With Liz Urtecho joining Hoboken 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo’s council-at-large slate, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher is backing him for mayor over Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“After considering the election results, consulting with advisors, and assessing the viability of running independently, I keep returning to the issues that matter most to Hoboken residents and the importance of having a balanced government as we move forward with a new mayor,” Urtecho wrote in an email blast last night.
“And so, I have concluded that the strongest path forward for Hoboken is for me to join Team Russo in the runoff.”
The council-at-large runoff features Urtecho, who ran with Fisher, Nicole Magaña and Pete Keeling, who were on Russo’s slate, as well Councilman Joe Quintero, Zoning Board Chair Steve Firestone, and Caitlin Lawson – who were all Team Jabbour.
Jabbour’s slate were the top vote getters last Tuesday, which has led to a largely unexpected alliance between Russo and Fisher, the latter who was an outspoken critic of her council colleague, and in some select instances, Russo was eager to return fire.
“About a year ago, Mike and I first discussed the possibility of running together. He was the earliest announced mayoral candidate and was assembling his council slate. At that time, I shared my concern that our politics might not align,” Urtecho also wrote.
“Mike told me he understood and respected that I would operate as an independent voice on the council, and he made clear he would not pressure me to vote in lockstep with his administration.”
She further emphasized that she, Keeling, and Magaña would be a strong, independent at-large council that helps move the city forward.
Both Urtecho and Fisher, in her own email blast, emphasized that around 74 percent of voters last week voted for someone other than Jabbour, showing that most voters want to turn the page on Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s administration.
“Since Election Day, that appetite for change hasn’t softened — it’s solidified. I’ve spoken with so many friends, neighbors, and supporters who share my concerns about where Hoboken is headed, and they’re still looking for new leadership and a government that puts residents, not politics, first,” the councilwoman said in her email.
“People want to turn the page on the last eight years — the headline-driven, divisive politics that have left our quality of life frayed and city operations struggling. And they’re not looking at Emily as the agent of that change. They’re looking at Mike Russo as the person who can deliver it.”
Fisher, who finished in third place last week, also acknowledged that Jabbour is now bringing up the same ethical concerns about Russo that she did, but she feels Russo is still better on the issues, such as public safety, affordability, development, and infrastructure.
” … Emily has been largely silent on infrastructure. And actually again put politics over protecting residents when she delayed a discussion with former Mayor Dawn Zimmer about Zimmer’s concerns over Rebuild by Design, saying to her that the timing might hurt the election chances of a Team Bhalla candidate she supported,” she wrote.
“Flood protection isn’t political — it’s essential — and that hesitation still speaks volumes.”
Whether this line was a coincidence of note, Zimmer endorsed Jabbour for mayor this morning, as HCV first reported.
“Ultimately, what made me lean toward Mike was the chance for a more independent City Council — five new members joining me, Paul Presinzano, Ruben Ramos, and Phil Cohen — paired with a mayor whose priorities align more closely with mine and, I believe, with what Hoboken needs,” Fisher stated in the email.
The non-partisan runoff elections in the Mile Square City are set for December 2nd.