Hoboken 5th Ward Candidate Profile: Phil Cohen

HOBOKEN, NJ — If you live in the northwest section of Hoboken, including the 14th Street Viaduct area, you're likely in the 5th Ward. (See the ward map here).

That means you'll get to vote for one of two candidates for 5th Ward council — but even if you don't live there, the election will affect you. Hoboken has nine voting members on its City Council, and each one can sway a vote.

Current Councilman Phil Cohen is up for re-election. He's being challenged by political newcomer Liz Urtecho.

Cohen has been endorsed by and is allied with Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

The questions and answers from Cohen are below. Compare them with Urtecho's profile. See the other profiles on Hoboken Patch here.

NOTE: Got something to say? Post comments below or post letter to the editor on Hoboken Patch this way.

Name

Phil Cohen

How old will you be as of Election Day?

59

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://PhilCohen.org

Party affiliation, even though Hoboken elections are non-partisan:

Democrat

Education.

High School: Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ; College, Tufts University, B.A.; Law School: Rutgers Law School, J.D.

Current occupation, years of experience.

Attorney, 34 years of experience

Family information, if you're willing to share.

Wife, Rebecca Kramnick; Daughters Anna (23) and Madeline (27) (both born and raised Hobokenites!)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or have a government position, either volunteer or paid? Where?

My mother, Ellie Cohen, previously served as the Mayor of Livingston, New Jersey, as well as several terms as a trustee on the Livingston Board of Education and an elected member of the Livingston Town Council. Mom taught me what public service is all about.

Previous or current elected or appointed offices.

Current Elected or Appointed Office:

5th Ward Councilman, Hoboken City Council (2020-present)

Trustee, Board of Directors, Hoboken Business Alliance (2022-present)

Member, Citizens Advisory Group, Rebuild by Design (2017-present)

Prior Elected or Appointed Office:

Commissioner, Hoboken Zoning Board of Adjustment (2009-2012; 2014-2017)

Commissioner, Hoboken Planning Board (2013)

Member of Board of Trustees, United Synagogue of Hoboken (2009-2018)

Chair, Hoboken Democratic Party (2018-2019)

Member of the Board of Directors, Liberty Humane Society (2016-2017)

Elected, Democratic Committeeman, Hoboken Democratic Party, Representing Hoboken’s 5th Ward, 3rd District (2007-present)

Member of Board of Directors, Legal Information for Families Today (now known as Family Legal Care) (2016-2022)

Board Chair, Stevens Cooperative School (2003-2005) and Trustee on Stevens Cooperative School Board (2001-2007)

Why are you seeking a spot on Hoboken's City Council? Please keep these answers to 250 words or we WILL automatically truncate your answer.

I am running for re-election so I can continue the work of improving all Hoboken residents’ quality of life and keeping our city on a sound long-term fiscal path.

Working with Mayor Bhalla and my Council colleagues, I have successfully led the fight on the City Council to move forward on critical quality-of-life projects. These efforts include: the construction of the Northwest Resiliency Park, which has transformed Northwest Hoboken and the 5th Ward; defending our public waterfront at Union Dry Dock; bringing CitiBikes to Hoboken; and completing major infrastructure upgrades such as Vision Zero safety improvements and Rebuild by Design resiliency infrastructure.

Since my election in 2019, I have worked hard to be available and accessible. I have conducted more than 85 community events and publish a bi-monthly newsletter to constituents via e-mail.

No issue has been too large or small to tackle for my constituents — everything from filling potholes and fixing stop signs, to fighting for entire buildings threatened with unconscionable rent increases, and helping them stay him in their homes.

What is the single most pressing issue facing Hoboken, and what makes you more qualified than your opponent(s) to solve it?

I think resiliency is the the most pressing issue. Having lived through Superstorm Sandy and witnessed the devastation that stronger, wetter storms have brought to our community, as we live on the front lines of climate change, we must finish the job to make Hoboken resilient for the long-term.

Having served on the Citizens Advisory Group for Hoboken’s $230 Million Rebuild by Design program since 2017 and chaired the City Council’s Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Rebuild by Design in 2020, I have real, hands-on experience, working to protect Hoboken for the long-term.

I have also worked closely with Mayor Bhalla and his administration on the 3 1/2 year construction effort to complete ResilienCity Park, which opened in June of this year. Not only is this park a beautiful addition creating Hoboken’s “Central Park”, but the extraordinary engineering for this 5th Ward park holds up to 2 million gallons of storm water that otherwise would be wreaking havoc in our community. We need to finish the Rebuild By Design job, and I have the experience, the background, and the commitment to make sure that the job gets done for our community.

