There are currently five contenders for the position of mayor of Hoboken. Veteran councilman and former assemblyman Ruben Ramos, Jr., declared his intention to run today, claiming that the municipal administration has lost focus.
According to Ramos, my goal in running for mayor is to bring Hoboken back to its core and ensure that we handle important issues like enhancing public safety, safeguarding our standard of living, making sure that our children and elderly have access to quality programs, and taking steps to lower the cost of living in our city.
This is Ramos’ second attempt to become mayor; in 2013, he ran against incumbent Dawn Zimmer but lost by 1,571 votes, 47%-35%, when runoffs were removed for that race.
incumbent for two terms Instead of running for reelection, Ravi Bhalla is running for the 32nd district’s State Assembly seat.
In the November nonpartisan municipal election, Ramos will run against Councilwoman Emily Jabbour and Tiffanie Fisher, Councilman Michael Russo, and former deputy assistant U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Dini Ajmani. The top two candidates will face off in a runoff on December 2 if a candidate receives 50% of the vote.
Ramos, a middle school teacher, was elected to the Hoboken City Council in 1999, where he was elected to the Fourth Ward. Two years later, he ran for councilman-at-large. On a slate led by Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, who was then an assemblyman seeking the State Senate, he won a resounding off-the-line victory to be elected to the State Assembly in 2007. He was re-elected in 2009 and 2011.
