Zimmer Announces Slate in Advance of Campaign Kickoff

Longtime Hoboken resident and parks advocate Jim Doyle will join incumbents Ravi Bhalla and Dave Mello to fill out Mayor Dawn Zimmer's council slate, the mayor announced in a statement Wednesday, ahead of her re-election campaign kickoff at Little Town NJ.

Doyle, whose appointment to fill the council seat vacated by Carol Marsh last October was invalidated on appeal in July, is a first-time council candidate. As a board member of Hudson Healthcare Inc., the independent agency tasked with running the Hoboken University Medical Center, Doyle played an integral role in the sale of the hospital to HUMC Holdco.

If elected, Doyle said he'd focus on flood preparedness and smart development in Hoboken.

Bhalla, a lawyer who has served as both president and vice president during his first term on council, and Mello, a middle school social studies teacher in the Bronx and open space advocate who chairs the Community Development committee, have been consistent supporters of the mayor.

“Councilmen Ravi Bhalla and David Mello have been with me every step of the way as we restored integrity, fiscal responsibility and accountability to City Hall, putting Hoboken back on the right path," Zimmer said in a statement. "Jim Doyle has been fighting for years as a private citizen to ensure that our City has the open space it needs and he volunteered to help lead the successful effort to save our Hospital when it was about to close. I am excited that he has decided to once again fight for our city. Together, I know we are the best team to build on this sound foundation and leadHoboken forward.”  

Among her accomplishments since becoming mayor in the wake of former mayor Peter Cammarano's arrest and subsequent resignation, Zimmer notes "saving the city's bankrupt hospital from closing," instituting sound budget practices and reducing city taxes.

Going forward, Zimmer said she plans to focus heavily on mitigating Hoboken's flooding problems through a comprehensive Resiliency and Readiness plan that she presented at last week's city council meeting.