Primary Election Profile: Ravi Bhalla Wants To Serve Hoboken, Jersey City In Assembly

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Six local Democrats are running to be the the party nominees for two 32nd District Assembly seats on the November ballot. The 32nd District represents Hoboken and part of Jersey City.

Patch will profile each of the six candidates. Democrats can vote to nominate any two on June 10. Below are candidate Ravi Bhalla's answers to the questions.

Background

Right now, Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez and Assemblyman John Allen, two Democrats, represent both towns, but Allen has decided not to run for another two-year term. Ramirez is now running on a ticket with Jersey City Ward D (Heights) Councilman Youssef Saleh.

Bhalla, who has said he won't run again for the mayoral spot, is running for Assembly on a ticket with Jersey City-based housing expert Katie Brennan.

Finally, Hoboken Library Director Jennie Pu is running with Jersey City Director of Buildings and Street Maintenance Crystal Fonseca. They have the backing of the longtime political group, the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

In the primaries, candidates from each party compete to get the most votes to represent their party on the General Election ballot in November.

Residents who hope to vote in the New Jersey primary elections — including for governor and for local legislative posts like Assembly — must be a registered member of a political party and can cast their ballot by or on June 10.

Profile: Ravi Bhalla

Town where you grew up: Passaic, NJ

Educational background: B.A., University of California at Berkeley., M.S., London School of Economics, J.D., Tulane Law School

Government or local experience: Mayor of Hoboken, 2018 to the present; Hoboken city councilman, 2010-2017.

Current full-time job, if you have one: Mayor of Hoboken

Family information: Ravi and his wife Bindya live in Hoboken with their two children, Arza , age 18, and Shabegh, age 13.

Please link to your campaign website or the best place to find information about you: https://bhallafornj.com/

3 Questions

1. What differentiates you from the other candidates running in the Democratic primary?

As mayor of Hoboken, I have consistently delivered results. I would bring the same innovative leadership to the State Assembly that has earned Hoboken national recognition as a leader in pedestrian safety, climate change, and standing up for our democratic, inclusive values.

Taking leadership on making Hoboken a safer place to walk, bike and drive, I launched its Vision Zero program. As a result, we are beginning the 8th year without a single pedestrian fatality in the city. This initiative was lauded by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a nation-wide model for safe streets.

Hoboken is one of only 10 cities around the world to receive an “A” rating from the environmental impact non-profit, CDP for its climate change
mitigation and adaptation initiatives. These range from providing plentiful electrical vehicle charging options to creating state of the art resiliency parks designed with infrastructure to combat flooding.

I have consistently spoken out against discrimination, racism, antisemitism and intolerance whenever it surfaced, working to make Hoboken a city in which the democratic values of equality of opportunity and fair treatment are honored. For 7 straight years, Hoboken has received a perfect 100 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for its LGBTQIA+ inclusive policies and laws.

2. What are the biggest issues in the 32nd District Assembly race, and how do you intend to solve them?

Curbing the high cost of living is a top priority. This begins with making housing more affordable. As mayor of Hoboken, I have successfully fought for tenant protections, including protecting and strengthening rent control, upgraded existing affordable housing, and instituted policies that are resulting in the building of hundreds of new units.

In the Assembly, I will fight to adopt strong statewide tenant protections, including a statewide percentage limit on rent increases for buildings that fall outside of local rent control and ensuring the right to counsel for any tenant facing eviction. I will work to expand affordable housing by advocating for streamlining the approval process, doing away with exclusionary zoning, and increasing development near public transit.

I will also fight to ensure that Hoboken and Jersey City receive their fair share of state funding, reducing the upward pressure on property taxes.

Limiting NJ Transit fare hikes and expanding affordable public transit options is also essential. In the Assembly, I will work to secure a permanent,
robust, and reliable state funding source for NJ Transit. Also, I will fight to prioritize public transit over ill-advised highway expansions, such as the $10.7 billion NJ Turnpike extension project.

3. Is there anything else you'd like the voters to know?

As a leader in the successful fight to do away with the unfair and undemocratic county party line, I have a record of taking on the party bosses and winning. In the Assembly, my running mate Katie Brennan and I will answer to the people of Hoboken and Jersey City—not the political machine.

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Here is the primary election timeline.