Candidate Decker Will Challege Hoboken Councilwoman Fisher For 2nd Ward Seat

HOBOKEN, NJ — Battle lines are being drawn in the upcoming elections to represent Hoboken's six wards on the nine-member City Council.

The election will be held Nov. 7. Since the elections are non-partisan, there will be no primaries. Candidates can file to run by the end of August.

In the 2nd Ward — Hoboken's northern waterfront section of town — two candidates announced they were running within a few days of each other.

A week ago — on Friday, May 12 — incumbent 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher announced she will run for re-election, and will hold a fundraiser this Tuesday night (more details are below).

Fisher has been an independent voice on the council, sometimes siding with Mayor Ravi Bhalla, but also emerging as one of few elected officials willing to criticize his administration.

Marla Decker announced last Monday that she will challenge Fisher, and has received Bhalla's endorsement. She will hold a fundraiser in June.

Among other issues, Fisher has spoken out about a proposed cannabis dispensary on a prominent corner of her ward, saying that she's not against dispensaries, but she has a problem with location and political ties of the business. READ MORE: Story Dispensary Takes Step Forward

Want to learn about the candidates? Below are Decker's announcement, followed by Fisher's, both verbatim.

• Got a letter about the race? Here's how to post it yourself on Hoboken Patch.
  
• Read about who's running in the other wards here.

Marla Decker's Announcement

Marla Decker Announces Her Candidacy for Hoboken 2nd Ward Council

Marla Decker today announced her candidacy for the 2nd Ward Hoboken City Council seat. A long time 2nd Ward resident and community leader, Ms. Decker has served as President of the Hudson Tea Condo Association, Treasurer of the Hoboken Democratic Party, and an active participant in the Rebuild by Design community feedback process, and the successful fight to secure Union Dry Dock as public space. She initiated and organized with the assistance of City Hall, the Rent for Refugees program, helping Ukrainian refugees with new housing, food and other necessities.

“I love this community and want to see it thrive,” said Marla Decker. “As a City Councilperson, I will be a bridge builder and problem solver, forging solutions, not creating counterproductive divisions and engaging in political grandstanding.”

Among Ms. Decker’s priorities are neighborhood safety and maintenance issues, ensuring that community feedback shapes the design of the planned park at Union Dry Dock, securing upgrades on the waterfront at the former Monarch site, curbing flooding through the implementation of Rebuild by Design and other measures, and keeping Hoboken on a fiscally responsible path.

“I strongly support Marla Decker for 2nd Ward Council because she is the kind of pragmatic problem-solver we need on the City Council,” said Mayor of Hoboken Ravi Bhalla. “Marla’s smarts, new energy and ability to find common ground will make her a tremendous asset on the Council, better enabling us to keep Hoboken moving in the right direction.”

Council President Emily Jabbour said, "Marla Decker's talent for bringing people together, her pragmatic, common-sense approach to solving problems, and her dedication to bringing about quality of life improvements for residents of the 2nd Ward and throughout Hoboken are exactly what we need. I enthusiastically endorse Marla Decker for 2nd Ward Council." The founder of the Hudson County Chapter of Moms Demand Action, Jabbour noted that Marla Decker is an effective and active volunteer in the organization's advocacy of common sense gun safety measures.

Marla Decker is an attorney with years of litigation experience. She is now an owner and Managing Director for a private equity style fund that invests in litigation. Ms. Decker graduated from Cornell University and received her law degree from Cardozo School of Law. She and her husband have two sons, ages 13 and 11, who attend Hoboken Middle School and Wallace Elementary School. Marla is a supporter and volunteer of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation.

She pledges to conduct an active grassroots campaign reaching out to all voters in the 2nd Ward and looks forward to listening to their concerns and ideas.

A kick-off fundraiser is scheduled for June 14 at 7 pm at City Bistro, 56 14th Street.

Tiffanie Fisher's Announcement (from her newsletter)

It has been my highest honor and privilege to represent my 2nd Ward and Hoboken neighbors on City Council these past what are now almost eight years. When I look back and see all that we have accomplished together, I know it is because of your willingness to engage and partner with me on issues important to our community, and important to you.

