Hoboken Mayoral Candidate Profile: Michael Russo

HOBOKEN, NJ — Councilman Michael Russo is among six candidates running become the next mayor of Hoboken. Patch has been posting their profiles and Q&A all month. Come back to Hoboken Patch to read them all.

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Four of the candidates have been on the City Council for more than two terms each, so theoretically, they have had time to try to implement their ideas. But council members Fisher, Ramos, and Russo have sometimes been at odds with Mayor Ravi Bhalla. Bhalla's ally, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, has voted with him consistently.

The elections are non-partisan. Residents can choose a mayoral candidate and any three council members in November, plus a successor to the late Jen Giattino if a resident lives in the 6th Ward.

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

The list of people who filed to run for mayor:

(Read all the profiles and election coverage here)

• Dini Ajmani, former state and U.S. Treasury official
• Tiffanie Fisher, 2nd Ward councilwoman
• Emily Jabbour, councilwoman-at-large
• Ruben Ramos Jr., 4th Ward councilman
• Michael Russo, 3rd Ward councilman
• Patricia Waiters, who has run for council and school board

PRIOR REPORTING: More Candidates Join Hoboken Mayor's Race

Candidate Profile And Questions

Biographical Questions

Name: Dr. Michael Russo
Age: 50
Length of time you've lived in Hoboken: My whole life – and I won’t ever leave!
Public service in Hoboken: Longest-serving member of City Council in modern history. Previously Commissioner of Hoboken Housing Authority+Hospital Authority, plus served on Zoning Board
Family: My amazing wife Lisa, and our four beautiful children, Lia Grace, Jack Anthony, and our twins Michele Stella and Michael Dean; my brothers Nick and Anthony; and my big Italian family with cousins and in-laws everywhere!

Do you have immediate family members working for local government? Who?
My brother Anthony is a Sergeant for Hoboken PD.

Do you have a full-time job? If so, what is it? If not, how do you earn a living?
Currently work in HR for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. By trade I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy and at one point I had offices in Hoboken, Elizabeth, and Bayonne.

How many properties do you own in Hudson County?
None. I am one of only two candidates in this race who rents. The data I’ve seen suggests that two thirds of Hoboken residents are renters, and frankly I think our government is out of touch with that group.

Educational background:
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Utica College, 2013
Master of Science, Rutgers University (formerly UMDNJ)
Bachelor of Science, Stockton University

Other experience:
Eagle Scout, assistant scoutmaster, youth football coach, and nonprofit board member for multiple organizations

If you are supporting a ticket of council candidates, please state their names.
9-H Nicole Magaña for City Council At-Large
10-H Peter Keeling for City Council At-Large
11-H Dean Murray for City Council At-Large
7-I Ryan Cunningham for City Council 6th Ward

Website where voters can find more information: russoforhoboken.com

Longer Questions. Answers must be kept to 250 words or fewer. We reserve the right to truncate longer answers. If you cut and paste, please eliminate extra line breaks:

1. Since all of the candidates have experience with local or state government, the voters may not know the differences. Please tell us what makes you more qualified for the job than all of your opponents.

Many don’t remember, but back when I was growing up a Democratic Mayor and a Republican Governor worked hand in hand to build the Hoboken waterfront. Our greatest asset, our most beautiful park, the thing that makes us the envy of the region, is the result of people putting their differences aside and working together. I’m running to restore that spirit and that mission.

I’m the only member of City Council in this race who has gotten elected independently of any Mayor’s ticket—and I’ve been re-elected the most number of times. In that time I’ve seen Mayors come and go and I’ve seen petty political infighting get in the way of progress—but I’ve also seen what happens when people come together. What Hoboken needs right now is a Mayor with the political will to fight for the things that matter: restoring a sense of order and safety, making housing more affordable and accessible to working people, fixing our traffic nightmare, and improving our home instead of letting it slide backwards.

2. What is the biggest problem in Hoboken, and how will you address it?

The biggest problem we have is that City Hall refuses to enforce the law.

We have e-bike drivers flying down the sidewalk past seniors and young mothers with strollers; they blow through red lights and they take commuter spots on our bike racks by the PATH because their apps imply they should do anything possible to get ratings for fast deliveries. We have a law on the books called Tests and Vests, which I sponsored along with a few of my Council colleagues, that mandates those drivers register with City Hall, take a safety test, and wear a yellow numbered vest. Yet City Hall flubbed the rollout and has largely refused to ticket offenders — so the problem’s gotten worse. There’s also those other basic quality of life issues like dog waste, an uptick in homelessness, and crime.

With regards to the e-bikes: when I’m Mayor, ticketing and impounding for lawbreakers starts on Day One. No more waiting a year and a half for one photo op. This is a top priority for residents when I talk to them.

