Candidates In Hoboken's 1st Ward Council Runoff Election Trade Accusations

HOBOKEN, NJ — After more than a dozen City Council candidates faced off on Nov. 7 for six seats representing Hoboken's wards, one election still remains to be decided in a runoff.

To represent the 1st Ward — which includes the neighborhoods around the train station — Rafi Cordova, the head of the city's Rent Leveling Board, is facing off against former council candidate Paul Presinzano. The incumbent 1st Ward council member, Michael DeFusco, decided not to run again, leaving the seat open.

Three candidates ran for that spot in November, but because no one failed to capture a majority, the two highest vote-getters will face each other on Dec. 5.

The final totals were:

• Paul Presinzano, 608 votes, 48 percent of the vote.
• Rafi Cordova, 539 votes, 42.5 percent.
• Leo Pellegrini, 114 votes, 9 percent.
• Write-in vote, 6 votes, .5 percent.

Cordova is running with the support of Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

Allegations This Week In Critical Race

The winner of the race may become the deciding fifth vote on the nine-member council, critical to passing the mayor's initiatives, and several officials have publicly picked a side in the race.

On Monday, a Cordova supporter, Councilman Joe Quintero, released a letter and press release accusing a past election worker of voter interference in order to get more votes for Presinzano. In response, Presinzano and his supporters denied the allegations, saying they were false and meant to make headlines.

Cordova himself did not release a public comment on the allegations.

Below are Quintero's original letter, and Presinzano's response, as well as responses from two council people supporting Presinzano. The name of the campaign worker has been redacted for now because of the unproven allegations.

Letter From Quintero To Attorney General:

Dear Attorney General Platkin (and other relevant law enforcement) –

My name is Joe Quintero, Councilman-at-large for the City of Hoboken. Over the weekend multiple residents of Hoboken’s first ward came forward to me with knowledge of a pay-for-votes scheme which occurred during the November 7th City Council election. These individuals also believe the scheme is continuing in advance of the December 5th runoff election.

I have personally met with each of these individuals (their names and contact information are below) and have discussed this matter with them. Specifically, these individuals have knowledge of a scheme headed by [a campaign worker] (who resides at 400 1st Street, Hoboken), whereby seniors, Hispanics, and vulnerable residents have been targeted and paid $50 for their votes seeking to benefit the candidacy of City Council candidate Paul Presinzano.

Details of the scheme are included in the attached letter which has been personally signed by each resident named below. Given this information, the residents named below and I are hereby requesting that you (and any other relevant law enforcement copied here) begin an immediate investigation into this matter. However, because they fear reprisals, the complainants are communicating with you, but request that their names not be released publicly. Our goal is to ensure this illegal activity is addressed and also to ensure this illegal activity does not impact the upcoming runoff election.

Regards, Joe Quintero

The Attachment:

Dear Attorney General Platkin and Law Enforcement,

We are residents of Hoboken’s First Ward, and we love the City in which we live. However, we write to you with very serious concerns regarding the electoral process, and specifically regarding the First Ward election that took place on November 7, and that will take place with the runoff election on December 5.

For the past elections we have observed, firsthand, individuals in our community either being paid to vote by mail for various candidates, or inappropriately manipulated to fill out their ballots for certain candidates. We believe these practices occurred during the November 7 election, and believe it is occurring again in advance of the December 5 runoff election. As a result we have raised awareness of this to our local Councilman-at-large, Joe Quintero, and with his help are notifying you via this letter.

Specifically, we believe that [redacted], a resident of our building (400 1st Street, Hoboken), coordinated an operation targeting seniors, Hispanics, and our vulnerable population during the November 7 election. In this operation she offered $50 to targeted parties for their votes, seeking to benefit the candidacy of Paul Presinzano. Additionally, we believe she has sought to manipulate individuals into voting for the same candidate.

Finally, we believe she is currently engaged in the same activity, for the purposes of benefitting the Presinzano campaign in advance of the December 5 runoff election.

