In a letter to the editor, Hoboken GOP Chair Pavel Sokolov gives his two cents on how the city can “move past divisive politics” by electing 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo as mayor.
Dear Editor,
On December 2nd, the residents of Hoboken will choose between four more years of the status quo under Team Bhalla–Jabbour or a decisive new direction with Team Russo.
This election is an opportunity to move past divisive politics and embrace leadership focused on good governance and unity.
The Jabbour Record: Divisiveness and Questionable Governance
Councilwoman Jabbour, the Team Bhalla mayoral candidate, has continued a political approach characterized by confrontation rather than collaboration.
Concerns regarding fiscal responsibility and education include:
- Taxpayer Burden: Jabbour’s record positions her as the high-tax candidate, marked by votes to raise taxes and support for extravagant development projects on the taxpayer’s dime. This pattern of spending, coupled with the hiring of failed political allies to key city positions, raises serious fiscal concerns. It is paramount for renters to understand that through her tax and spend policies, Jabbour raises rents by increasing property taxes. These increases go beyond the rent control caps and specifically hurt those who rely on rent control protection and cannot afford exorbitant rent increases.
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Opposition to Public Education Options for Parents: In an act seen as contradictory to Hoboken’s diversity, Jabbour actively fought against the expansion of the Elysian Charter School by writing a letter to the New Jersy State Department of Education recommending that the school instead be shut down as a distinct institution. Public charter schools, which educate ~30% of Hoboken’s K-8 students, offer Hoboken parents with important educational options, so Jabbour’s attempt at imposing a strict “one size fits all” approach for our children should be a wake up call for us all.
On matters of public safety and ethics, her actions have been criticized for:
- Neglecting Public Safety: Jabbour has been criticized for her complicity in the lack of enforcement of the e-delivery biker safety ordinance. It is clear that because her political opponents, Russo, Presinzano, Ramos and others, advocated for the Test and Vest ordinance, Jabbour purposefully coordinated with Mayor Bhalla to see this program fail. Furthermore, the escalation of violence in locations like Church Square Park, which led to a physical assault, begs the question of why officers were not assigned sooner, suggesting political optics may have been prioritized over constituent safety. The refrain from the administration has always been that Hoboken is perfectly safe and that any naysayers were just being hyperbolic, but recent events have plainly laid out for all to see that avoiding the issues is not a solution.
- Campaign Contributions and Voting Record: She is accused of rushing through theCLEAR camera program, refusing to allow the council significant time to debate or think through potential issues. Even more concerning are the campaign contributions to Jabbour’s Mayoral campaign and Bhalla’s Assembly campaign from leadership of the organization that won the camera contract. The program has been criticized by both privacy advocates as well as the small business community for unfairly penalizing shoppers, drivers, and employees, directly hurting sales and the ability for our local businesses to make rent.
Exclusion and Bigotry:
- Support from Anti-Semitic Groups: Jabbour has been endorsed by and supported groups that display openly Anti-Semitic views and call for the destruction of Israel, exemplified by caricatures of Jewish individuals and Israeli flags with either Xs or violent speech displayed on them. This fits a wider pattern of disregard for the large Jewish community in Hoboken, made clear with Jabbour’s silence on the outcry following the Palestinian flag raising at City Hall by Bhalla, which clearly featured a Israeli Flag with a large X through it with photo evidence widely publicized on social media.
- Defunding of Hoboken Community Non-Profits: Jabbour has voted to defund grants to Hoboken Non-Profits, specifically those that serve our most vulnerable communities. Children that reside in the Hoboken Authority especially felt the cuts as programs that provide them with enrichment, athletics, and education were put in jeopardy by Jabbour’s callous actions. To make matters worse, Jabbour voted to increase fees on our Non-Profits for the use of City land and property, further stretching already tight budgets. It cannot be ignored that Jabbour clearly targeted BIPOC populations in our town who she recognizes are not part of her voter base.
The only marginally good idea Jabbour had was to cross party lines by putting a Republican on her ticket, but, unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a ruse as she immediately sold Steve Firestone out to score cheap, nonsensical, partisan points
. I empathize with Steve, who is by all accounts a qualified and decent man, and condemn his being tokenized by Jabbour. This is a regular pattern with Jabbour, as she quickly sells out her former friends for the sake of political convenience.
After eight years Jabbour demonizing anyone who falls out of her narrow view of acceptable politics, religion, and race, it is no surprise that all these different groups are coalescing to support a unified Hoboken against her.
Ultimately, this run off is an opportunity to repudiate the politics of hate that have long gripped our home and instead welcome Councilman Russo’s message of tolerance and acceptance, regardless of one’s, race, religion, or political affiliation.
I recognize that this letter will inevitably be used by Jabbour’s campaign for another personal smear against me and my friends, but I believe silence is complicity and that everyone who calls Hoboken home deserves equal representation and protection under the law.
I ask the residents of Hoboken this December 2nd to join Former Democratic Hoboken Chairwoman and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Former Democratic Assemblyman and Councilman Ruben Ramos, Democratic Councilman Paul Presinzano, and former Democratic Councilman Michael Defusco in voting for Mike Russo as Mayor so that we can put the divisiveness of the past in the rearview mirror once and for all.
Pavel Sokolov
13 Year Hoboken Resident
Hoboken GOP Chairman
