Jabbour joins race for Hoboken mayor

Hoboken Councilwoman Emily Jabbour entered the race for mayor of Hoboken today, saying she was “excited to put my energy and experience to work.”

The two-term city councilwoman will seek to succeed Ravi Bhalla, who announced last week that he would not run for a third term.  Jabbour and Bhalla are political allies.

“I love this city and am so proud to call Hoboken home and raise our kids here with my husband, Peter,” Jabbour said.  “As a mom, you better believe I’ve got a long to-do list with new ideas to continue improving our community and make Hoboken a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Hoboken elects mayors for four-year terms in non-partisan municipal elections.

Jabbour has spent nearly two decades working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Administration for Children and Families.

“We’ve got more work to do for better schools, safer neighborhoods, improved constituent services, public transportation that works for all of us, and real transparency and accountability in how decisions get made and taxpayer money gets spent,” she said.

In addition to Jabbour, possible candidates include three city councilmembers: Michael Russo, the son of a former mayor; Ruben Ramos, a former assemblyman; and Tiffanie Fisher, a staunch Bhalla critic.

Bhalla is expected to seek a State Assembly seat in the 32nd legislative district.