Jeremy Farrell, a former corporation counsel in Jersey City who played a crucial role in managing and improving the city’s Newport section, died Dec. 4 at age 44.

The Le Frak Organization, the development firm where Farrell served as special counsel and senior managing director of community and government affairs, announced his passing.

“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Jeremy Farrell,” Richard LeFrak, the company’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Jeremy was a cherished member of our team and a cornerstone in the community at large, and he leaves an important legacy in Newport and Jersey City. My deepest condolences go to Jeremy’s family during this unimaginably difficult time.”

In addition to his role as corporation counsel, Farrell also served as executive director of the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority. He began his career as a clerk to a federal judge and later worked at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter. Farrell joined LeFrak in 2018.

“Jeremy Farrell was the rarest of human beings: incredibly smart and kind, yet firm, and respected by all of his colleagues,” said Jamie LeFrak, the firm’s vice chairman and managing director. “He was a beloved mentor to all those who had the honor of working with him. For Newport and the LeFrak family, Jeremy’s passing is one we will mourn forever. He will be missed more than words can express.”

A keen observer and analyst of urban development and redevelopment, Farrell told NJBIZ in 2022 that the changing nature of work was having profound implications for cities. “We’re seeing that there is a greater interest among employers to return … but there has been some amount of resistance on the employee side,” he said. “And that’s an important balance to figure out because there are the immediate concerns on the employee side but there’s another side to that, which is long term, for all the reasons why we have a large population of talent here. We need people in office, working together learning from each other. … It’s like a basketball player — they’ll tell you when you’re playing basketball or any sport, soccer, ‘you are a talent on your own, but if you’re playing with other really talented people you elevate your game.’ And so when we get people back in the office space they’re going to elevate each other’s game and so some of those synergies are missing.”

In his more than five years at LeFrak, Farrell worked with the city government on several initiatives, including the installation of Water’s Soul, a monumental public art sculpture located on the Newport waterfront, according to the company. Earlier this year, he oversaw the opening of Lighthouse Point, a new public space in Newport.

“The opening of this space is yet another example of Newport’s commitment to the people of Jersey City.  This is a place for people to gather, enjoy and take in the views that are inextricably linked to this neighborhood,” he said at the time. “As with Water’s Soul these open spaces serve to affirm that community is at the heart of everything Newport does.”

Farrell is survived by his wife, Sarah, and son, Aidan.