Hoboken Mayor Bhalla announces candidacy for state Assembly in LD-32

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Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has announced his candidacy for a state Assembly seat in the 32nd Legislative District, stating that “I believe Trenton needs more mayors who get things done.”

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“As a two-term mayor, I believe Trenton needs more mayors who get things done. In the State Assembly, I will fight to ensure that New Jersey leads the way on curbing both traffic fatalities and climate change, and address the housing crisis that is squeezing so many residents in Jersey City, Hoboken and throughout the state,” Bhalla said in a statement.

“With Donald Trump back in the White House and the Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, the role of states and cities is more important now than ever. We are the laboratories of democracy that will move our state and country forward.”

Bhalla is running for the seat currently occupied by Assemblyman John Allen, who unsuccessfully ran for a council-at-large seat on his ticket in 2017 and later became his chief of staff.

While Allen has not announced any formal plans for the June 10th primary, he is not expected to seek re-election. Bhalla announced on Friday that he would not seek a third term as mayor, making a run for state Assembly imminent.

The Mile Square City mayor pointed to Hoboken’s successes when it comes to Vision Zero, climate change initiatives, and receiving a perfect score from from the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for its LGBTQIA+ for seven years in a row as examples of what he would bring to the statehouse.

Furthermore, his campaign pointed out that he strongly opposed NJ Transit rate hikes, the turnpike expansion, the commercialization of Liberty State Park, and the gutting of the state Open Public Records Act (OPRA) law.

Katie Brennan, who is running as an independent, and Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez, who is running on Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s ticket as part of his bid for governor, are the other two candidates in the LD-32 field for the time being.

Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour, a two-time running mate of Bhalla’s who backed his unsuccessful bid for Congress last year, between the first candidate to declared for Hoboken mayor on Monday.

HCV first reported in October that Jabbour was preparing to run for mayor with Bhalla eyeing a state Assembly seat.


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