In what could be the most heated citywide election in many years, three people filed petitions with the city clerk last Thursday to run for mayor, and 12 Hoboken residents, including three independents, will compete for three spots on the city council .
“It’s official,” said Mayor Russo as he opened the door at the city clerk’s office at 3:58 p.m. last Thursday. “We’re back.”
With petitions in hand, the mayor, who is seeking reelection, was followed in by Nellie Moyeno, Stephen Hudock, and James Fitzsimmons, his slate of candidates for the upcoming May 8 election. Moyeno and Hudock are up for re-election, while Fitzsimmons had served two terms on the council before stepping down two years ago.
As she was handing in her packet of signatures, Nellie Moyeno turned to give her ideas for the future. “We are going to provide more units of affordable housing, more parking, we are going to stabilize taxes, improve traffic flow and alleviate congestion,” said Moyeno. “We are running on our record while looking to the future.”
Also a part of the team is campaign manager and seven-term school board president David Anthony, who will not be paid for his work.
Russo’s third term
Mayor Russo is running for his third term in office. “I am running on my record,” said Russo last week. “We have solutions for problems, where others only have complaints. We are going to deal directly with parking; the traffic study shows that. We are going to increase open space. We have more than doubled that since we took office. We are going to provide time-proven leadership as a team.”
The mayor went on to say, “We are going to promote smart and sensible development. Hoboken is more than a city – it’s a neighborhood, and that’s the way we will keep it.”
The mayor said that development is not exploding out of control, contrary to what his political opponents started saying two years ago (after much of the development had already been approved), and that current census numbers and growth rates bear that fact out. “We are between two tunnels and in an urban area, so of course we will have traffic challenges,” he said. “But that traffic is not because of the rise of new developments. It is because travelers are using Hoboken as a short cuts to get to the tunnels. But we are actively looking for solutions to these challenges. Our opponents are taking issues and are making them emotional. But their hype is only that, hype. We are going to give the people real solutions to any problem that faces the city. “
A new old face
When Fitzsimmons called it quits from the city council in 1999, he was quoted as saying about his political career, “There is an old saying in Spanish, Nunca diga nunca, never say never. I keep my options open.” That time has come for Fitzsimmons, who is a police lieutenant.
Like Moyeno and Hudock, Fitzsimmons first came into office in 1993 with Russo. He became council president and got high marks for his steering the body through Russo’s tumultuous first two years in office. In 1999, when Fitzsimmons became eligible for a police promotion, he gave up the council seat. He said that he made the switch to spend more time with his family and resume his career as a police lieutenant.
Last week, Fitzsimmons said, “I want to continue what we started in my first six years here. We have an responsible plan of the development of the northwest part of the city, we streamlined city government, and we will continue to make a Hoboken a great and affordable place to raise a family. In the past we made developers make homes bigger to suit families. We have always looked at the big picture. “
Roberts, Tumpson file for mayor; 12 file for council
Probably the most daunting ticket that the Russo team will face this year will come from “Hoboken United.” State Sen. Bernard Kenny and Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons are backing a team that has the capital to compare with the Russo political machine.
Hoboken United is running on a platform against what they see is overdevelopment in Hoboken, and they say that Russo is instilling a climate where people are afraid to speak out against his policies.
Hoboken United’s mayoral candidate is 6th Ward Councilman Dave Roberts. Their slate for the city council includes incumbent At-Large Councilman Anthony Soares, current 4th Ward Councilman Ruben Ramos, and political newcomer and community activist Carol Marsh.
One surprise candidate for this year’s mayoral election is community activist Dan Tumpson. Tumpson has been a strong advocate against changes to the city’s rent control law that could hurt tenants.
“With only two candidates,” said Tumpson Thursday, “I don’t feel there is enough emphasis on either side to put the breaks on development.”
Tumpson’s slate of candidates of the City Council’s At-Large seats are Helen Hirsch, Cheryl Fallick and Alice Misiewicz. Hirsch, as a taxpayer activist, has made headlines recently by lending her name to two lawsuits in town, one of which struck down a council measure giving extra longevity payments to city workers, and another that seeks to void a state agreement with Applied Housing, a Hoboken development company .
There are also several independents who are running for the open council seats. One of them, schoolteacher Terry LaBruno, said, “I know it’s going to be hard running as an independent. But that way, I am free to speak my mind without having to report to anyone.” LaBruno also said that she wants to put an end to having “construction on every corner” and she is strong advocate for increasing the amount of public recreation options. The other independents who filled petitions were Sal DeMeo and Carrie Gilliard. Gilliard is on the Board of Education, but would have to step down if she won the council seat.