In Hoboken, DeFusco announces Flett as first member of council slate

Hoboken 1st Ward Councilman/mayoral candidate Mike DeFusco has announced business owner and longtime resident Michael Flett as the first member of his council slate.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

A homeowner in Hoboken’s uptown 2nd Ward where he and his wife Michelle are raising their three sons, Flett indicated that the impact of taxes on Hoboken families was a major factor which influenced him to enter the race.

“This burden makes it difficult, if not impossible, to afford to pay for college for your children or save for retirement. All the new development in town during the last 10 years should have reduced homeowners’ and business owners’ taxes, but instead our current administration took the savings and increased spending,” he said in a statement.

“Hoboken should be a destination where people want to lay down roots and raise their families, but we are currently taxing many of them out of town. Smart fiscal management builds a community by allowing people to stay.”

A 25-year resident of Hoboken, Flett had a successful career as a member of the New York Mercantile Exchange before forming his current company, Flett Exchange.

His current business has operated as a brokerage for Solar Credits, helping finance more than 6,000 solar installations in New Jersey for homes, businesses, schools and municipalities over the past decade.

DeFusco expressed excitement over the addition of Flett as the first of three council candidates to join his slate.

“Michael Flett has a proven track record with financial management, but he’s also invested in Hoboken,” he said in the same statement.

“He chose to raise his family here, has based his business here, and has stood up for his neighbors as a steering committee member of the Hudson Street Alliance. His blend of experience and forward thinking is exactly what we need right now on the City Council.”

Flett said he’s all on board for a new administration where businesses can succeed and residents feel respected, noting that he supported Mayor Dawn Zimmer during her first term in office.

“I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail and talking to voters so we can get to work on long overdue solutions for Hoboken. I’m proud to run alongside Councilman DeFusco as he runs for Mayor.”

“He’s shown the vision and understanding of the issues that we need from a Mayor in order to move our city forward. With a new administration and a re-energized city council, we can make sure Hoboken is a place where our residents are respected, our businesses can succeed, and our families can call home for as long as they desire to live here.”

Zimmer’s council ticket currently includes incumbent council members Ravi Bhalla and James Doyle, with it still up in the air if colleague David Mello will be joining them again.

Other mayoral candidates Karen Nason, Ronald Bautista and Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-5), with the latter yet to formally announce his candidacy, have yet to reveal any of their running mates.