Council Critics Question Hoboken Mayor's New Job With Law Firm

HOBOKEN, NJ — Four Hoboken council members raised questions this week about the fact that Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla recently moved from an "of counsel" position at one New Jersey law firm to another. Back in 2018, Bhalla had raised eyebrows when he took a $60,000 slot at a law firm after pledging during his first campaign to focus full-time on the mayor job.

On Dec. 30, 2021, law firm Schenck, Price, Smith and King — where Assistant City Attorney John Allen also is employed — posted on its website that Bhalla is now "of counsel" there. Bhalla did not announce the change in firms publicly, but it was revealed in the press this week.

In his past slot, Bhalla also held an "of counsel" role, and could earn additional funds for delivering clients.

Bhalla also earns $116,950 per year as mayor. READ MORE: Council Votes On Large Raises Four Weeks After Election

Rob Horowitz, who served as Bhalla's spokesperson for his unopposed re-election bid in November, answered questions this week about the new spot.

Horowitz said Sunday that Bhalla's stipend at the firm is the same $60,000 he was earning at the other firm.

"It is a limited advisory role," he said.

When asked why he didn't publicly announce the new spot, since his and Allen's second jobs caused controversy when first revealed in press accounts, Horowitz said, "The law firm publicly announced it on Dec. 30, posting it on the firm website, and there is an upcoming article/announcement that will appear in the Law Journal."

He added, "Since the fact that the mayor has been serving in the very limited role of 'counsel' to a law firm has been public for the past four years, the movement to a different firm in our view didn't require a separate announcement from the city."

When asked why Bhalla feels he needs another job in addition to the full-time mayor slot, Horowitz did not respond.

John Allen's job proved controversial last year because — besides working for the law firm
at the same time as he held his city job — he also held a $15,000-per-year slot as Hoboken's Alcoholic Beverage Control board attorney.

Last fall, councilwomen Tiffanie Fisher and Jen Giattino asked about a potential conflict of interest, because Schenck, Price, Smith and King was handling the ownership restructuring of two local Hoboken bars.

The two councilwomen said that days after they filed public information requests to get more information, Allen left the ABC board job.

In mid-October, city spokesperson Marilyn Baer said, "Assistant Corporation Counsel John Allen resigned as counsel for the Alcohol Beverage Control Board on Oct. 13. He chose to resign to avoid future potential conflicts ... Mr. Allen chose to resign instead of simply recusing himself on
individual matters pertaining to the license holder."

Baer added that he went "the extra mile" by resigning. READ MORE: Hoboken Responds To Questions

Giattino and Fisher asked why Allen's firm was taking on clients that could come before the ABC board in the first place, when they noted on their website that Allen worked as an attorney to the board.

With the more recent disclosure that Bhalla has switched to Allen's firm, council members Giattino, Fisher, Ruben Ramos, and Michael DeFusco issued a press release Monday.

"After promising residents that he’s '100 percent committed to Hoboken' it was revealed that Mayor Ravi Bhalla joined New Jersey law firm Schenk, Price, Smith and King at the end of 2021, just over a month after he was re-elected to a second term," the release said.

“This once again reignites our longstanding concern that Mayor Bhalla’s second job with a politically connected law firm will compromise the city’s interests in favor of his own," said the council members in the release. “Of all the law firms in NJ, the mayor chooses the same firm as his former running mate and chief of staff, who is now a city attorney. Mr. Allen may have solicited work for the firm in question, but the administration has blocked access to public records which would prove or disprove this accusation."

They added, "If there is nothing to hide, then there shouldn’t be any issue with providing access to these records. Hoboken residents deserve to know the truth of who may be influencing the Bhalla Administration.”

Allen's work for the private law firm came to light in a story in TAPInto last year, "Office of Corporation Counsel Under Scrutiny."

Allen was one of three council candidates on Bhalla's first mayoral slate in 2017, but did not win a spot. He later was hired for the city position.

Giattino and Fisher said that after they found out last fall that Schenck Price was representing a Hoboken bar owner, they filed a complaint on Oct. 28 with the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics. They said they still have public records requests pending.

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