Bhalla: 25 Positive Ways Hoboken Changed Since I’ve Been Mayor

HOBOKEN, NJ — It’s been six months since Ravinder Bhalla was sworn-in as Hoboken’s mayor. And in his opinion, the city has come a long way in just half a year.

On Monday, Bhalla sent residents an email that cited 25 “tremendous strides” that Hoboken has made since he took office.

“I look forward to working on additional priorities including moving our Washington Street Project forward, transportation initiatives, infrastructure upgrades and more in the months ahead,” Bhalla wrote.

Check out the mayor’s list below. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Hoboken Facebook page here.

1 - “Declared Hoboken a Free and Welcoming City” – In his first official act as Hoboken's new mayor, Ravinder Bhalla signed an executive order declaring the municipality to be a "fair and welcoming city" on New Year's Day. The order gained the support of the city's police chief, multiple elected officials and local community activists. (Read more here)

2 - “Secured excellent AA+ credit rating for Hoboken from Standard & Poor's Global Ratings” – In February, municipal officials announced that Standard & Poor's Global Ratings assigned its AA+ long-term rating to the City of Hoboken, the rating agency's second-highest rating. S&P cited Hoboken's "very strong economy," "strong budgetary performance," "very strong budgetary flexibility" and "very strong liquidity." (Read more here)

3 - “Created new office of constituent affairs to address quality of life issues” – In May, the City of Hoboken hired Caroline Caulfield to head the city’s newly formed Office of Constituent Affairs, which the mayor said will be “solely dedicated to providing efficient and enhanced constituent services to residents.” (Read more here)

4 - “Secured $1,000,000 in transportation funding from State” - Hoboken will receive $1 million from the state Department of Transportation for infrastructure projects, the Hudson Reporter stated. (Read more here)

5 - “Advanced final design options for Hoboken's soon to be Northwest Park” - Hoboken’s largest park will provide recreation and public space, developers said. (Read more here)

6 - “Improved quality of life and safety during Leprecon event with Hoboken Police Department – Hoboken saw a clear improvement in quality of life and safety throughout the city during this year's annual, privately organized pub crawl, Bhalla said. Compared to 2017, arrests during LepreCon decreased by 64 percent (from 11 to 4), ambulance calls decreased by 18 percent. (Read more here)

7 - “Initiated Multi-Service Center renovation project to increase indoor recreation” - How can Hoboken best use the Multi Service Center on Grand Street? City officials wanted to find out, so they asked local residents. (Read more here)

8 - “Expanded fitness in the park to 6 locations, including the Southwest Park, Pier C and Northwest Park” – The city’s “Fitness and Yoga in the Park” program includes crossfit, Pilates and several types of yoga. (Read more here)

9 - “Saw 10% reduction in overall crime in 2018 compared to 2017” - Earlier this year, Police Chief Ken Ferrante released information about the city's crime statistics, arrest rates and internal affairs reporting, as previously provided to Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. (Read more here)

10 - “Signed executive order to fund public art in Hoboken” – In June, Bhalla signed an executive order to help fund public art installations throughout the city. (Read more here)

11 - “Developed plans for two new dog parks at 2nd/Hudson and 15th/Garden” – Hoboken officials announced plans to create a pair of dog parks, shortly after the City Council unanimously approved a municipal law that will increase fines for people who don't clean up after taking Fido for a stroll. (Read more here)

12 - “Launched new, user friendly government website” – The City of Hoboken has a revamped online presence. (See the website here)

13 - “Created official task force to address homelessness in Hoboken” – In June, officials have announced the formation of a task force that will tackle homelessness in the city. (Read more here)

14 - “Prevented Union Dry Dock from Chris Christie/NJ Transit takeover” - It could have been a contentious board meeting had NJ Transit chosen to move forward with a plan to purchase the Union Dry Dock property in Hoboken. But after days of discussions, cooler heads have prevailed. (Read more here)

15 - “Finalized plans to renovate Madison Street Park with upgraded park equipment” – The City of Hoboken hosted a public hearing on February 15 to present final plans for renovations to Madison Park. (Read more here)

16 - “Adopted budget with NO tax increase for 2018” – "This budget's stable tax rate fulfills a promise I made to residents last year on the campaign trail,” Bhalla said. (Read more here)

17 - “Invested $5 million in water main upgrades, $2.2 million in road resurfacing” – As part of the municipal budget, the city will invest $5 million in water main improvements and $2.2 million in road resurfacing projects. (Read more here)

18 - “Planned expansion of composting for residents and businesses” - In partnership with Community Compost Company, the City of Hoboken offers several composting services. (Read more here)

19 - “Expanded hours for free tenant advocate service for Hoboken residents” - Hoboken city officials announced hours for a tenant advocate for any local resident seeking advice on housing matters. (Read more here)

20 -“Negotiated new plans for a hotel in downtown Hoboken with 60-foot height reduction” - Developers had lobbied to build a 20-story, full-service hotel at the location, with an onsite restaurant and bar, a rooftop event space, an off-site valet guest parking and a fitness center. (Read more here)

21 - “Signed executive order ensuring paid parental leave” - Bhalla signed an executive order that he said will "ensure the full earned salary of city employees on parental leave by supplementing weekly wages provided through New Jersey Family Leave Insurance." (Read more here)

22 - “Supported LGTBQ+ community with gender neutral bathroom executive order” – Bhalla introduced an executive order that immediately "makes all city-owned single occupancy restrooms gender neutral." (Read more here)

23 - “Expanded free summer concert series to Southwest Park” - Hoboken opened its Southwest Park last September. (Read more here)

24 - “Signed into law regulations on single use plastic bags to improve our environment” - The City Council passed an ordinance banning single use plastic carry-out bags at retail and food establishments within the City of Hoboken. (Read more here)

25 - “Moved ahead with $230 Million Rebuild by Design project to protect Hoboken from major storm surge events” - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released $230 million in funding for the much-lauded project, which aims to protect Hoboken and parts of Weehawken and Jersey City from rising sea levels and the impact of climate change, as well as frequent flooding in the area due to storm surges, high tides and heavy rainfall. (Read more here)

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Photo: City of Hoboken