Hoboken Mayor On Voter Bribery Allegations: So What's New?

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla may have summarized the feelings of many local residents when he commented on this week’s allegations of voter bribery in 2013's city election.

So what else is new?

“[Thursday’s] official statement by the United States Attorney's office proves what we've known for years… candidates and campaigns will do anything, including bribing voters, to illegally influence elections here in Hoboken,” Bhalla said.

The mayor was referring to this week’s announcement from federal prosecutors, which accused Hoboken resident Lizaida Camis, 55, of taking part in a "voter bribery scheme" during the 2013 municipal election. Camis allegedly agreed to pay several Hoboken residents $50 each if they cast mail-in ballots, in some cases instructing them which candidates to vote for, federal prosecutors said.

Camis faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, prosecutors said.

• See related article: Hoboken Woman Allegedly Bribed Voters During 2013 City Election

Prosecutors didn't provide the name of the campaign or campaigns that employed Camis during the 2013 election. Patch has reached out to authorities for more information and will update this article if we receive a reply.

See results and candidates for the 2013 General Election in Hoboken here.

Following the prosecutor’s announcement, Bhalla released his own statement about the allegations:

“Voting by mail is a tool that is intended to aid voters, but instead has been rampantly abused by corrupt political campaigns. Today's official statement by the United States Attorney's office proves what we've known for years - candidates and campaigns will do anything, including bribing voters, to illegally influence elections here in Hoboken. Quite simply, buying votes is an unlawful act that undermines our democracy, and must end once and for all. I commend the United States Attorney's office and all law enforcement agencies involved for their focus on this endemic problem. It is my hope that anyone involved in this corrupt scheme outlined by the United States Attorney’s office is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

It hasn’t been the first time that Bhalla has cast doubt on whether the political playing field is on the level in Hoboken.

In January, just months removed from his narrow victory in the 2017 mayoral election, Bhalla – released a statement explaining why he vetoed an ordinance that would have brought back "runoff elections" in the city.

“The open secret known by every single member of the City Council and alluded to in multiple local news reports is that there is massive vote-buying that occurs in our elections."

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Photo: City of Hoboken