it is my pleasure to introduce the mayor of jersey city, steven fulop. [applause] >> thank you. i have some prepared remarks but i figured i would go less from this and talk about the different things that are happening in jersey city. i know we have students in the front row so i will start by -- i guess american government is the class. how many of you all have interests and potentially running for office? two? a bright future we have for the country. interested in being a part of government? ok. the rest of you are just curious or it is an easy class? youll say for those of that are thinking of running, i couldn't encourage you more. it is one of the most rewarding fields and an opportunity to really do something special and make a meaningful difference in the world and your community and the state of new jersey. for me, it was an accidental place that i ended up in. i am passionate about it and that became very infectious and we are able to organize a tremendous number of volunteers to do something meaningful. i would say that if you are motivated by this and passionate abou

jersey city mayor steven fulop says their salt facility is less than 20% full. >> we're supplying workers. we're supplying heavy equipment, whatever we have available and what others have available to lend us. everybody is going through the same struggles. >> adding to frustration. 30,000 tons of rock salt is stranded in maine. refusing to let the barge dock in newark because the vessel wasn't flying an american flag. and snow and sleet through the midwest. parts of massachusetts, ohio, and illinois are also facing salt shortages. in michigan, slick roadways led to a massive pileup. first responders trudged through the knee-deep snow to reach the injured. driv drivers cruised slowly across highways in the midwest. in minnesota, more than 150 crashes were reported before noon on monday. and in nebraska, a minivan swerved off an icy highway, slammed into a tree and was left dangling over a ditch. it took first responders half an hour to safely rescue the driver. mother nature isn't the only one to blame, some say. >> at this point it's almost a man-made problem because this stuff could have