Every year, millions of Americans go to the polls and influence the direction of the government. When most people think about elections, they think of presidential or congressional elections. The federal government has a tremendous amount of power and influence, but at the end of the day, most of the governance that affects people’s everyday lives is done at the local and county level. That is why just as, if not more, important as the federal races are the local elections for district attorney, school boards, state legislatures, and mayors.
Stevens Institute of Technology is in the city of Hoboken, which is part of the greater Hudson County. Hoboken is split into six “wards,” each of which elected a city councilor, who sits on a ten-person body. The remaining four members include the mayor and three other city councilors that hold at-large seats and are elected by the whole city. Hoboken elections are held during federal election off-years, which are odd-numbered years, and alternate between elections of the six ward-specific seats and the four at-large offices.
This year the elections were for the six Hoboken ward seats. In the recent past, most of the candidates have run unopposed for their seats, but this year five of the six seats were contested, demonstrating an increase in residents’ scrutiny of local governance. Ward 1 was the most contested seat, where no candidate reached the 50% + 1 vote threshold required to be elected, and will thus be having a special election on December 5.
Stevens lies within Ward 6, in which incumbent Jen Giatinno retained her seat. Giattino has been a part of Hoboken politics for over a decade, having been first elected to the city council in 2011 and stood as a candidate for mayor in 2017. Before running for office, Giattino attended Fordham University, and has worked as a real estate agent. Her main focus for the next several years, she says, will be to solve the rat infestation in Hoboken. If students have questions regarding Ward 6 or local government, they can reach out to her using her email address: jengiattino6@gmail.com.
Beyond Hoboken, there were several interesting races in Hudson County. This year, Kearny voters elected as mayor not only a woman, but an independent candidate for the first time. Carol Jean Doyle, who is 76 years old, will be serving two years as mayor of Kearny, with a focus on traffic, illegal apartments, and property issues the town faces. Hudson County will also be sending two new state senators to the state legislature, Raj Mukherji of the 32nd District, and Anglea McKnight of the 31st District. Together with five new state assembly members, the Hudson County delegation to Trenton will be the youngest and most diverse in history.
It can be easy to pay attention to national politics only, but much of the truly impactful governing is done at the local level. Staying aware of how our government works and being part of the democratic process, especially in these smaller elections, is one of our most important duties as citizens of this country.
