partnership will be a little different, but at the end of the day, it's 800,000 employees. We represent an important part of the ecosystem in New York," Fulop said.

In the new role, he'll partner with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has praised Fulop's development model of turning Jersey City's once-blighted streets into a place with nonstop construction.

"He has been very proactive with me coming into the new role. We were both, I mean, I was a mayor similar to him as mayor at a young age, as an outsider. He's really smart, obviously. He has his set agenda, which I think is healthy because even if you don't agree with him, understanding the circumstances of how he views the world makes it easy for investors and investment," Fulop said.

Dealing with public life criticisms 

Fulop has been taken to task by incoming fellow Democratic Mayor-elect James Solomon for working too closely with developers. Fulop said he has no regrets.

"The reality is you cannot vilify the private sector and development community because in order to achieve the things he wants to do from a budget standpoint, you need a ratable base that is growing and the only way to do that is by development," Fulop said.

What the married father of three and Iraq war veteran said he won't miss about public life is the country's polarized political atmosphere.

"Having to have security, having to have people stalk you -- somebody broke into my house; hate on social media, those are real things elected officials deal with," Fulop said.

When asked if he will ever return to public life, Fulop said, "Probably not."