In a letter to the editor, Hoboken Councilman-at-Large James Doyle says his colleague Ravi Bhalla “will hit the ground running on Day 1” if elected mayor.
Dear Editor,
As you probably know, my friend and colleague, Councilman Ravi Bhalla is running for Mayor of Hoboken, and I’m thrilled to join his team.
I’ve served with Ravi on the Council, and I know firsthand that there is no better person ready to hit the ground running on Day 1 as our next Mayor.
Throughout his eight years on the Council, Ravi has faced difficult votes with real life consequences, and he has consistently done the right thing for our City.
When Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Ravi first took office, the City’s finances were in dire straits, with municipal taxes having risen 70% the year before and the State having taken over the City’s finances.
Ravi supported Mayor Zimmer’s plan to restructure and redeploy the police and fire departments that increased patrols, but also saved taxpayers millions of dollars.
Thanks to these types of difficult decisions, Hoboken’s taxes were stabilized, and the City was able to steadily improve it’s financial condition from near junk-bond status; ultimately acquiring the AA+ bond rating that it has today.
Ravi also demonstrated real leadership as Council President when our hospital was on the brink of closing.
Ravi worked closely with Mayor Zimmer to garner public support and provide testimony to the State to secure the continued existence of a hospital in Hoboken – and its 1200 local jobs – and marshal approval for it by the Council.
Thanks to a lot of hard work, in partnership with the Hoboken Hospital Authority board, the hospital was saved, and the taxpayers were relieved of the potentially devastating impact of a looming $52 million bond guarantee.
These are just examples of Ravi’s forward thinking in the face of difficult votes. There are many more, less high-profile examples where I’ve witnessed Ravi’s humble leadership, and these are all reasons why I know he’ll make a terrific Mayor of our City.
If you also support Ravi, please let me know – I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks,
Councilman Jim Doyle
