Hoboken City Council elections

Hoboken City Council midterm elections were held this past Tuesday, November 5. Polls were open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There are six seats on the City Council representing each of the six wards in Hoboken. Each ward is defined by the neighborhoods and streets within the city. The candidates who ran in the elections this year were: Michael DeFusco and Migdalia Pagan-Milano in the First Ward; Tiffanie Fisher and Nora Martínez DeBenedetto in the Second Ward; Ronald Bautista and Michael Russo in the Third Ward; Ruben Ramos, Jr. and Lisa Sprengle in the Fourth Ward; Phil Cohen, Timothy Crowell, and Nicola Maganuco in the Fifth Ward; and Cristin Cricco-Powell, Jennifer Giattino, and Frank Rosner in the Sixth Ward.

All incumbent council members reran for another term except Fifth Ward’s Peter Cunningham. Ravi Bhalla, the Mayor of Hoboken, backed a slate of five of the candidates, all first time runners: Cohen, Cricco-Powell, Sprengle, DeBenedetto, and Pagan-Milano.

The outcome of the midterm elections was: DeFusco in the First Ward, Fisher in the Second Ward, Russo in the Third Ward, Ramos, Jr., in the Fourth Ward, Cohen in the Fifth Ward, and Giattino in the Sixth Ward.

While all but one of the five candidates Bhalla backed lost, he relayed his pride at the efforts of the candidates, saying, “They were, and are, passionate advocates for Hoboken […] It’s not easy running against incumbents, not ever having ran for office before, but it’s a testament to their love for our city and civic engagement that Nora and Cristin literally came up a handful of votes short in their races. I know each of them will stay involved and we are lucky to have them as residents of the City we all love and call home. And I know Phil will do an incredible job for Hoboken’s Fifth Ward on the Council.”

Bhalla also congratulated the winners and anticipates “working constructively with each of them over the next two years to make Hoboken an even better place to live.”

Several of the candidates made statements on the elections, congratulating candidates and sharing their sentiments on serving the City of Hoboken. Giattino for the Sixth Ward (of which Stevens is a part), looks forward to continuing her work with the council. “I’m truly humbled by the outpouring of support from the 6th ward. When the polls closed, we had a clear majority of the votes. Which is quite significant considering that we were facing off against two challengers. And while I believe it is important for all of the remaining ballots to be counted, both the vote by mail and provisional ballots, I know how hard everyone worked to get us here. That, to me is a victory. And, I am looking forward to continuing to serve the people of the 6th Ward.”

Cricco-Powell shared her thoughts on the new experience. “I’m proud that as first-time candidate, I was just 87 votes short in a race against an 8-year incumbent. Running for office is tough work, but getting off the sidelines is worth [it], regardless of result. And I am proud to have run.” She advocated for participation in the polls, expressing that she hopes “more people step up across our country to do the same, and I hope more people recognize that their vote matters, and they should use it. Turnout is shockingly low all over the US.”

DeFusco felt his win reflected that “downtown wants to continue bringing independent leadership, new energy and new ideas to City Hall. We’ve stood up to the entire political machine and proved that we will not be sold out to special interest, pro-development PACs or politicians who are only in this for themselves.” He congratulated the efforts of the first-time candidates and asserted that “over the next two years, I’m committed to working with the Mayor to keep pushing Hoboken forward and making it better every day, but I also demand that he respects the legislative process.”

Also included on the election ballots were two Municipal Questions. These Questions were related to the Municipal Open Space Trust Fund, which provides input to the Council on projects related to recreation, open space, and historic preservation. Hoboken Girl claims the Questions relate to the City of Hoboken’s plan to acquire Union Dry Dock and turn it into a maintenance and ferry refueling station. The intent behind including the municipals questions on the ballot is to help the City of Hoboken consider the next steps that should be taken regarding the acquisition of the Union Dry Dock.

The first Municipal Question asked residents, “Shall the Trust Fund be amended so that a minimum of 75% of the amount raised by the Trust Fund be utilized for the acquisition or development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for the payment of debt service on indebtedness issued or incurred by the City of Hoboken for these purposes?”

The second municipal question asked, “Shall the Trust Fund rate be increased from $0.02 to $0.03 per $100.00 of the assessed value of real property, and add historic preservation as an eligible purpose?”

The outcomes for both Municipal Questions were overwhelmingly “Yes.” The city can now increase the usable amount of the Open Space Trust Fund to more than the 75% that is currently permitted, and the City of Hoboken is allowed to purchase the Union Dry Dock with these funds. This also allows the Open Space Trust Fund to expand significantly and include funds for historic preservation.