I first ran for City Council against a 21 year incumbent because I knew Hoboken and First Ward residents were ready for new energy and new ideas. I’m so incredibly proud to have brought creative and thoughtful policy to our mile square, including expanded business districts, improved pedestrian safety, lowered taxes and investment in green space, like a new downtown dog park. This advocacy has been, and remains, the honor of my life. I’ve never been more energized to continue fighting to improve my neighbors’ quality of life and to be a voice for accountability in City Hall.
Many know me as a passionate and effective politician, but at times over the past few years, politics became a toxic force in my life. Mental health isn’t something you typically hear those in elected office talk about but today, it’s a topic I want to address. I’ll be honest, when I lost the 2017 mayoral election by 400 votes after being wrongfully associated with a racist attack on the now Mayor, it impacted me dramatically.
Politically, the two years that followed were wildly successful for me: I lead a referendum to bring democracy back to our elections, held the administration accountable for overspending, defended our hardworking City employees when they faced unnecessary layoffs, and spoke out against the Mayor’s broken campaign promise to serve in a full time capacity. But while I was politically strong, my personal life and mental health suffered. I gained 40 pounds, my eight-year relationship ended when I ran for re-election, and I lost touch with many of the things that mattered most to me outside of public service.
I knew that I needed to make a change, so shortly before the pandemic, I decided to concentrate more on policy and less on political noise. I also invested in myself and elevated my health, my family and my career in ways that I hadn't since before I was elected to City Council. This investment has paid off -- I was nominated for two Emmy Awards, regained strength through daily workouts, spent more time with my aging parents and young nieces, and expanded my advocacy efforts volunteering at an LGBTQ+ center in Colombia for Venezeulan migrant youth. All of this while still maintaining my strong commitment to Hoboken, and my neighbors. But although my efforts shifted, others’ did not and the callous and destructive attacks on my personal life from the Mayor and his allies continued at a feverish pace. Consistently, my reaction has been to avoid the toxicity of their predatory politics and I still refuse to let it back into my life.
For all the reasons above, as I shared with those closest to me a few months ago, I have decided not to run for Mayor this November. Many of my neighbors and supporters have reached out to me in recent weeks urging me to toss my hat into the ring again. This support has meant everything to me and actually briefly made me reconsider my decision. But for now, I’m looking forward to continuing to bring my healthy spirit -- new energy and new ideas -- to the City Council and also to the upcoming City Council race.
But to be clear, don’t count me out for mayor in four years time.
2021 CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS: A RENEWED OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW ENERGY AND NEW IDEAS
In this November’s election, there are three City Council seats that will need to be filled. As you may know, the Council is a nine member legislative body: six members, including mine, are elected by individual neighborhoods (wards), and three members are elected by the entire city. On Tuesday, November 2, those three seats are up for election, and the stakes couldn't be higher. For us to continue to have a system of checks and balances in Hoboken, we need to elect an independent Council who will work with the Mayor when he is right and hold him accountable when he is not.
important to have diverse and unique voices on the City Council. If all three of the Mayor’s handpicked candidates win, including two incumbents, he will have a five vote majority who will rubber stamp his agenda without any opportunity for questions or challenges. A Mayor with a City Council that doesn't question policy is terrible for good, representative government and this will translate to more out of scale development, increased legal costs, unnecessary litigation, and once federal stimulus funds run out… more taxes.
This is why I am thrilled that independent candidates looking to run for City Council have approached me to ask for my support. We have the chance to get these independent Council candidates on the ballot this November and onto the dais in January, but to do so, they must get 600 ballot petitions signed before THIS MONDAY 8/30 at 4 p.m. They need your help to meet this goal.
I can tell you that in my experience of getting ballot petitions signed, it’s a daunting task. Since these independent candidates are running a grassroots effort, not being supported by shadowy Super PACS nor funded by the Mayor’s war chest of out of town donors, they are relying on you to sign their petitions in order to get their names on the ballot so you have choices on Election Day. If you believe in democracy and keeping our local government honest, simply:
Thank you for continued support in me and in those looking to bring new energy and new ideas to Hoboken. I know that together we can fight divisive politics and continue the progress we’ve made to build a city that works for everyone.