Bhalla Unveils Transition Team

Mayor-elect of Hoboken Ravi S. Bhalla today unveiled the leadership of his Transition Team.  Chaired by Phil Cohen, the transition leadership includes 4 of the other candidates in this year’s mayoral election and two new Council Members, who will serve as chairs of key policy committees, along with other people with expertise in Hoboken government and civic affairs selected for these important transition roles.

Each Committee Chair is charged with preparing at least 3 substantive recommendations for implementation in 2018.   Mayor-elect Bhalla encourages any Hoboken residents that are interested in joining the Transition Team and serving on one of the transition committees to send an email to Cohen identifying their area of interest and the committee on which they are interested in serving, which will be provided to the relevant Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs. His email address is philiphcohen@gmail.com

Based on the recommendations of the Committee Chairs, the Transition Team will assemble a report to be considered by Mayor-elect Bhalla and the members of his Administration.

Mayor-elect Bhalla said, “One of the largest untapped assets of Hoboken is the intellectual capital of its residents.  I encourage interested residents to participate in this process so our Transition Team can provide the kind of quality recommendations that will better enable us to hit the ground running.”

Bhalla went on to say, “I appreciate the participation of so many of my fellow mayoral candidates. This demonstrates unity in our common interests as a community, and promotes effective governance.”

Transition Team Chair Phil Cohen has a long history of active involvement in local civic affairs. He currently serves on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and has served on the Planning Board.  He is the First Vice Chair of the Hoboken Democratic Party and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, the past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Stevens Cooperative School, and the recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award from the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation.  

The Committees with their respective Chairs are listed below. Biographical information is available upon request:

·         Affordable Housing – Councilwoman-elect Vanessa Falco

·         Arts, Music & Culture – Chris O’Connor & Liz Ndoye

·         Constituent Service – Assemblywoman Annette Chapparo

·         Drug Abuse Prevention – Angelo Valente

·         Economic Development – Councilman Michael DeFusco

·         Education – Councilwoman-elect Emily Jabbour

·         Infrastructure – Jon Otto & Stewart Mader

·         Public Safety – Freeholder Anthony Romano 

·         Quality of Life – Mayor David Roberts

·         Small Business Development – Karen Nason

·         Transportation and Parking – Ron Bautista