Hoboken City Council Election Profile: How Cheryl Fallick Answered Our Questions

HOBOKEN, NJ — Ten candidates are running to fill three seats on the Hoboken City Council. You can choose any three council people on Nov. 2. (Three of those candidates are running on a ticket allied with Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who is running for re-election unopposed.)

Council members earn $24,000 each for the part-time job.

We'll be featuring candidate profiles in the next two weeks. Below are candidate Cheryl Fallick's answers to the questionnaire.

Hoboken's municipal elections are non-partisan, meaning the elections aren't Republicans vs. Democrats, but various individuals and slates against each other.

Readers should note not just how candidates answer the questions below, but which candidates avoid answering the question or parts of the question.

• Your name: Cheryl Fallick
• Campaign website, if any: it4hoboken.com
• Age as of election day: 63
• Party affiliation, even though Hoboken elections are non-partisan: Registered Democrat
• Family information (Names, ages, or any details you wish to share) No immediate family in Hoboken
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Where? No
• Educational background: BA labor studies

• Occupation, years of experience: Most recently, Real Estate, 3 years

• Previous or current elected or appointed offices: I have served on the rent leveling board since 2009, appointed by both Mayor Zimmer and Mayor Bhalla, Also, I am on the Board of NJ Appleseed, Public Interest Law Center

Why are you seeking elected office? (Please keep these answers to 250 words or we may automatically truncate your answer)

As a long-time community advocate, I have been a voice to residents in Hoboken on many issues ranging from our defending our waterfront to affordability and housing injustices, to the impact of over development on our quality of life. When I became aware of the threat that residents would not have a selection of candidates to choose from on the ballot this year, I decided that it was time for me to turn my voice into a vote and step up to run for office. I am very familiar with Hoboken, the workings of our local government and legislative history and more recently have become increasingly concerned that headlines are taking priority over real legislative and policy solutions. We have a lot of big issues that need to be tackled and I want to lend my voice and knowledge for the best legislative outcomes for our city. I have been able to make a difference, even in real time (when the city council was voting on an ordinance or resolution) but, as someone that is unquestionably ready to ‘hit the ground running’ and cast a well-informed vote, it felt like now was the right time for me to step up to the plate.

What is the single most pressing issue facing Hoboken, and how do you think you can help solve it?

There are many pressing issues, but I would say that all things housing is at the top of the list: housing development, housing flooding, housing affordability. The steps, measure or legislation that I would propose is to tap the brakes on development. With the rising amount of flooding that seems tied to our 20 percent population growth, I would first want to tap the brakes on the mayor’s massive pipeline of out of scale developments to determine if our aging infrastructure can support it before it is too late and we all lose. On flooding, I would focus on the needs of the residents, both before and after flooding events and how the administration can better target their immediate needs. On affordability I would introduce legislation taken directly from, and recommended by, the city’s affordable housing survey study and I would push for better transparency and communication from the administration about legislation that would impact our housing stock.

Do you believe national political issues are relevant to Hoboken? Are you willing to say for whom you voted in the 2020 presidential election? Do you believe it's relevant or irrelevant, and why?

I do believe that national issues, and even global issues, are relevant to Hoboken, as in many ways Hoboken is a microcosm of the world. However, I believe that national politics which have turned into more of a team sport between two rival teams are less relevant. With that said, as the role of city council-at-large is a locally elected position, my energy will be on crafting, proposing, promoting and passing legislation that will directly improve the quality of life of Hoboken’s residents.

An issue that often comes up on social media discussion boards is a lack of affordable summer camp options and drop-off recreational options for kids in Hoboken, and a lack of activities for teens, especially compared to other towns, some smaller. In the last few years, parents have said they didn't get enough notice about baseball signups and had to register in Union City for that town's recreation baseball instead of in Hoboken. Specifically, how would you increase low-cost recreation (and not just sports) programming for kids and teens within town, especially over the summer?

The status quo in the system is clearly not working for the residents. It sounds like what we need is for parents and other residents to have a seat at the table to enable a new and more comprehensive set of recreational offerings.

Some believe that running for local office is only meant as a stepping stone, particularly in Hudson County. Do you plan to someday run for any other political office besides the one you are currently seeking? Why or why not?

No, I don’t plan to.

What is the best thing about Hoboken, and what is the worst thing?

There are so many great things about Hoboken that it’s hard to pick just one, but, the first thing that comes to mind is that, at the end of the day, our size, location and walkability facilitates that sense of community that we all feel. The worst: flooding and the damage to our residents’ homes, property and our historic character that the flooding causes.

What are critical differences between you and other candidates?

There are several. I would come to the city council with a greater depth and broader knowledge of our legislative history than any council member in recent history so I will be able to make informed decisions on all of the votes I cast without someone else shaping my decisions and/or providing me with limited information on a subject. I also think its unlikely that the city has ever had an elected representative with the level of expertise that I have on possible ways to meet our affordability needs and the will to ensure that housing justice has a seat at the table.

Previous Hoboken Patch Election Coverage

• Council Candidate Ian Rintel's Answers To Our Questions
  
• Council Candidate Cindy Wiegand's Answers To Our Questions
• Whom Did Hoboken Council Candidates Support For President In 2020?
• Hoboken Election: Jim Doyle Replaces Dini Ajmani On Mayor's Slate
  
• Citing 'Toxic' Hoboken Politics, Councilman Won't Run For Mayor
• I'm Running For Re-Election, Announces Mayor

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