Dear Neighbor,
Election Day is on Tuesday! Thank you for the kind words and encouragement on the campaign trail, I’m grateful for the support for Team Bhalla: Councilmembers Jim Doyle and Emily Jabbour, and Joe Quintero.
For those still undecided on the Council candidates, here are some of the top reasons I hope you’ll vote for Jim, Joe and Emily:
Jim Doyle and Emily Jabbour helped me navigate COVID-19 and were my trusted eyes and ears on the ground throughout the pandemic. When we had to make difficult decisions to shut down bars and restaurants, close our senior centers, and more – Jim and Emily were the ones to step up and deliver food to seniors, help establish the Front Line Appreciation Group, deliver flyers on testing and vaccines, and much more.
Jim and Emily have a robust and proven track record of accomplishment on the City Council. With Jim and Emily’s steadfast support, we moved forward critical pedestrian safety upgrades, initiated unprecedented investments in our water main system, created the final design of and broke ground on the 5-acre Northwest Resiliency Park, upgraded our dog runs and parks, launched our Climate Action Plan, and much more.
Joe Quintero has by far the strongest policy positions and well-researched ideas of any first-time candidate in this race. It’s clear by reading Joe’s ideas on flood mitigation, transportation, op
Jim and Emily are the only candidates in the race who have spoken up and advocated for protecting our waterfront at Union Dry Dock and Monarch. And, Jim, Emily, and Joe are the only candidates who have made building out the park at Union Dry Dock and at Monarch a central priority, and stand ready work with my administration to make it happen.
Jim, a lawyer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chair of the City Council Environmental Services Sub-committee, and Emily as a member of this Sub-committee, have a deep understanding of the flooding challenges we face. Jim helped negotiate the terms of our new 7th and Jackson Resiliency Park; Jim and Emily helped me expand the Southwest Resiliency Park, acquire 800 Madison for another resiliency park, and much more. Together, Jim, Emily and Joe have detailed plans to help address our biggest quality of life issue.
Emily Jabbour serves her constituents as the de-facto lead on the Council for constituent services. Emily is asked by countless residents on social media, in-person, over the phone, and more every
Joe Quintero has spent his career building compliance programs focusing on ethics and responsibility. As a lawyer who focuses on building compliance programs in the banking industry, Joe knows how to develop and promote ethical conduct in large organizations. He is the right person to bring increased professionalism and transparency to the City Council.
Jim Doyle provides the balance we need on the City Council to prevent overdevelopment and maintain the charm and character of Hoboken. On numerous redevelopment plans, including the North End Redevelopment Plan, Jim has successfully advocated to prioritize commercial spaces and prevent skyscrapers to ensure Hoboken’s skyline doesn’t become like Newport in Jersey City to our south.
Joe Quintero brings much-needed diversity to the City Council. His life story as a son of Colombian immigrants living the American Dream is an inspiring one and gives him the motivation to better represent underrepresented communities. He’ll hold regular open office hours in both English and Spanish in all sections of Hoboken.
Jim, Emily and Joe are independent thinkers who will continue to challenge me to be a better Mayor. While we’re always a team, Jim and Emily, and now with Joe on the campaign trail, have challenged me to improve good government policies behind the scenes, which will lead to even better legislation and approaches to problems.
Above all, I know the quality of character in Jim, Emily and Joe, and I can say that their integrity is second to none. During the campaign, they’ve kept a positive message every step of the way, even when they’ve been inaccurately criticized by other candidates. They’re the trusted partners I need to help continue our progress in the next four years.
If you have time to volunteer for Team Bhalla on Election Day, please click here, and if you’d like to make a donation to help out Jim, Joe and Emily, please click here. Thank you, and I appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
P.S. The 2/3/4 Hoboken School Board slate of Ailene McGuirk, Malani Cademartori, and Tom Kluepfel has my full support, and I hope you’ll also consider voting for them in the election as well.
P.S.S. Need some additional reasons why to support Team Bhalla? Take a look at this letter from 21 Hoboken parents, who are backing Jim, Joe and Emily. Below are a few more endorsements from members of our community:
Heather Saydah: “Mayor Bhalla, in collaboration with Jim and Emily, made swift, reasoned, and sometimes unpopular decisions that protected all of us and resulted in Hoboken having some of the lowest COVID numbers in the state.” (click here for the full endorsement)
Raakhee Mirchandani: “This group – Ravi, Jim and Emily – represent the best of who we are as a community. They are committed and consistent and relentless advocates for their neighbors and constituents. And I know that learning from his life and professional experiences, Joe Quintero is the ideal addition to the ticket.”
Sarah Demenkoff: “Joe, as a bilingual resident, has the ability to connect and represent residents from all parts of Hoboken, and those who speak primarily (or only) Spanish; this is an important quality that shouldn’t be taken lightly.” (click here for the full endorsement)
Chetali Khanna: “I’m thrilled to support Councilman Jim Doyle, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, and first-time candidate Joe Quintero this election cycle, and I hope you’ll join me in voting for them, as well as the Hoboken School Board slate of Ailene McGuirk, Tom Kluepfel, and Malani Cademartori (2-3-4).” (click here for the full endorsement)
Former Councilwoman Theresa Castellano: “Emily takes it upon herself to be a one-person constituent services office – always helping any individual with any type of problem, both big and small…I have gotten to know Joe and I’m comfortable to say that he is honest, humble, hardworking and sincere.” (click here for the full endorsement)
