This previous Tuesday and Thursday, Hoboken City Council candidates had a public forum organized by the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition. Members of the public were able to ask questions to the candidates by passing index cards to the moderators, who relayed this information to those present.
Hoboken is divided into 6 wards, with the council including one representative from each ward. On October 22, the candidates for the odd numbered wards presented their opinions on issues in Hoboken. These included Michael DeFusco and Migdalia Pagan-Milano for the 1st Ward, Michael Russo and Ronald Bautista for the 3rd Ward, and candidates Nicola Maganuco, Timothy Crowell, and Phil Cohen running for the 5th Ward.
On October 24, the candidates for the even numbered wards presented their thoughts and opinions. These included Tiffanie Fischer and Nora Martinez DeBenedetto for the 2nd Ward, Ruben Ramos Jr. and Lisa Sprengle for the 4th Ward, and the candidates for the 6th Ward, Jennifer Giattino, Cristin Cricco-Powell, and Frank Rosner.
The questions posed by the crowd included a wide variety of issues, ranging from development in Hoboken to Lime scooters and alternative forms of transportation. Each candidate had 90 seconds to respond and 60 seconds for rebuttals if desired.
In general, both forums remained civil. At the first forum, Crowell even stated about his opponents, Cohen and Maganuco, “We’ve all committed to cooking [at the homeless shelter] together, the three of us, after the election season is over.”
When asked about Hoboken’s finances, many candidates were concerned about the recent tax increases from Hudson County. According to Russo, “We [need to] keep more money in the city of Hoboken, rather than sending it to the county.” Many candidates also expressed a desire to obtain more out of Hudson County. At the second forum, Rosner stated that “Wherever the money comes from we should investigate any avenue and any source to obtain funding.”
Among the candidates, many were dedicated to keeping a friendly relationship with Stevens. DeFusco stated that “The growth of Stevens is the growth of Hoboken.” The forum being held in DeBaun was a testament to the continued cooperation between the school and the government, something which has not changed despite the ongoing lawsuit between the organizations. The words of the candidates echoed this sentiment, and indicated a desire for Hoboken and Stevens to work together for the future.
In recent council meetings, a prevalent topic has been the Hoboken rail yard redevelopment plan. The redevelopment plan is one that has been discussed for a long time, but has only been brought up again recently. Most candidates agree that the project needs to move forward, but opinions are still split on how to proceed. In general, candidates agreed that the project needs to be more available to public interaction, with Bautista stating, “I believe that there has to be more transparency on the project.” According to Fisher, the project was rushed and the effects on traffic and the community need to be investigated further, saying, “This was a development that was shepherded through City Hall with no interest in having any public input.”
Questions were also posed about the use of scooters, bike lanes, and parking. Residents are concerned about the use of Lime scooters and bikes on the sidewalk endangering pedestrians. Candidates were generally in favor of bike lanes, but how these lanes should be implemented was a point of contention. Some members advocated bike lanes in general, while others proposed more reserved solutions, such as a limited number of lanes on a street-by-street basis. However, transportation in Hoboken is a nebulous issue, including Lime scooters, biking and bike lanes, parking, public transit, and more. As Sprengle says, “There needs to be resident involvement […] and we have to get it right, we need to study everything at once.”
Citizens also raised questions about rent controls. All the candidates at the second forum were supporters of rent control. Ramos stated that “One of the things we have to do ourselves is educate our residents on what their rights are.”
Overall, the forums helped to provide a deeper insight into the opinions of the candidates, giving the voting body helpful information for the upcoming election.
Interested readers can find video of the full forum on the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition facebook page at www.facebook.com/QLCHoboken/. Voting takes place on November 5.
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