Two quick updates:

Please take a minute to fill out this 4 question survey concerning Hoboken's Growing Rat Crisis.

Tomorrow is being called the biggest mid-term election of our lives…

​Dear friends and neighbors,

I am proud endorse City Council President Jen Giattino to be our next Mayor of Hoboken and her entire council slate comprising of current Zoning Board Chair Jim Aibel and long-time Hoboken residents Jason Ellis and Sal Starace. 

The day Mayor Zimmer announced her intentions to not run again, I awoke feeling unsettled and concerned about Hoboken’s future.  To me the right message going forward for Hoboken is embracing what works, but fixing what doesn’t.  And when Jen decided to run for mayor a week later, the unsettled feeling went away.  I have been behind her ever since.

As I have said previously, my two main threshold questions for our next mayor are: 

1. How do we insure that we do not lose ground and go backward to the old corrupt practices of the past when two of our prior three mayors went to jail?
2. Who is best positioned to be our CEO and be the leader we need to take Hoboken to the next level?

Jen knows you can never be wrong do what's right.  This can be said about her entire team as well.  In this election, all of the past corrupt ways of Hoboken are back and circling and I cannot stress enough the importance of supporting a candidate like Jen who is not beholden to any special interests (like developers) and who is not supported by votes that will be paid for.  Yes, paid for.  In 2015 votes that were paid for impacted the outcome of the Board of Ed election that year.  It’s a shame that this threshold question still needs to be number one.

Being the Mayor of Hoboken is an executive role, not a legislative one.  This is critical as you think about a candidate’s ability to execute on and fund their vision.  All of the candidates have a vision.  And the three sitting councilmembers who are candidates have each “supported the Mayor’s agenda” in some capacity by voting her legislation up or down.  So in addition to this support, our next mayor needs to be someone who has demonstrated:

• Experience protecting the quality of life for the residents of Hoboken,
• Ability to lead and navigate through many prioritizes – big and small - and get things done,
• Willingness to challenge the status quo;
• Financial focus to be a steward for taxpayers; and
• Commitment to working with others to ensure the best outcome for Hoboken. 

Jen is the ONLY candidate who has all of these. 

Jen offers her hand and heart to anyone who needs it.  As the 6^th Ward Councilwoman, she walks our streets daily and helps her constituents on everyday life issues like dirty streets and parks and unsafe intersections and helps those being displaced from their homes.  Her neighbors tell me the following about her:  “Jen is everyone’s neighbor”, “Accessible and acts”, “Mom who gets ‘stuff’ done”, “Helped me when…”, “She is all about Hoboken”.

Jen has been my partner on the many issues that required a deeper understanding and financial review  – like the 30 year PILOT given to the developer of the ginormous “7th and Jackson” project - Jen and I were the only two dissenting votes.  And understanding our water contracts with Suez and making sure that Hoboken gets a disproportionate share of our water revenues going forward, instead of Suez, so we can fund the necessary and significant water main upgrades instead of raising taxes to do so.

Jen shares my view that ad hoc development is the biggest threat to the quality of life within our community.  Jen knows getting development right for Hoboken requires better financial review to level the playing field in negotiations with developers.  And that prioritizing commercial development is critical to curb the overcrowding impacts residential development has on traffic, parking and schools and bring much needed commerce and tax revenue to our community.  This is a key issue for me and one of the main reasons I actually decided to run for City Council and decided to support Jen for mayor vs. other candidates. Our next mayor will potentially determine what is developed for almost 1/3 of Hoboken.  And we have only one time to get it right before it is too late.

Jen is completely willing to engage with others, and collect their input, and even change her own view if that means the best outcome for Hoboken.  Jen and I do not agree on everything.  But we agree on most.  She is willing to work with anyone and advocate for Hoboken and has already sat down with County Executive Tom DeGise, and the mayors from surrounding towns to see how we can improve our connections on shared issues. 

Jen is what Hoboken deserve

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.  What Hoboken needs.  Someone who is all about Hoboken and not using this as a stepping stone to higher office.  Someone who puts our residents first, who solves the little things that seem big to individuals and can also tackle the big things that will have everyday impact to everyone in Hoboken. 

Let me know if you want to talk more about this important election, my personal path to supporting Jen or my thoughts on the other candidates who are running.  I can be reached by phone at 201-208-1674 or email at [email protected].  I will be at La Isla Uptown this Wednesday morning from 8am – 930am if you would like to have coffee and discuss in person. 

Please join me in voting for Jen and Team Giattino on November 7^th.  This election is critical to Hoboken’s future so please make sure you vote.  Your vote may never matter more than in this election.

If you want to learn more about Jen and ways you can support her campaign, you can go to her website or follow her on facebook or email her at [email protected].  

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Tiffanie Fisher