Ex-Hoboken Mayor Says Bhalla 'Abandoned' Ethics, Endorses Jabbour As Successor

HOBOKEN, NJ — A day after Hoboken Councilman Michael Russo nabbed a key endorsement in the Dec. 2 mayoral runoff against Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Jabbour's campaign bounced back with an endorsement from a former mayor.

On Tuesday, former Mayor Dawn Zimmer endorsed Jabbour, saying that while Jabbour has been allied with Mayor Ravi Bhalla for eight years, Bhalla had abandoned Zimmer's ethical path, and Jabbour will be different.

"I was elected Mayor of Hoboken in 2009 during a tumultuous time," Zimmer wrote on Tuesday. "Hoboken's finances had been taken over by the State of New Jersey due to years of irresponsible budgeting. Two of the three mayors immediately preceding me, Peter Cammarano and Anthony Russo (Mike Russo's father) were jailed for taking bribes...

"...I know both candidates in the runoff well, and of the two I am confident that Councilwoman Jabbour is the candidate who will restore Hoboken to an ethical and responsible path....Mayor Bhalla continued some of my policies like creating new resiliency parks, working to complete Rebuild by Design to protect Hoboken from the next Sandy like storm...But Mayor Bhalla abandoned my administration's commitment to ethical, fiscally responsible, accountable governance. He engaged in transactional politics, patronage hiring, and irresponsible budget practices."

Zimmer said that just as Bhalla was different from her in some ways, Jabbour will differ from Bhalla.

Zimmer has criticized Bhalla, whom she initially endorsed to succeed her, over the past few years. However, Jabbour, who ran for council on Bhalla's slate both times, has not openly criticized Bhalla.

Recently, she said she regretted not having made her disagreements public. However, she has still avoided taking a stand against Bhalla regarding certain votes. When the council recently voted on a controversial measure regarding the demoted Fire Chief Brian Crimmins, she was the only one on the council to abstain.

See the full text of Zimmer's endorsement here.

Background

Hoboken has one full-time mayor and nine council representatives. Of the City Council, three members are at-large, representing the entire town, while six represent the towns' wards.

The Dec. 2 mayoral runoff will include current Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, who received the most votes in last Tuesday's election, facing off against Councilman Michael Russo.

A runoff occurs when no candidate amasses more than 50 percent of the vote.

Council Runoff

The six top-scoring council candidates will also run again in the Dec. 2 runoff for three at-large seats.

See who they are, and their vote tallies, in this story.

(Candidates in Jersey City's mayoral race will face off in a runoff the same day; read more here.)

Patch posted profiles and Q&A with the mayoral candidates last month. Read them here:

• Emily Jabbour
• Michael Russo

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Hoboken's salary ordinance states that the next mayor will be paid $130,000 and the Hoboken City Council members are paid $35,000. The council president and vice president start at $40,000 and $37,500, plus benefits.

More Voting Details

For New Jersey voter information and procedures, look here.

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