Hoboken Mayor's 200 Parking Tickets Draw Criticism From Assembly Opponents

HOBOKEN, NJ — It's hard to find parking in mile-square Hoboken, but the mayor gets a free spot near City Hall. So why would Mayor Ravi Bhalla have accrued more than 200 parking and traffic tickets during his tenure as mayor and city councilman before that?

"It’s hard to even comprehend someone having over 200 municipal court cases where they are listed as the defendant," said Storm Wyche, a spokesperson for the county's Democratic organization, which has endorsed Bhalla's opponents in a primary run for local Assembly.

Bhalla, who's currently in his last year as mayor, is running for one of two 32nd District Assembly seats this fall. To clinch the Democratic nomination, he has to be one of the top two vote-drawing Democrats in next Tuesday's primary.

Five other candidates are running for the two seats on the Democratic side.

"It’s even more difficult to understand coming from an individual like Ravi Bhalla serving in a position of significant responsibility as the mayor of Hoboken," Wyche said Tuesday. "A breach of the public trust and potential abuse of power like this certainly calls into question what could happen if Mayor Bhalla was given even more power."

A letter from a local attorney to the U.S. Attorney's office, obtained by Patch, questions a handful of the tickets that Bhalla had dismissed, suggesting that political influence could have played a part. Attorney Georgina Pallitto sent the letter to federal prosecutors on behalf of a client whose name was redacted on the letter.

Bhalla's campaign spokesperson said the accusations were a stunt timed to scuttle his election bid.

"This letter, sent just 12 days before the election, is an amateurish stunt straight out of the Hudson County political machine’s playbook of dirty political tricks," said Rob Horowitz, a political spokesman for Bhalla. "It is written by a longtime lawyer at the Hudson County Law Department who refuses to disclose the identity of the person making these false claims.

He added, "The plain facts are Ravi Bhalla never asked anyone for special treatment period end of story and was never provided any. During the
COVID pandemic and its aftermath, an overwhelmed the Municipal Court staff routinely dismissed tickets that were pending for more than 180 days. We have sought and received confirmation from the municipal court that the mayor has engaged in zero wrongdoing.”

He said, "Like many other Hoboken residents, Mayor Bhalla has received more than his fair share of parking tickets over the years."

Piles Of Attack Ads

The Hudson County Democratic Organization, the county Democrats' well-funded longtime political group, is backing Hoboken Library Director Jennie Pu and Jersey City department supervisor Crystal Fonseca for the two spots. Bhalla is running with Jersey City-based housing expert Katie Brennan.

Supporters of the HCDO's candidates have launched numerous attack ads in the last few months, calling Bhalla's record into question, mainly referring to older accusations.

The most recent mailed ad includes an image of a news story about the parking tickets.

That ad says it's from the Hudson Votes Project, a Political Action Committee that lists a UPS Store box in Jersey City's Newport section as its mailing address. The group supports Pu and Fonseca.

In March 2023, Bhalla was called out on social media for parking in a bus stop to get coffee at Starbucks, with critics complaining that it was part of a "Do as I say, not as I do," attitude. READ MORE: Hoboken Mayor Responds After Parking In Bus Lane To Get Starbucks

Bhalla also has gotten credit for providing safety measures on the city's streets, with a record of zero traffic deaths in Hoboken for the last eight years. READ MORE: Hoboken Celebrates Zero Traffic Deaths

Bhalla began serving as councilman in 2009, and mayor starting in 2017.

Read more about the primary election and six Democratic candidates next Tuesday, and how to vote, here: Primary Election Guide In Hudson County: Who's Running, Where And When To Vote