Hoboken 1st Ward council candidate Rafi Cordova, the chair of the local rent leveling and stabilization board, banked $15,000 at his kickoff last night, his campaign said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support for my candidacy,” he began in a statement.
“This will enable me to bring my message of providing the independent leadership we need — focusing on neighborhood quality of life issues, being constantly accessible to all constituents and caring for and respecting our most vulnerable — to all the voters in the 1st Ward.”
Cordova also has approximately $23,000 cash on hand after Wednesday’s event at 80 River Bar and Kitchen, according to a press release from his campaign.
2nd quarter reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement (NJ ELEC) were not available on their website as of this writing.
About two months ago, Cordova announced his candidacy with the backing of Mayor Ravi Bhalla and former 1st Ward Councilwoman Terry Castellano. Last night, he received the backing of housing advocate Cheryl Fallick.
“I’ve known Rafi for several years and to me his candidacy is historic and exciting. Our 1st ward residents are lucky as they will have an opportunity to cast a vote for someone who, without a doubt will be a representative for everyone, including – and this is important – the most vulnerable among us, seniors, people with disabilities, the less affluent and renters,” she said.
” … Rafi Cordova’s candidacy presents an opportunity to revitalize and re-galvanize a certain energy that is currently lacking in governance. He’s always known that we can’t know where we’re going unless we know where we came from. He knows that governance is not about the value of Hoboken’s real estate, but our true value rests within our people.”
Her endorsement is also notable since she unsuccessfully ran for council-at-large in 2021 on a ticket with Paul Presinzano, the other declared candidate in the 1st Ward council contest.
Presinzano announced he was running back in January and held a campaign kickoff about a day-and-a-half before Cordova entered the fray.
The two appear to be competing in a head-to-head contest for an open seat, given that 1st Ward Councilman Mike DeFusco revealed he wouldn’t be seeking a third term on May 2nd, as HCV first reported.
Dignitaries in attendance included Bhalla, Council members Emily Jabbour, Joe Quintero, Phil Cohen, and Jim Doyle, Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante, Hudson County Commissioner Chair Anthony Romano (D-5), Hoboken Democratic Committee Chair Rachel Hodes, Hoboken Republican Party Executive Secretary Pavel Sokolov, former 1st Ward council candidate Migdalia Pagan Milano, and former Councilwoman-at-Large Vanessa Falco, who is now a city director, among many others.