Hoboken Councilwomen: We Were Bullied Into Leaving City Hall

HOBOKEN, NJ — A pair of Hoboken council members are steaming mad after being asked to leave City Hall on Tuesday, reportedly at the request of building security.

According to a joint statement from Hoboken City Council President Jen Giattino and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, the incident took place when they were at City Hall, looking into a matter involving the potential eviction of a Hoboken resident from his home.

The councilwomen said that as they finished their business, security officers approached them and said – on request of the administration of Mayor Ravi Bhalla – they had to leave the building.

Giattino and Fisher released the following statement about the incident:

“It is alarming that the administration ordered our removal from City Hall while we were helping a Hoboken resident at risk of losing his home. As duly-elected representatives and active members of the city’s government, we will continue to be a presence in City Hall and we will not tolerate nor be intimidated by this attempt to prevent us from doing the job we were elected to do – representing and advocating for the residents of Hoboken. This level of bullying has no place in our city let alone from within City Hall and everyone should be concerned by this misuse of power exhibited by the mayor’s office.”

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Mayor Bhalla’s office offered Patch the following response to Giattino and Fisher’s statement:

“The councilmembers’ dramatic claims, as per usual, are disingenuous. The business administrator has received numerous complaints from city directors that these two councilmembers in particular repeatedly abuse their status and barge into their offices unannounced, disrupting staff always without appointment. They were asked if they had an appointment, and if not to politely vacate the building due to the business administrator’s policy requiring an appointment to see the city director and staff.”

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