Bayonne candidate for Mayor Jason O’Donnell today announced that Kevin Kuhl, the proprietor and co-manager of East Side staple, Kuhl’s Tavern, is joining at-large council candidate Dan Ward as the latest addition to O’Donnell’s ticket.  Kuhl will run for the 2^nd Ward Council seat.

Born and raised in Bayonne like his parents, Joan and Charlie before him, Kuhl has been a popular public presence in the city for most of his life. As a recent honoree of the Bayonne Initiative, he received one of their annual Community Service Awards. For over 10 years, Kuhl has been a member of the Don and Arlene Ahern Foundation’s Board of Directors. On this board, he has both taken part in and overseen the annual Ahern Golf Tournament and has been involved with the Ahern Scholarship Foundation.

“I’ve lived in Bayonne my entire life and I’ve never seen out of control development like what we’ve seen the past few years,” said Kuhl.  “Handing out tax breaks for these rich, out of town developers has not only created constant construction and insane traffic everywhere, it costs taxpayers long term and has done nothing to fix the lack of parking Bayonne residents have to deal with every day throughout the city.  I’ve known Jason O’Donnell for many, many years and I plan on being right by his side from now through Election Day in this fight to get our city back on track.  I’ve always been happy to serve our community and contribute to the well-being of Bayonne in any way possible and this is the logical next step in that service.”

The candidate’s small business, Kuhl’s Tavern, is a stalwart of the community. Under his leadership, Kuhl’s was chosen to take part in the celebration for the Bayonne Fire Department’s 100^th Anniversary.  He has been in charge of the St. Patrick’s Day Post-parade Party for 25 years, and coached both Little League baseball and CYO basketball.

“Kevin Kuhl and his family have created and cultivated a small business in Bayonne that has become a fixture of the community,” said O’Donnell.  “Kevin will be an invaluable resource as a member of the City Council because he’s worked hard every day for our community, giving his time to charity and fighting like the rest of us to get the most out of every dollar he’s earned.  Kevin and I have the same goals for our city, to stop giving away taxpayer money to rich developers and to put City Hall’s focus back on all of our kids and all of our families where it belongs.”

Accompanied by a group of longtime friends, Kuhl is also on the Board of Directors for the Bayonne Friends of Special Children, an organization providing various services to families of handicapped individuals. This committee sponsors the yearly picnic, which welcomes thousands of “special children” and their families.