Former Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer is asserting that Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is holding the Rebuild by Design flood resiliency project “hostage” with her successor, Ravi Bhalla, being complicit due to future political ambitions.
“@RaviBhalla @CityofHoboken Mayor Bhalla: Your job is to put Hoboken first! Stand w/me to demand Mayor Fulop stop playing games and provide the JC/RBD easements without further delay so southern Hoboken can be protected! #EnvironmentalJustice,” Zimmer tweeted this morning.
The Rebuild by Design project began about one year after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Mile Square City, and by 2014, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Hoboken $230 million for the ambitious endeavor.
Just a week-and-a-half ago, Zimmer, who endorsed Bhalla for mayor in 2017 instead of seeking a third term, returned to Hoboken to join local and state officials to break ground on the $297.6 million project.
$251 million was allocated for flood walls, with $46.6 million going towards a pump station.
However, Zimmer’s tweet came after a New York Times story published this morning said that Fulop “has yet to sign off on several required easements,” citing a potential conflict with pre-existing plans for a new Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station (though Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said no conflict exists and the state would cover the added costs).
In a statement provided by his office in response, Bhalla said he is working with his state and local partners to ensure that the Rebuild by Design project is completed in the coming years.
“Over the past several years, Rebuild by Design has moved from concept to reality, with the recent groundbreaking of a new and improved Harborside Park taking us one step further towards completion,” he began.
“This has only been made possible thanks to the robust partnerships on all levels of government, especially through the Governor’s office and the Department of Environmental Protection … I appreciate the collaboration behind the scenes with Mayor Fulop and Jersey City to ensure Jersey City also receives benefits of flood risk reduction while avoiding impacts to their mass transit needs.”
Evidently, Zimmer did not find that response to be acceptable, exclaiming that Bhalla was allowing Fulop to hold the project hostage in exchange for future political gain.
“Mayor Fulop is withholding necessary easements in Jersey City, which puts the southern portion of the Rebuild by Design project in jeopardy. He is doing this despite having received (according to the NYT) written assurances from the State that the light rail and RBD were not incompatible and the State would cover any additional costs for the easements,” she stated.
“Despite these assurances, Mayor Fulop continues to hold RBD hostage, apparently with Mayor Bhalla’s ‘collaboration behind the scenes.’ Instead of standing up for Hoboken, Mayor Bhalla is prioritizing his relationship with Mayor Fulop, who he likely believes can help facilitate his ambition for higher office. Mayor Bhalla needs to stop falsely assuring the public that everything is on track and start working publicly and privately to persuade Mayor Fulop to stop obstructing this vital resiliency project.”
Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione defended their position in the matter.
“We appreciate Dawn Zimmer for weighing in from the Catskills, but the truth is, while Hoboken reaps the benefits from their perimeter wall, the Rebuild by Design plan not only increases flood risks for Jersey City, but also derails the long-established light rail commitment to serve an adjacent Housing Authority property – a priority for the low-income community that is being rebuilt there,” she said.
“It is only fair to ask for the cost increases to be covered that are directly caused by the easement, not the entire project, especially considering the mass transit expansion will service the entire area and redevelopment plans.”
Through a spokesman, Bhalla said at the end of September that he is “seriously considering” a bid for Congress in the 8th District, prompting incumbent U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez to announce his bid for re-election hours later.
Shortly thereafter, Bhalla has called for U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rob’s father, to resign over federal corruption charges and has also polled, in part, regarding his chances as a congressional candidate, as only HCV reported.
A Hoboken spokeswoman did not return an email seeking comment on Zimmer’s subsequent statement.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.