Do you believe national political issues are relevant to Hoboken? Whom did you vote for in the 2020 presidential election? Do you believe it's relevant or irrelevant, and why?

Yes. Joe Biden.

We have seen national political issues enter Hoboken in a number of ways during my first term in office. Mayor Bhalla was a leader in closing restaurants and bars and gyms in March of 2020 before many other communities because he believed in the science that required social distancing to protect our community from COVID-19 before any vaccine was available. Many criticized Mayor Bhalla for taking such bold actions, but I believe history has shown that it was important to follow the best scientific knowledge available to protect our community during a pandemic.

Likewise, Hoboken’s Public Library, during Pride Month this year, celebrated reading from banned books in a banned book read-a-thon. I supported the Library’s leadership and read a children’s book “Everywhere Babies” during that event. I agree with the leadership of the Hoboken Public Library that libraries should be centers of intellectual freedom and that books should not be banned. It is troubling that other communities in America are banning books that tell the stories of the LBGTQ+ community and that speak about African-American history or from the voice of African-American authors.

I am proud that Hoboken is diverse and welcoming community, and as a leader of our community, I have been proud to use my platform to amplify that message, and have done so to the best of my ability.

Some believe that running for local office serves primarily as a stepping stone, particularly in Hudson County. Are you willing to take a pledge to remain on the council for all four years rather than taking any other political job or paid government position?

Yes.

Several of our readers and others have said that Hoboken is becoming unaffordable to the middle class, particularly with monthly apartment rents seeing increases between $500 and $1,000 in some cases, and other costs spiking. Yet, Hoboken boasts of being an artsy town and a diverse community. Do you think something should be done to keep a mix of people in all parts of town? If so, what?

Yes. We should enforce Hoboken’s rent control ordinance, which I amended this year to reduce annual maximum rent hikes to 5% or CPI, whatever is lower. Previously, the maximum rent hike was 7.5% or CPI, whatever is lower.

I am proud that I have worked with residents of The Rivington, The Harlow, The Artisan and the Ballpark to have management reduce excessive and/or illegal rent hikes in response to my direct engagement with management on behalf of the tenants of these 5th Ward buildings. I have also worked to assist tenants in buildings in many other buildings throughout the city and am proud of the results of those efforts.

Do you think Hoboken's current rent control ordinance is working as is, or does it need adjustments, and what kind? If there's a referendum to remove the Rent Control Ordinance, as has been talked about in the past, would you work to keep it, or remove it?

I think all ordinances can be improved and am open to good ideas.

However, Hoboken’s Rent Control ordinance needs to be kept and I would oppose any referendum to remove it.

Six weeks after the 2021 council race, a majority of council members voted to give themselves raises of more than 30 percent, bringing the part-time salaries to $35,000-$40,000 each, plus benefits. Will you be taking the full salary and benefits if elected? Will you approve any raises for yourself during the next four years if you are elected?

I didn’t take the raise in 2022 and I would not approve any raise for myself in the next four years.

If you are running with the support of the current mayoral administration, what is something you think it hasn't done well in its eight years that needs improvement? If you are not running with the administration's support, what is something they've done very well?

I believe that the current mayoral administration could and should do better with respect to protected bike lanes on Washington Street. Having a design that allows for cars to double-park in a bike lane and parked cars to roll across the bike lane makes it unsafe for riders of all ages and abilities to use the bike lane.

I think the Administration did an outstanding job during the COVID pandemic in terms of being a leader in protecting our community, delivering meals to housebound seniors, making free testing available, and then free vaccination sites available.

Do you plan to vote in Hoboken's school board election in November? Which three candidates are you supporting?

Yes. I am proudly voting for and supporting my friends Sharyn Angley, Chetali Khanna and Sheilah Dallara — the Moms Leading Progress slate.

Please feel free to share anything else you think needs to be said, but keep answers to 250 words. Note that any longer answer will be truncated. Also, if you decline to answer a question, that will be noted.

Thank you to the voters of the 5th Ward for giving me the opportunity to serve you these past four years. I have enjoyed serving you, and have worked to the best of my ability to serve you as your Council representative.

I humbly ask you for your support and your vote to serve you for another 4 years.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at HobokenPhil@gmail.com