With respect to Ms. [redacted], we have witnessed her actions which typically have included: (1) [Redacted] monitoring the mailroom for potential voters (including those with Alzheimers, are disabled, and more) to collect their vote-by-mail ballots. (2) Ms. [Redacted] following these individual to their apartments to either force a vote for a specific candidate or to collect a blank ballot with a completed outer envelope (for the purposes of completion and submission later). (3) Ms. [Redacted] then arranging for the ballots to be submitted. (4) Ms. [Redacted] then following up with a cash payment for the vote.

These practices and activities are not news to residents of our building or those who followed the news in Hoboken in recent years. Court filings during the trial of Frank Raia (who was convicted for voter bribery), previously documented Ms. [Redacted]’s participation in voter bribery schemes and offering individuals $50 for their vote. Sadly, we believe that Ms. [Redacted] is engaged in this activity again in this election cycle (both the November 7 election and the upcoming December 5 runoff) for the benefit of her preferred candidate, Paul Presinzano. We know that she in fact offered to pay people to vote for Mr. Presinzano during the November 7 election.

With vote-by-mail ballots arriving soon for the December 5 runoff, we know Ms. [Redacted] is once again preparing this illegal scheme to help elect Mr. Presinzano. We also know that Ms. [Redacted] improperly takes unsealed ballots, and does not register as assisting or as a bearer of a ballot that is not submitted by the voter.

We are coming forward because we are sick and tired of our neighbors and friends being taken advantage of, and we are sick and tired of this illegal scheme that Ms. [Redacted] continues to orchestrate. We are asking any and all law enforcement to ensure that these actions do not occur again, and to quickly investigate this situation so the upcoming runoff election, and all future elections, are not impacted. We thank you for your assistance and are ready to help your investigation.

Sincerely, [Names withheld]

Presinzano's Press Release In Response:

Today, a public relations stunt occurred meant to smear Paul Presinzano’s candidacy in the December 5th Runoff Election in Hoboken’s 1st Ward. Councilman Joe Quintero, who both endorsed and gave a $2,000 campaign donation to Rafi Cordova, Paul’s competitor, sent a letter to various officials falsely accusing a local community member of running a pay-for-votes scheme to benefit Paul’s campaign. The letter timed perfectly to coincide with the arrival of mail-in ballots.

“Setting the record straight, these allegations are baseless and defamatory. I would never pay for votes or have anyone pay for votes on my behalf which put my family’s future and my own reputation on the line,” Presinzano states firmly. “We expected dirty politics from my competitor’s campaign during this election, but even I did not believe that Rafi would stoop this low just to win. I am not going to let Team Bhalla discredit me, my family, or my supporters with this nonsense.”

At risk in this election, and probably motivation for the baseless accusations, is Mayor Bhalla’s important 5th vote on the City Council, pivotal to his political aspirations of running for Congress, that he risks losing if Paul wins again in the runoff. Mayor Bhalla also donated $2,500 to Cordova’s campaign.

“I am shocked that Councilman Quintero would jeopardize his own reputation to push these libelous and baseless claims just to support the mayor’s agenda,” said Presinzano. “Mayor Bhalla and his allies must believe they cannot win a fair fight, so they are resorting to desperate, Trumpian tactics to taint the whole process.”

Paul is a strong advocate for Hoboken and as a candidate and also through his civic foundation, he works closely with seniors and other vulnerable neighbors. He has been knocking on doors and meeting with his neighbors even before he was an announced candidate for Hoboken’s first ward.

“I am proud of the issues based campaign we are running and my top finish in November because of it. Right now I am focused on working with my neighbors who want to talk about the issues that matter to them and to put an end to divisive politics in Hoboken,” said Presinzano.

Councilman Quintero’s letter is directed at [redacted], a long-time Hoboken resident and Presinzano supporter, who also fully refutes the allegations. However, [she] is not the real target of the letter. The real targets are Presinzano and the voters and volunteers across the ward that support him.

Paul Presinzano concludes with, “Paying people for their vote is illegal, and if anyone is doing that in this election or any other, they should be prosecuted. But, that is not what this is about. This is Team Bhalla doing whatever it takes to win, including ruining the reputation of innocent victims along the way. This is a prime example of why I got into this campaign in the first place. We cannot let them get away with being a bully to the people of Hoboken.”