I’m going to move and expand the Hoboken Shelter. We’ll house these individuals in a brand new facility in the city’s northwest and give them larger, more dignified living quarters, more services like job training, and more.

I’ll also install a permanent parks patrol so families no longer have to worry about the safety of their children. Safety is the number one priority of government, always.

3. For whom did you vote in the 2024 presidential election? How do you see national politics affecting Hoboken in the next few years?

I personally voted for Kamala Harris, but I also have family and friends who did not vote for her, and I respect that. Right now I don’t think either national party is delivering 100% for people here on the ground. I think over the last few years we’ve all been absorbed by the larger conversation, and the reality is it does have an impact on Hoboken whether we like it or not. From immigration to human services funding, these 30,000 foot issues touch the city, the county, and the state. Here’s my promise to our residents: Hoboken is my top priority. Anyone who wants to work with me to provide dignity and stability to our population, to make our commutes easier, to improve our quality of life, to make housing more affordable for us: you will have a partner in me.

4. Hoboken residents have been promised a community pool for decades and still don't have one, despite updates each spring about a plan. There's also little citywide access to the existing pools in town. If you are elected mayor, by what year can residents expect a pool? Please be specific. If you can't make that promise, why not?

I was the first candidate in this race to propose a vision for a state-of-the-art aquatic complex on a rebuilt waterfront Pier B. This is not rocket science. Weehawken has a waterfront public pool, and we are losing people and money to them. That being said: the crux of any major public project should be components that generate revenue, and in my vision, there will also be an event center that people will pay top dollar to have their functions in. You can see sample visuals for this project at russoforhoboken.com/recreation.

I’ve pledged to begin a financing plan within my first 100 days in office. Most of the first stage of our waterfront revitalization was approved and built within six years, so I’m confident we can build this pool in my first term.

5. Do you believe Hoboken's current rent control ordinance should stay as is? If not, what changes would you make, and do you believe other rent-related laws are needed?

The City Council made a change to the ordinance in 2023 that I believe would have improved the process. Unfortunately, Mayor Bhalla vetoed that measure and that set off the crisis that led to last year’s referendum. I’m glad that referendum failed.

In terms of upgrades to rent control, this is another area where we need better enforcement. Lots of bad actors around Hoboken that need to face consequences for refusing to play by the rules.

6. It's been said that the city has become unaffordable to some long-time residents. Some have suggested creative solutions to cut costs, such as $5 ferry rides. Recreation programs have been made free to residents who qualify for school lunches -- but the cutoff is an annual income of $59,478 for a family of four, perhaps not a lot to live on in Hoboken. What is one creative solution you'd like to try to make living here more affordable, that others have not thought of yet?

I want to challenge the premise that a solution like $5 ferry rides would make things more affordable. You are taking taxpayer money and giving it to a private company to subsidize riders who make six figures on average, according to the data we have available. You’ll have to account for that in the budget. That sounds like a regressive tax to me, and could make things less affordable for working class people, not more.

With regards to creative solutions, I have been a warrior on an island for increasing the supply of workforce housing so the people who work here in Hoboken making a middle class salary can have a chance to live here too. I’ve also proposed the closest we can get to zero-based budgeting, an exercise that could potentially decrease our tax burden. I intend to consolidate departments and reduce the size of Hoboken’s administration. We need to be refocusing on core functions of government, like helping small businesses open on time, helping transient folks find steady housing and work, and enforcing our laws.

7. Have you taken developer contributions to your campaign? Do you think it's a problem for a Hoboken candidate to take them?

Team Russo gets contributions from locals of every stripe and, being born and raised here, I’ve known some of them since I was a kid. Yes, some of them are developers. Some of my opponents’ donors are real estate investors, landlords or political officials, but I’m not going to attack them over it. The bottom line is does this person do what’s right for Hoboken. I’m never afraid to say my piece and vote for the best interests of our residents—including when it means a particular donor doesn’t agree with what I have to say. Voting against the rent control “compromise” legislation is a great example; the people spoke, and the Council voted accordingly.

In fact, no candidate in this race has fought harder to bolster middle class housing in Hoboken and prevent a takeover of more luxury apartments. The Garage B redevelopment will be 100% affordable and workforce housing because I said I wouldn’t support the project otherwise. We cannot just be a city of penthouses. These things matter, and I’ll put my record up against anyone else’s any day of the week.

8. Which toppings do you normally get on your pizza, and what are some things that should never go on a pizza?

My favorite is soppressata with hot honey! As much as some of my Italian family would disagree with me, I avoid tuna on pizza like the plague.

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