It is with this continuing partnership and your support that I am excited to announce:

I am running for re-election so we can finish the important work we have started and ensure the brightest future possible for our community.

I would love for you to join me on Tuesday, May 23rd at Urban Coal House to help me kick off my re-election campaign!

With this campaign comes a new photo and renewed energy, but the heart of my campaign remains the same:

In 2015, when I first ran for office, these words were front and center in my view of what public service and running for office meant and they still hold true today. Public service and good governance is a partnership between those who are elected and those who elect them. Our community is stronger when we work together. And over these past eight years, I am so proud of how we have continued to engage, inform and advocate together and the track record of accomplishments we have built as a result. To name just a few,

• We secured our uptown waterfront for public use for today and future generations.

• We saved taxpayers more than $40 million by negotiating better terms with SUEZ water and cutting wasteful spending out of our municipal budgets.

• We made pedestrian safety improvements and added on-street parking spaces across the 2nd Ward.

• We became and continue to be more environmentally friendly and a resilient community.

• We created a more business supportive environment with a new special improvement district to keep our local businesses open and thriving.

• We fought off irresponsible developments and insisted on better outcomes for our city.

• We provided necessary checks and balances on the administration and demanded good governance.

• And most importantly, we showed what it means to “Be Hoboken” as we braved through COVID and came together during times of need as a community to support our vulnerable neighbors in our own backyard and around the world.

As your neighbor, I believe Hoboken residents and taxpayers deserve a representative who will always be working and advocating for them. Who listens and engages. Who will be transparent and informative on all issues. Who has the interest, commitment and experience to tackle the big and the small issues Hoboken residents are facing today and in the future. Who will admit to mistakes and work even harder to fix them. Who believes more voices gives us the best chance for the best outcome.

And who is not a rubber stamp, but the independent voice you can count on who will ask tough questions and always vote Hoboken first. As your council representative today, if you re-elect me in November, I promise to continue to be that advocate for you.

What lies ahead for our community includes big opportunities, and even bigger challenges. I am ready to keep my sleeves rolled up, if you will join me, to finish what we started, bring better focus to everyday quality of life concerns and tackle some of the biggest issues Hoboken has ever faced including:

• Completing Hoboken’s Uptown Waterfront - Finalize plans and build the new park and nature preserve on the Monarch site, ensure New York Waterway leaves the UDD site for good, and build "Rebuild By Design" and the 2 acre Cove Park (while helping our 2nd ward neighbors navigate through 2-3 years of construction).

• Revitalizing Hoboken’s Housing Authority to finally improve the housing conditions of our neighbors.

• Continuing upgrades of our water and drainage systems with the goal of ultimately eliminating all water main breaks and damage from everyday flooding.

• Keeping the proposed Story dispensary from opening at the former Hudson Tavern by supporting our neighbors who are litigating, and fighting the corruption involved that is only enriching elected officials at the expense of the public's interest.

• Creating a culture of safety, instead of just headlines and bump-outs, so all are engaged to do their part and make our streets feel safer.

• Dealing with, and not ignoring, real parking concerns, an important issue that effects so many of our neighbors.

• Building a community center and pool, before we lose the opportunity.

• Employing simple, commonsense improvements like requiring “Construction Ahead” signs well ahead of a closed off block to help mitigate unnecessary traffic.

• Increasing enforcement of Hoboken’s traffic, sanitary, and zoning codes to help improve pedestrian safety, eliminate rats and other vermin, and ensure our community is accessible to all residents and visitors.

• Doing more to address rising affordability concerns and minimize housing insecurities.

• Helping our schools deal with their real estate and facilities needs before it’s too late.

• Ensuring that all future big development puts Hoboken’s priorities first over special interests and political agendas.

Our Hoboken is a small town with the challenges of a big city and we need leadership who always supports what is best for Hoboken... My agenda is simple, as it has been for the past eight years.

I hope you will join me on the 23rd.