Hoboken 1st Ward council candidate Paul Presinzano is accused of violating the city’s rent increase rules last year, to which his says this is “more lies” from his opponent and his team.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Cheryl Fallick, a former rent leveling and stabilization board member/tenant advocate who is backing Cordova (the current rent board chair), alleged in a statement that Presinzano told her in March 2022 that he’d be raising his tenants’ rent $75 per month as of April 1st.
She indicates that she said that would go against the city ordinance in place and he did it any way, according to a rent registration form submitted to the city about a year ago.
“To me ignoring the rent control law isn’t compatible with supporting it. The rent registration form shows that he, in fact, did raise the rent anyway. Renters in Hoboken can count on Rafi Cordova to fight for us and now more than ever we need a voice on the city council who will stand with us,” Fallick stated.
Presinzano, who faces off with Cordova on the non-partisan December 5th runoff, said the comments are “just more lies” from Mayor Ravi Bhalla and his allies, who are backing Cordova.
” … This is a clear ploy by Team Bhalla, using dirty politics to smear my candidacy. It’s disheartening to see Cheryl puppeted in such a way … [My wife and I] are fully committed to adhering to all local and state laws, and have not received any notification or indication of any legal violation. Any suggestion otherwise by Team Bhalla and my opponent is a baseless and misleading attempt to distract from the real issues facing our community.”
Presinzano also said that his tenants, pictured above, decided to endorse him after Cordova sent a campaign mailer on this topic.
The City of Hoboken, via an ordinance approved by the city council, implemented a rent freeze that lasted from March 2020 through May 7th, 2022.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) lifted the COVID-19-related state of emergency on March 7th, 2022, but this did not address rental protections.
Cordova campaign spokesman Rob Horowitz, who provided Fallick’s statement as well, doubled down that Presinzano broke the rules in Hoboken.
“The plain fact is Paul Presinzano knowingly violated Hoboken’s rent increase moratorium. And calling Cheryl Fallick, his former running mate and a vocal critic of Mayor Bhalla, part of Team Bhalla doesn’t even pass the laugh test,” he said.