Ruben Ramos joins race for Hoboken mayor

The field of candidates for mayor of Hoboken is now up to five, with Ruben Ramos, Jr., a veteran councilman and former assemblyman, announcing his candidacy today, saying that city government has lost focus.

“I’m running for Mayor to get Hoboken back to basics and make sure that we address critical needs like improving public safety, protecting our quality of life, ensuring that we have strong programs for our seniors and our children, and taking action to make our city more affordable,” Ramos said.

This is Ramos’ second mayoral bid: he challenged incumbent Dawn Zimmer in 2013 and lost by 1,571 votes, 47%-35% after runoffs had been eliminated for that election.

Two-term incumbent Ravi Bhalla is not seeking re-election; instead, he’s a candidate for State Assembly in the 32nd district.

Ramos will face Councilwomen Emily Jabbour and Tiffanie Fisher, Councilman Michael Russo, and former deputy assistant U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Dini Ajmani in the November non-partisan municipal election.  A candidate needs 50% of the vote, or the top two contenders will compete in a December 2 runoff.

A middle school teacher, Ramos was first elected to the Hoboken City Council in 1999, winning a Fourth Ward seat, and ran for councilman-at-large two years later.  He was elected to the State Assembly in 2007, winning a landslide off-the-line victory on a slate headed by Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, then an assemblyman running for the State Senate, and was re-elected in 2009 and 2011.