Ten-year council member Rosanne Andreula, 54, is running for re-election in the 3rd Ward. Andreula first joined the council in a special in a November 1993 election to replace former Mayor Anthony Russo, who became mayor earlier that year. In 1995 and 1999 she ran on Russo’s ticket.
In the election in May, as the incumbent she ran against Russo on Mayor David Roberts’ Hoboken United slate. She lost her seat to Russo by about 100 votes in the runoff.
Andreula grew up in Hoboken and graduated from Hoboken High School in 1965. She got an associate’s degree from Hudson County Community College in medical assisting and has worked in various doctors’ offices. She currently is a medical assistant and EKG technician at a cardiologist office. She is married with two grown children.
Andreula will attempt to get her seat back as an independent, which is a new experience for the former councilwoman.
“I’m really enjoying being an independent,” Andreula said. “I have more of a say in what I’m working so hard to put together.”
She added it also allows her to run a real grassroots campaign, which thus far has included a substantial amount of door to door, and face to face interactions with he constituents.
In an interview Thursday she declined to comment on her opponents or Roberts decision to back Addeo.
“I think it’s important to keep things positive,” she said. “I think I did a good job in my ten years [on the council] and worked hard for the betterment of the city.”
During her interview she said that creating new affordable housing options is going to be her number one priority if elected.
“We need to have smart growth instead of big growth,” she said. “There are working families that have been here for generations that are being priced out of Hoboken. That’s something that has to change.”
She added Hoboken is a desirable place to develop with soaring real estate values. Because of this she said that developers should be made to give back to the community in the form of contributions to affordable housing fund or open space funds. She added that developer of and new large proposed development should be strongly encouraged to include affordable units mixed with the market rate units.
“It’s something that is done all over the state and should be done in Hoboken,” said Andreula.
She is also proud to be running on her accomplishments while in office. In her almost 10 years on the city’s governing body she never voted for a tax increase.
Regarding the issue of parking, she said
When it comes to parking she said the council created over 2,000 parking spaces during her tenure, she said. On the council she lobbied for the 714-car midtown St. Mary’s Garage on Clinton Street, which opened earlier this year and is in her ward.
If elected she said her first action will be pursue paving over the now demolished Mercury Building at 722 Grand St. and open it to the public as a parking lot. She added that community meetings should be held to determine what should eventually be built there, but until then it would be cheap, quick and easy to use the site as parking lot.
Andreula added that she is also particularly proud of the four years she spent as the chairperson on of the council’s Public Safety Subcommittee. “Since I was first elected we have increased the numbers in both the police and fire department,” said Andreula. “Hoboken is a lot safer place to be today that it was in 1993.”
In December 2002, the city hired nine new firefighters, including the city’s first ever female firefighters, and 18 new police officers. The police officers’ salaries will be paid for the next three years by federal grants.