Running in the Fourth Ward

For somebody who says he didn't move to Hoboken to become  a politician, Fourth Ward resident Rami Pinchevsky is pretty involved. 

Pinchevsky is running for the City Council's Fourth Ward seat—historically a highly contested one—against Occhipinti.

"I'm just tired of the culture of corruption and incompetence," Pinchevsky said during an interview last week. He said also he wants to be part of the process of bringing a park to the South West part of town. "I have an idea of how I want the ward to be," Pinchevsky, 30, said, sitting in , one of the Fourth Ward's bars.

The Fourth Ward, Pinchevsky continued, should become "more of a destination."

In 2010 Pinchevsky was appointed to the planning board. He came to the Fourth Ward in 2002, right after graduating from Florida State College in 2002. Pinchevsky currently lives with his wife Miriam, 29, who was also his high school sweetheart in Orlando, where Pinchevsky grew up. Pinchevsky was born in Queens, New York.

"I want to raise my family in Hoboken," Pinchevsky said.

Besides the creation of a new park, Pinchevsky's two major issues in the election are the budget and flooding. ("My car has been flooded twice.")

Pinchevsky said also that he doesn't think council members should receive health care benefits. Right now council members are entitled to them, but can opt out. One of Occhipinti's campaign promises when he ran in November, was that he would not accept the benefits to save the city money.

Pinchevsky said he is disappointed with Occhipinti's performance as his council representation so far. "He proved all the doubters correct," Pinchevsky said. "He has proven to be just another obstructionist on the council."

Pinchevsky said he'd work with the adminsitration, "rather than bashing it." Pinchevsky is being backed by Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

"The Fourth Ward would benefit from working with the administration," Pinchevsky said.

During the special election in November—during which Occhipinti beat then-Councilman Michael Lenz—the vast majority of voters living in the Hoboken Housing Authority voted for Occhipinti. When asked how he will try to gain some ground in that district, Pinchevsky answered that he has been attending HHA meetings for years and that people know him.

"I've spent the last few years building relationships," said Pinchevsky, who plays on Pinchevsky is also a Fourth Ward representative on the Democratic Committee.

About the roughly , Pinchevsky said it's "gimmick free." Because of his background as an actuary, he said, he would add skills to the budget process. Pinchevsky said he took a municipal budget course at Rutgers University. As far as the city's surplus is concerned, Pinchevsky said it should be 10 percent. 

Another idea, Pinchevsky said, is to start a summer job program for kids living in the Housing Authority in cooperation with the city. That'd be a win-win, Pinchevsky said. He added that the Hoboken Housing Authority has a lot of "success stories." But, he added, there is nowhere to move to in Hoboken if a resident can't afford to buy a new condo.

"I want folks to stay in Hoboken," Pinchevsky said. "That comes down to development with more affordable housing."

Pinchevsky is up for election on May 10.