Bhalla scores 2 major labor union endorsements in Hoboken mayor’s race

8

With less than three weeks to go before Election Day, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) New Jersey endorsed Hoboken Councilman-at-Large Ravi Bhalla for mayor.

“When we think about what is happening on the national level, as far as we need to make infrastructure investments. We need it for the national level, our state, we need it for our county and we need it for our city,” Mayor Dawn Zimmer said at Pier A Park this morning.

“And so Hoboken is very, very proud, I am very proud, that we have so many infrastructure projects that are started and we need to keep them going: Rebuild by Design, the Northwest Resiliency Park, water main projects – so much that’s happening in our city. And this team, this next mayor, Ravi Bhalla, he will be our infrastructure mayor.”

At the end of June, Zimmer announced that she would not be seeking a third term and practically endorsed Bhalla for mayor in the same breath.

She has since been campaigning aggressively for Bhalla, along with his running mates: fellow Councilman-at-Large James Doyle, Emily Jabbour and John Allen.

Greg Lalevee, the business manager of IUOE Local 825, noted Bhalla’s goals to keep Hoboken commuters happy.

“When we sat down with Ravi Bhalla, it’s clear he understands the needs of Hoboken and he understands how that’s tied to infrastructure,” Lalevee explained.

“He know that Hoboken relies on good transportation, so he has a plan and a vision to work with the Port Authority to ensure good PATH service, to work with New Jersey Transit and other stakeholders to ensure that the train terminal is modern and safe for the commuting public.”

Ray Pucino, the vice president and eastern regional manager of LIUNA, said he was confident that Bhalla “would be the standard bearer for carrying Hoboken into the future” before Bhalla addressed the dozens of labor workers on hand.

“I will be Hoboken’s infrastructure mayor, working hard everyday to upgrade our aging infrastructure including, roads, sidewalks, water mains, sewers, piers, as well as pushing ahead with bus and train service here in Hoboken,” said Bhalla, adding he’s committed to the completion of the $230 million Rebuild by Design project.

Bhalla faces stiff competition in next month’s mayoral contest, with Council President Jen Giattino, 1st Ward Councilman Mike DeFusco, Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-5), business owner Karen Nason and activist Ronald Bautista all in the mix.


Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/hcvcp/public_html/wp-content/themes/Hudson County View/includes/wp_booster/td_block.php on line 353

8 COMMENTS

  1. So the mayor is out on taxpayer paid time while drawing over six figures to promote more endorsement from outside Hoboken to wheel their influence though the mayor’s office. Classy.

    • What’s your problem, don’t you know Reform celebrates pay-to-play in Hoboken and bid development?

      This is the new Reform and Mayor Zimmer endorses it! Now the outside money comes flooding into Hoboken and it’s celebrated because Dawn Zimmer says it’s good for you and only Ravi Bhalla can be trusted to use pay-to-play right.

      DeFusco and his pay-to-play pro-development money is bad but Ravi’s is good. Stick doesn’t even bother following campaign law and file a real report.

      The only clean candidate in this mayor’s race without any conflicts with big money coming in from outside Hoboken is Jen Giattino.

      There’s only one Reform candidate left standing! Vote Jen Giattino FOR Hoboken!

    • “Say it don’t spray it Stan” comes up with another convoluted strategy to help Ravi.
      Calls out Defusco’s union support, Romano’s county ties and Jen’s support by Lenz.
      The hypocrite shadow mayor is now outed
      Begged for union support with Zimmer and Bhalla probably promising NJ Transit build- baby- build
      Do we honestly think Bhalla hasn’t met with NJ Transit? ( yea yea we know he’s not an equity partner- but first hand accounts will tell you Ravi pitches lawyers and firms to many ) He probably does it with his clients too.
      He and Dawn attack the County- beg Stack and Degise for help.
      They mock Lenz ad Marsh but recently asked them to endorse Bhalla.

      If anyone split reform it’s Bhalla Inc. and Stawn

  2. Dawn actually had to make a video and appear in it and do most of the talking?
    WTF?
    Maybe the developer who funded her bike program in exchange for the Death Star going up on 7th and Jackson got his builders to agree to endorse her little pet Ravi.

    What a bunch of jerks

  3. Who ever suggested to Ravi he was political or Mayoral material? He’s a terrible public speaker, he’s never done a single community service, never helped at a clean up, a bake sale or showed up in T shirt and Jeans at a neighborhood car wash for a public school even.

    Just here comes Ravi breezing through political events in his dark mob boss like suits trailing Dawn like a little boy.
    When he’s not being carried by Dawn, he’s carrying some contracts

LEAVE A REPLY