Russo rolls out Hoboken health, quality of life, & public safety plan, his 3rd to date

Hoboken 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo, an all but declared candidate for mayor, released his health, quality of life, and public safety plan, his third in a series ahead of a Town Hall scheduled for later this month.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“Hoboken is overall a safe place—but recently, signs of neglect have really started to affect the way that Hoboken residents go about their daily lives,” Russo said in a statement.

“Whether it’s violent incidents in our parks, a seemingly never-ending rat problem, or e-bikes piled up on our streets, these issues have been noticeable, and residents are not happy with the current administration.”

The proposals, written in consultation with residents and community leaders alike, are divided into six key areas of improvement: crime, park safety, e-bikes, homelessness, rats, and ADA compliance.

“We know that the pandemic caused a spike in violent crime in many places, and
we know that mental health declined across the board. I cannot unilaterally
change state policy from City Hall, but we can act now. I recently proposed an
ordinance to make the City of Hoboken hire a permanent parks patrol,” he wrote in response to the brutal assault at Church Square Park on Halloween.

“This is something that the late Council President Jen Giattino and I were working on
before her sudden and tragic passing. I know she would have wanted me to see
it through—but I’m not just doubling down on that for her sake. I know our families
and our children depend on change happening now, instead of another public
safety meeting where we hear about problems more than we hear about
solutions.”

He also called on Mayor Ravi Bhalla, a candidate for state Assembly in the 32nd Legislative District, to fill out the police organization chart and get the police department to be more diligent in filling out summonses, particularly when it comes to e-bike violations.

Russo also had a similar message when discussing how to get rat infestations in the Mile Square City under control.

“The Mayor’s administration has to enforce the law, period. The ordinances we have on the books about levying fines for restaurants that don’t clean their parklet spaces thoroughly on a daily basis actually need to mean something,” he added.

“We should also explore zoned trash pickup services for businesses through a partnership with the Hoboken Business Alliance in a way that doesn’t necessarily have any tax implications for our residents.”

On the subject of ADA compliance, the councilman said the city should work with the HBA to promote mom-and-pop shops that promote accessibility, as well as to celebrate the ADA’s anniversary on July 26th.

“A running theme throughout this document, and the ones that came before it, has been
prioritization. I think that the Mayor and Administration have been preoccupied with
the wrong things,” he concluded.

“We’re in the middle of a precarious time and the Mayor tried to raise our taxes by nearly 10% across the board, the parking situation is a nightmare, housing supply is lacking, and public safety needs have been ignored. There is a progressive way to get back to basics here in town, and it’s the common sense middle road that I try to occupy all the time.”

Russo’s Town Hall will be held at Psycho Mike’s Therapy Bar & Grill, located at 125 Washington St., at 7:00 p.m. on February 26th.

Appetizers will be served, and Hoboken residents and stakeholders are invited to come share their thoughts. Registration is required at can be done here.

“As we gear up for a citywide tour of meeting neighbors, these town halls have served as a phenomenal opportunity for me to bounce ideas back and forth with Hoboken residents,” added Russo.

“Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t—that’s the beauty of democracy. Either way, these events give me the context I need in order to make informed decisions.”

Russo has previously released his plans for parking and transportation, as well as housing.

For the moment, Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour is the only declared mayoral candidate for the non-partisan November 4th contest, but Russo, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, and 4th Ward Councilwoman Ruben Ramos are expected to join her sooner than later.