Hoboken Democratic Committee elects Councilman Joe Quintero as new chair

The Hoboken Democratic Committee elected Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero as their new chair at yesterday’s meeting after he serving on the executive committee for four years.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“I’m honored to have the confidence and trust of my fellow committee members and I thank them for the privilege of serving as chair. I have some big shoes to fill in taking on this leadership position, Rachel Hodes is not only a dear friend of mine, but she was literally the person who first helped me, as she has helped so many others, get involved in Hoboken politics,” Quintero said in a statement.

“My vision for our party is to work from the ground up, meeting our voters where they are, so we can more effectively promote our Democratic values, advocate for liberal issues, and get Democrats elected in all facets for government. Right now we have a great opportunity to activate our Hoboken Democratic base and I believe the best way to do that is by increasing our presence locally.”

Quintero, who was first elected as part of Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s slate in 2021, fills the role about a month after the HDC bucked the Hudson County Democratic Organization by endorsing Bhalla for Congress in the 8th District and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) for Senate while First Lady Tammy Murphy was still in the race.

The day after the meeting, Hodes resigned, claiming the HCDO did not care about bolstering and growing the party, but simply maintaining power for the “county machine.”

The first major event of Quintero’s tenure as chair will be the partnering with the Bhalla for Congress campaign as they prepare the grand opening of their Hoboken office.

The event is scheduled for noon on April 20th at 331 Grand St. Quintero was the first elected official to voice support for Bhalla’s potential bid for Congress back in September and formally endorsed him at the end of last month.