Bhalla-Backed Challenger Will Face Sometime Critic In Heated Hoboken Council Race

HOBOKEN, NJ — In the upcoming race for six ward seats on Hoboken's nine-member City Council, a new candidate announced his entry on Thursday.

Rafi Cordova will change candidate Paul Presinzano for the 1st Ward council seat, representing the south waterfront area of town.

The 1st Ward reaches from the train station area northwest to Third and Clinton streets (see the green area on this ward map).

Neither candidate is an incumbent; current 1st Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco announced recently that he will not run for re-election. Others may still file petitions to join the race until the end of August. READ MORE: DeFusco Drops Council Re-Election Bid.

Races in Hoboken are nonpartisan (often, the majority of candidates have been Democrats).

DeFusco, who will finish his term this year, had been a sometime independent voice on the council, and candidate Paul Presinzano has also at times been critical of the administration of Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

Bhalla backed Cordova's candidacy in the press release announcing his candidacy on Thursday.

Cordova has lived in Hoboken for almost 30 years and "has been an active volunteer, community builder, and senior advocate, always supporting Hoboken’s most vulnerable residents," the release notes.

Cordova is a graduate of Yale University who's fluent in five languages and was raised in Puerto Rico.

Cordova "currently serves as chair of the Hoboken Rent Leveling & Stabilization Board while working professionally as a freelance film editor and private coach," according to his profile.

Cordova was appointed to the Rent Leveling board last year when new seats opened up after Mayor Bhalla — in a controversial move that several residents blasted at council meetings — declined to re-appoint two longtime volunteers who had run against Bhalla-backed candidates in a council election.

Cordova was elected chair of the board at the board's April 26 meeting.

Cordova said Thursday in his release, “As a council member, my top priority will be serving and supporting those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community and in the 1st Ward especially. I will support strong tenant protections and affordable housing, as well as the infrastructure upgrades and recreational opportunities that we all depend on for the quality of life and quality of city services that we deserve.”

Presinzano Responds

Presinzano responded with this statement: "Our movement to bring a responsive, effective councilperson to the first ward has grown by the hundreds over the last several months. And I think that strength and resolve, to be in this race from the beginning, speaks volumes to the voters of this ward."

Former 1st Ward Councilwoman Terry Castellano is endorsing Cordova, according to the Cordova campaign press release.

“Constituent Services is a huge aspect of holding a council seat," Castellano said. "Rafi has done so much for our residents without a title that I can only imagine what he can accomplish as our First Ward Council Representative. Rafi has a deep understanding of Hoboken's communal needs and a longstanding reputation for committed service."

Eileen Carvalho, a Democratic Committee member who lives in the 1st Ward, said, “I am enthusiastically backing Rafi Cordova because I know he will fight for us, helping all who need help.”

Bhalla said, “As an active volunteer, Rafi Cordova has demonstrated his deep commitment to Hoboken and the people who live in our city, particularly those with difficult life challenges, over many years of service. I know he will bring that same dedication and proven effectiveness to the City Council.”

Cordova has served as a long-time volunteer for In Jesus’s Name Charities, an interfaith charitable effort to provide food and supplies to Hoboken's vulnerable population.

Read more about Presinzano's prior announcement and other candidates in the race here.