November 7 was election day here in the United States. Although there were no races for Congress or U.S. President, local and state officials across the country were elected to office. This includes here in Hoboken where we had elections for the six council members who represent the six wards of Hoboken. More on that first election, and the election process here in Hoboken, can be found on The Stute’s website.
Although five of these elections went smoothly, no one in the race for Ward 1 received the 50% + 1 majority required to win the election. This means that for the past month, candidates have continued to campaign for a runoff election that occurred on December 5. It was in the middle of this month that accusations arose claiming that one of the candidates, Paul Presiziano, was bribing voters to use mail-in ballots to elect him. The veracity of these claims is unknown, but regardless of the truth, this is simply another example of how dirty and underhanded Hoboken politics can be.
Mail-in ballots became widespread to allow Union soldiers to vote during the 1864 election; President Lincoln hoped that they would secure him a second term, which they did. More recently, those who believe that the election was “stolen” from president Donald Trump have considered mail-in-ballots as a form of election fraud. However it has been proven from independent, third party sources that mail-in ballots themselves are perfectly safe. However, what isn’t safe is people bribing others to vote a certain way.
The current controversy surrounding the runoff election is exactly that. Supposedly, supporters of Paul Presiziano or Paul Presiziano himself have offered $50 bribes to tenants in a Hoboken building in order to sway the election in his favor. Supporters of his opponent, Rafi Cordova, quickly helped those within the building send a formal letter to the New Jersey Attorney General reporting these bribes.
Obviously, any form of voting bribery is illegal, and opposed to all the democratic ideals of this republic. However, where this story becomes even more murky is following the counter accusations from supporters of Presiziano. Current council members Tiffanie Fisher and Ruben Ramos have also sent a letter to the NJ Attorney General’s office, voicing their opinion that the accusations towards Presiziano and his supporters are baseless, and that Cordova is in bed with Hoboken Mayor Bhalla. What lends credence to their argument is that the letters accusing Presiziano of the fraud came out on the same day that mail in ballots were meant to be received and cast. Observers have noted that this seems like very opportune timing, and coincidences are rare and far between, especially in politics. Furthermore, Bhalla has made a $2,500 contribution to Cordova’s election campaign, and has made, according to Fisher and Ramos, “deceptive statements and misinformation to win.”
The runoff election ended up being taken by Paul Presiziano. Presiziano’s main goal in running was maintaining a balance of power between supporters of the mayor and independents. The various accusations regarding vote-buying have yet to find a definitive answer, however investigations are ongoing. We hope that Paul Presiziano serves Hoboken with distinction, and that authorities get to the bottom of this controversy.
