Corner Stores Can Fill Potholes. It All Works Together.

Throughout this campaign, we’ve presented a lot of big ideas — modernized parking garages with real-time availability of spots, a seasonal dome over the field at 1600 Park and a European-style market at the train terminal, just to name a few. These are certainly exciting ideas but the question I hear a lot is “how are you going to pay for it — raise taxes?” Absolutely not. We’re going to stabilize taxes by creating new revenue sources for the city that aren’t on the backs of residential taxpayers, and without negative streams like the $6.5 million we generate from parking tickets.

A POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST THAT COULD COST HOBOKEN TAXPAYERS MILLIONS

This summer, it was revealed that Hoboken has racked up a previously unreported, completely unbudgeted debt of $8.3 million to Suez Water, our city's water provider, that has increased unchecked for the last two years. Residents are outraged and I’ve called for an independent DCA investigation to find out how this debt could have accumulated without public knowledge.

Only one major political figure in Hoboken was silent when this issue was brought to light -- Councilman Ravi Bhalla. The reason why is important to understanding why he’s not the right choice for Mayor.

Ravi Bhalla is a partner at one of New Jersey’s most politically-connected law firms, a firm that has $3.8 million in government contracts. He can’t speak out about the Suez debt, because Suez is one of his law firm’s clients. Suez Water paid Bhalla’s law firm $240,0000 in lobbying fees over the last two years, at a time when the city was negotiating the new contract. You can see the payments right here on official lobbying expense disclosure documents filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission:

Year: 2016

Year: 2015

Bhalla was forced to recuse himself from all votes and discussions on the water contract because of the potential for a major conflict of interest, but that doesn’t answer all the questions on this issue. The Zimmer administration began renegotiating the Suez contract two years ago, before Bhalla’s potential conflict was exposed. Mayor Zimmer has described Bhalla as “my partner from the beginning” in a recent letter she sent to voters endorsing him. Does that mean that Bhalla had a role in negotiating with Suez, even though he had the potential for a major conflict?

ANOTHER POTENTIAL CONFLICT

In 2014, the Hoboken City Council voted to approve a redevelopment plan for the NJ Transit Hoboken Yards property. Ravi Bhalla voted in favor of the plan, but during the same year the vote was cast the law firm where Bhalla is a partner was paid $168,630 by NJ Transit. This created a potential conflict of interest and possibly a serious violation of state ethics law. Bhalla’s law firm, which had $3.8 million in government contracts last year, continues to work for NJ Transit to this day according to its website.

Bhalla’s vote on the NJ Transit redevelopment plan appears to be a violation of the law given that his law firm has a long term business relationship with NJ Transit, billing hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for personal injury defense work. Bhalla did not disclose any potential conflict prior to the vote and chose not to recuse himself.

New Jersey’s Local Government Ethics Law states:

No local government officer or employee shall act in his official capacity in any matter where he, a member of his immediate family, or a business organization in  which he has an interest, has a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement that might reasonably be expected to impair his objectivity or independence of judgment;

I believe that Hoboken needs a new perspective so we can solve our longstanding problems and create a better future. That's why I ran for First Ward Council and defeated a 21-year incumbent, because I think we should always challenge the status quo. I’m not a part of the political establishment and as a private sector media professional at a Fortune 500 company I have no ethical conflicts. I’ll work to reduce flooding in our neighborhoods by fixing our failing infrastructure, and I’ll also prioritize renegotiating the Suez debt to protect our taxpayers and our city. The same can’t be said of Ravi Bhalla.

Check the Facts

Hoboken’s Future Will Be Decided This November. Before you Vote, Check the Facts. 

Over the last few months, we’ve been talking about big ideas for Hoboken’s future together, as well as the necessary changes we can make right now to make our city work better. But now Election Day is almost here, and I think it’s time to take a look not just at what I’m proposing, but who I’m running against in this race.

All of my opponents have positive attributes, and this isn’t about personal attacks. But I think you deserve to know more about their backgrounds, because we can’t solve the problems in our city with the politicians who have helped cause many of them. This is why I think it’s important to check the facts about the candidates for Mayor.

Councilman Ravi Bhalla is a partner at one of the most politically connected law firms in the state, with over $3.8 million in government contracts last year. Although he initially denied a conflict, he was forced to recuse himself from voting on the city’s water contract when it was revealed that Suez had paid his firm $240,000 in lobbying fees over the last two years. He’s also been subject to two lawsuits for violating residents’ first amendment rights at city council meetings, one ongoing and one that the City settled at taxpayer expense.

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Freeholder Anthony Romano is running for two offices at the same time, both Mayor and Freeholder. He’s a career politician who lives in subsidized housing, occupying an apartment that could be used by a family who needs it, even though he collects two government paychecks (a pension and Freeholder salary) worth over $160,000 per year and has substantial real estate investments in Hoboken. Romano has been a Hudson County Freeholder for over nine years, and during that time Hoboken’s county tax burden has increased by 86% to over $70 million.

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As City Council President, Jennifer Giattino presided over city government during a time when we racked up an unreported, unbudgeted $8.3 million debt to our water provider. She also sponsored an ill-conceived flood ordinance which is now causing the destruction of historic brownstones, placing huge financial burdens on homeowners and displacing long-time residents from affordable garden level apartments. (Ordinance Z-263 2nd reading 11-6-2013 sponsored by Giattino, seconded by Mello). Now, she’s pointing fingers and asking for an explanation for something that happened on her watch.

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I’m the only candidate for Mayor with no personal business interests in Hoboken and nothing politically to gain. As a private sector media executive in Manhattan, I’m not part of the political establishment. I ran for City Council because I saw that the longtime incumbent representing my neighborhood wasn’t getting the job done. I knew I could deliver more to my neighbors, and I’ve done that by reducing traffic congestion in the Southwest, improving pedestrian safety on Newark Street and securing a commitment from the operator of Hoboken Train Terminal to open an outdoor French market next year.

Now, I'm running for Mayor to be a problem solver for all of Hoboken, to make our city work for everyone -- I hope you'll help get us there on November 7.