In a letter to the editor, Hoboken resident Dan Drobnis lists several reasons why he believes Councilman-at-Large Ravi Bhalla is a superior mayoral candidate to Council President Jen Giattino. 
Dear Editor,
If you are deciding between Ravi Bhalla and Jen Giattino, there are some clear differences between the two that should be closely examined before you make a choice.
First, Ravi’s focused and professional campaign has raised nearly double the amount raised by Jen. Perhaps even more important is that Ravi has received more contributions from actual Hoboken residents than any other candidate.
Between the two, Ravi is the best positioned to win as an at-large Councilman who has represented the entire City, not just one Ward.
Third, Ravi has a bachelors and advanced degrees – he graduated from UC Berkley, received a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and received a law degree from Tulane.
Serving as mayor is not the same as serving on the council. The mayor is the chief executive officer of a complex city government. While it may not be the deciding factor, a reasonable voter should examine the educational background of any candidate.
In this category, Ravi has the significant advantage.
Fourth, Ravi enjoys the enthusiastic endorsement of the wildly popular current mayor, Dawn Zimmer. Mayor Zimmer’s robust support for Ravi is a valuable asset that has mobilized her supporters.
More importantly, Mayor Zimmer has worked with both Ravi and Jen for many years. Based on that experience, Mayor Zimmer determined Ravi is eminently more qualified and better suited than Jen to be the next mayor.
Considering Mayor Zimmer knows better than anyone else what it takes to do the job successfully, her endorsement is significant.
Fifth, Jen has two years left to serve out her term as councilperson. If she wins this election, she would be abandoning her seat on the council to serve in higher office.
This is important to note because a few of Jen’s supporters have accused Ravi of being “ambitious.â€
Unlike Jen, however, Ravi is not abandoning his current position. Rather, his term as councilman expires this January. In other words, Jen is willing to abandon her current position to serve in higher office.
Sixth, Hoboken’s municipal elections are non-partisan. However, the political ideology of political candidates still matters. The political philosophy of an individual seeking office informs their decisions and is an indicator of their policies.
Jen is a Republican, Ravi is a Democrat. Jen has been a delegate for at least one Republican presidential nominee and has attended the Republican National Convention
several times.
Jen also selected as a running mate a man who is not only a conservative Republican, but
a public supporter of Donald Trump and his oppressive agenda.
Ravi has been a civil rights attorney championing progressive values. Ravi is also the only mayoral candidate to have a selected all progressives as his running mates. It is patently unreasonable to ignore this stark contrast.
Of course, if you agree with the political ideology of the Republican party, Jen and
her running mates may be your choice. If, on the other hand, you reject what the Republican party stands for, Ravi and his team should be your choice.
These are real and significant differences. I urge all residents to carefully consider what distinguishes Ravi from Jen. I’m supporting Ravi and his team, Councilman Jim Doyle, Emily Jabbour, and John Allen,and I encourage you to do these same.
Thanks for your kind consideration.
Dan Drobnis
Hoboken Resident