Councilman DeFusco: Mayor Bhalla’s Failure to Conduct Executive Search for Businesses Administrator is a Disservice to Taxpayers

HOBOKEN, N.J. — On Wednesday night, the City Council voted 5-3-1 in favor of a measure to appoint Jason Freeman as Hoboken’s new Business Administrator despite the mayor’s failure to conduct a proper executive search to fill the position. The seat has been vacant since former Business Administrator Stephen Marks stepped down in February, shortly before the local COVID-19 outbreak. Mayor Bhalla has now entrusted Freeman, his former campaign volunteer and political advisor accused of violating the First Amendments Rights of a Hoboken Fire Captain, to oversee the daily functions and finances of the city without a fair assessment of his experiences and qualifications in comparison to other candidates.

Councilman Mike DeFusco, one of three Council members to reject Freeman’s appointment, is releasing the following statement:

“Mayor Bhalla’s failure to conduct an executive search for candidates to fill this position is nothing short of a disservice to Hoboken taxpayers, who just last month were presented with a 7.5% property tax increase. I have always believed in providing young people with opportunities to grow professionally, but given the state of our finances, Hoboken needs a seasoned Business Administrator, not an inexperienced political operative, to lead us through the challenging financial crisis we continue to face. Unfortunately, this is more of the same from the mayor and his administration and unless he begins prioritizing policy over politics, I’m certain we will see more layoffs and an even larger tax increase in next year’s budget.”

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