Former Hoboken Councilman-at-Large Dave Mello was named the new chairman of the local housing authority at Thursday’s regularly scheduled meeting.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Humbled and honored to have been voted in as the chair of the Hoboken Housing Authority Board of Commissioners tonight,” Mello wrote on Facebook late Thursday evening.
“I’m really looking forward to a productive year of working with my colleagues and of serving my neighbors who live in our Housing Authority in this new role. Also really looking forward to a year of working with our Executive Director, Marc Recko, who has been a joy to work with since he came on board a few years back. And a great big thank you to my HHA Board colleagues who entrusted me with this role.”
Mello, who successfully ran for council with former Mayor Dawn Zimmer twice before coming up short in his re-election bid in November (where he was on on Freeholder Anthony Romano’s ticket), has still been a fairly regular presence at council meetings – criticizing Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s administration.
While he may no longer sit upon the dais in City Hall, his appointment to the HHA lasts through May 3, 2022: meaning he will likely be on the board for the duration of Bhalla’s term.
The now former HHA chair, David Denning, nominated Mello to take over the post for the next year.
Congrats to Dave, he’s a public servant with a lot to say.
Not a core point of this story, but I’m curious about the mention that he “has still been a fairly regular presence at council meetings – criticizing Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s administration.” Since he was openly jockeying for a spot on Bhalla’s ticket, is he now denouncing him because he feels Mayor Bhalla is conducting himself differently than expected? Similarly, he is known to have sought a spot on Giattino’s ticket despite having often been at loggerheads with her on the council. Finally, as a public housing offcial/now-chairman, Dave has built a strong amount of credibility advocating for low-income, affordable and family housing and against the abuses of subsidized housing long rampant in this community. Yet he ran on the ticket of Stick Romano, a purported millionaire who occupies a subsidized unit in Marine View. What was it about Romano’s platform that prompted Dave to give him a pass on this issue that has long been near and dear to his heart?
Would love some clarity on these questions, I respect Dave and don’t think of him as the type of person motivated by petty grievances and self-advancement. All the best to him in this well-deserved new role.