HOBOKEN–Hey, Hoboken – if you feel like the town is constantly having elections, you’re not alone.
The Associated Press published a story today with an interesting headline: “Hoboken NJ mayor faces 6th election in 2 1/2 years.”
It points out how Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer had three elections for her 4th Ward council seat (a regular one, a runoff against Christ Campos, and then a do-over runoff), then a runoff for mayor this year, a final mayoral election in which she lost to Peter Cammarano. Then, when he got arrested for corruption, she became acting mayor.
Now she faces a new election in November to permanently keep the seat that she ascended to in August.
So – six elections in 2.5 years. Egad!
In the story, Zimmer talks about how a week after she took over as acting mayor, she was on national TV at a press conference after the helicopter fell into the Hudson.
“It felt like an out-of-body experience,” she says.
Here are more excerpts:
Zimmer, whose first foray into politics was lobbying for a park in her neighborhood, suddenly found herself coordinating with federal officials, briefing the international media, working to overhaul Hoboken’s development process in the wake of the scandal, and campaigning for the job she currently holds.
“Quite frankly if you told me 2 1/2 years ago that I’m going to be acting mayor of Hoboken, I would have said you’re crazy,” she said. “But the issues have driven me to become mayor.”…
Zimmer said nine years as a corporate communications specialist and a penchant for long-distance running have helped her navigate the chaos of the past few months.
“I love to sprint uphill,” she said. “I love to dig in deep and persevere.”
Critics accuse Zimmer of being either too inexperienced in the ways of Hudson County politics, or too beholden to them. She’s come under fire for keeping her council seat while serving as acting mayor.
Kimberly Glatt, who stepped down as a Hoboken municipal court judge to run for mayor, said Zimmer’s dual-office holding may be legal, “but it’s problematic that she’s both executive and legislative.”
Glatt, a Hoboken native, said residents are upset about a recent 47 percent tax increase, a lack of focus and failure to adopt a budget, and a perception that Zimmer’s been trying to remove civil servants without due process.
“It’s the tenor, or tone at city hall, no one is particularly happy,” Glatt said. “I love Hoboken, we’re one square mile and have a lot to be happy about and proud of, but I think we’re focusing on the negative.”…
Among supporters, Zimmer’s community activist roots and perennial candidacy have earned her a loyal following as a tenacious folk hero who has fought the longtime influence of machine politics in Hudson County.
Zimmer said as a Laconia, N.H., native married to a Brooklynite, she and her husband find Hoboken to be the perfect mix of small town hospitality and urban excitement, easily accessible to New York City. She says she wants to help the city shed its recently tainted image and become a model for urban, green living, balanced development, and clean government.
To read the full story, click HERE.