Paul Presinzano is currently looking into filing a defamation lawsuit in response to these baseless allegations.

Councilmember Fisher and Ramos' letters

Dear Attorney General Platkin, et al.

We are writing in response to the letters sent to you today from Hoboken City Councilman Joe Quintero and residents of Hoboken’s 1st Ward falsely alleging that residents are being paid to vote in support of Paul Presinzano’s campaign for election to the Hoboken City Council.

The names of those making the unsubstantiated accusations were not made public in CM Quintero’s press statement that he circulated widely this morning. Nor was CM Quintero’s endorsement of and his $2,000 campaign contribution to Rafi Cordova, the candidate competing against Paul in this election. Accusations of paying for votes have to be taken seriously. Especially in Hoboken who has a long history of this happening.

Hoboken, however, also has a more recent history of politicians doing “anything to win” including using lies, deceit, innocent victims and defamatory statements against competing candidates. This pattern, often in the gray area of ethics, becomes a crime when lies are used intentionally to create harm—especially when orchestrated by public officials for political favor during elections.

This instance today appears as a calculated attempt by those supporting Rafi Cordova’s campaign to smear Paul's candidacy, aiming for a damaging headline to be timed on the day Vote By Mail ballots hit mailboxes, two weeks before the election. The stakes in this election center around Mayor Bhalla's risk of losing a pivotal 5th and deciding vote on the Hoboken City Council if Paul wins. A vote that is essential for his political plans for higher office. Mayor Bhalla has not only endorsed Rafi, but he has also made a $2,500 campaign contribution to him as well. It has been Team Bhalla’s practice that we have seen many times for them to use deceptive statements and misinformation to win including the most egregious "terror flyer" strategically timed before the 2017 Mayoral Election, currently under investigation by your office and federal agencies.

Both Paul's and Rafi's campaigns are prioritizing reaching out to recipients of Vote By Mail ballots right now, a typical campaign strategy employed statewide, especially in low turnout elections. It is not a coincidence that the timing of these accusatory letters align perfectly with the day the VBM ballots hit mailboxes and that both Mayor Bhalla and CM Quintero are actively trying to get a story (and headline) written about this matter today.

We want to emphasize our full confidence that neither Paul Presinzano nor anyone associated with his campaign paid for votes in either the November 7th general election or the upcoming December 5th election. Equally, we firmly believe that the defamatory narrative created by Councilman Quintero is entirely baseless.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we actively support Paul's campaign through endorsements, voter outreach, and potential financial contributions. Our involvement includes traditional campaign activities such as talking to voters, door knocking, and envelope stuffing, aimed at maximizing visibility in what is expected to be a low turnout election.

We urge a thorough investigation into these serious allegations, but ensuring consideration of the broader Hoboken political context. Notably, we ask that you scrutinize the motives of those involved, including CM Quintero, and Mayor Bhalla's potential losses in the election outcome, where a Rafi defeat could mean a loss of the council majority and future political implications for him.

Finally, these accusations are not only damaging to Paul's campaign for office, but are incredibly hurtful to him and his family. Paul does not deserve the unwarranted harm caused by these baseless and unsubstantiated claims.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Tiffanie Fisher

Ruben Ramos

Past Interference?

For decades, claims of voter interference, voter intimidation, and vote-buying have plagued Hoboken, with only a few of the allegations coming to a resolution.

Most notably, former 3rd Ward Councilman, mayoral candidate, and school board president Frank Raia was sentenced in a $50-per-vote bribery scheme related to a 2013 Hoboken election.

Years before that, in 1996, the late 4th Ward councilman Andrew Amato was indicted in an alleged $40-per-vote scheme.

In years past, it was well known that dozens of election workers, often in the 3rd and 4th wards, were paid $50 to get out the vote on Election Day, with observers charging that since the workers were told to vote first, the practice amounted to vote buying for whichever candidate hired them. Additionally, campaigns often made the rounds to senior buildings before the elections to "help" seniors fill out mail-in ballots, in order to shore of up votes in advance.