Hoboken 6th Ward Candidate Profile: Ian Rintel

HOBOKEN, NJ — If you live in central Hoboken, including the Stevens campus and central waterfront, you're likely in the 6th Ward. (See the ward map here).

That means you'll get to vote for one of three candidates for 6th 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 Councilwoman Jen Giattino is up for re-election. She's being challenged by political newcomer Lauren Myers, who's supported by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, and Ian Rintel, who has run for council before.

The questions and answers from Ian Rintel are below. Compare them with the other two 6th Ward candidates' profiles posted on Hoboken Patch here.

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

Name: Ian Rintel

Ian Rintel, but for this election I'm just using my first name Ian.

How old will you be as of Election Day?

50

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

https://www.ianforhoboken.com

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

Independent

Education.

Computer Science/Business

Current occupation, years of experience.

Business Owner, for a long time. I've had a business in Hoboken since 2002.

Family information, if you're willing to share.

My wife and I have been married for five years. My daughter Sela is four years old and attends Kaplan Cooperative.

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

I am not conflicted in any way by having family or friends who work or volunteer in government.

Previous or current elected or appointed offices.

I've never held any elected or appointed position.

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.

The city council lacks my skills presently. I'm able to get HARD things done in Hoboken with a track record of bringing much needed services to Hoboken residents as a private citizen. This includes the recently installed, family friendly bowling lanes. I brought a pool hall back to Hoboken including seventeen premium tables. I put the community game store into my space. I've had golf simulators since 2002 at my previous location with seven at my current location.

In terms of indoor recreation, I do more for Hoboken than the city does: but as a council person I'll be able to make an even bigger impact. My opponents will promise similar things and have promised similar things: but in 14 and 12 years respectively, instead of getting a beautiful pool, we've watched our movie theater close, our YMCA sitting uselessly in disrepair and now even our Soccer program take an enormous step backwards. And yes: I too constantly hear how the YMCA will be reopened soon, along with a pool and that Soccer is imminent: but I've heard these promises for long enough to know, the only way to guarantee they actually happen is with me on the council.

Even just recently, as quoted on Patch in Caren Lissner's June article, I lobbied for the city to use the Hop service to shuttle residents to nearby pools on weekends over the summer. My idea was ignored and for another summer residents were stuck without easy access to swim.

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

Rats have become an emergency and the city has done a few things but needs to do more including replacing all municipal garbage cans to rodent proof cans. Businesses and residents should be provided public, rodent proof garbage cans to put food waste which are emptied daily or more by the city.

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?

National politics are relevant because substantial funding for services such as transportation and emergency response are funded by the federal government. Federal law supersedes state law which in turn supersedes municipal law.

I voted for Biden for lack of a better option. I believe our present system of parties and primaries yields the poorest possible outcome for our choice of candidates and would like to see instant runoff voting become the law of the land at every level of government.

I call myself "anti-party", because while I'm mostly aligned with progressive ideals and favor more positions supported by Democrats than Republicans - I believe that our system as it is now results in the worst possible outcomes and least qualified elected officials. Most of those elected choose party loyalty over constituent loyalties and if they do not, they have a much harder time winning elections.

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?

I will be here for a long time and do good things for Hoboken whether or not elected.

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?

Many of these steep rent increases likely fall under "unconscionable rent increases", but the next question on rent control is a better place to address that issue.

Specifically for unconscionable rent increases which likely apply to this question: at the state level, I want to see the exemption for new construction reduced significantly from 30 to 7 years. Over those first seven years the 'market rate' for rent can be established and rent increases up to an unconscionable number which is clearly defined become the maximum allowed. It's a mistake to have a law such as this without saying what rent increase constitutes unconscionable. This can be defined locally, defined at a state level or set at a state level with the statute specifying a municipality may set the rate that constitutes unconscionable.

Finally, beyond rents and in order to save residents money, the city can do more with less so that we get better value from our tax dollars. I see waste everywhere! Flowers hung ten feet high where few can see that require special and expensive watering? I thought that was a joke, but we've had that happening for a couple years now. When the city wastes money it's easy to forget: it's our money.

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 believe city's current rent control ordinance is too complex and as it is written it's hard to follow. A law that requires an expert to do a "legal rent calculation" probably isn't a good one and requires us to have additional paid personnel. It's also too easy for small landlords to make costly mistakes and for large landlords to find loopholes and take advantage.

The recent arguments and suggested changes to rent control involved changes with vacancy decontrol. The problem with vacancy decontrol is that it incentivizes landlords to take measures to get tenants to leave, however I do believe a slightly bigger rent increase can work when there is a vacancy so long as the cost of finding a new tenant is on the landlord rather than born by that new tenant. As it stands, with tenants commonly paying a one month realtor fee and the landlord paying nothing: there isn't enough incentive for landlords to keep their tenants. Ultimately we want our landlords small and large to value their rent paying tenants as they should: a partner who makes their investment in real estate possible and profitable, and not to look at real estate as an investment where every dollar should be squeezed out of the resident.

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 believe it is necessary to compensate positions such as city council because without compensation our council people can't afford to give the time required to fulfill the needs of the job. While a 30 percent pay increase seems more than necessary, there hadn't been a pay increase in some time and it would make more sense to have regular annual increases of a few percent for the position.

I will take the salary offered as well as the benefits because of the time I'll be putting in for the city which is worth far more than the compensation I'll be receiving.

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?

Besides making a huge mistake in closing all city parks in the very beginning of COVID that likely caused more infections since it forced people to spend more time indoors and neglecting to do anything about indoor airflow and forgetting to think about the need to clean parklets before they were constructed, I think the Mayor did a fantastic job during the pandemic and I do not really fault him for the mistakes he made as it was a tough time and he mostly made good decisions.

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

I vote in all elections and I'll support the first three candidates that reach out to me and show me they are truly invested in our community. So Patricia Waiters and the next two.

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.

I'm running because I get things done. What I'm campaigning on is exactly true: All candidates are out there making promises, the only difference is I'll actually deliver what is promised.

If I'm elected, we'll be swimming in a pool this summer (most likely a nearby pool using the Hop shuttle, but if elected and if the city is disagreeable, I'll figure out transportation) and as far as a pool here in Hoboken, I promise we'll break ground on a new pool complex even before our current Mayor is elected to Congress.