Hoboken Responds To Questions On Official's Potential Conflict Of Interest

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Assistant City Attorney John Allen, who previously served as chief of staff of Mayor Ravi Bhalla, has been working for an outside law firm at the same time as he holds the city job and, until recently, also held a $15,000 slot as the city's alcohol board attorney. Two council members said this week that the jobs could have led to a conflict of interest.

Council members Tiffanie Fisher and Jennifer Giattino said in a release on Monday that they recently "learned that the law firm Schenk, Price, Smith & King was handling the ownership restructuring of two local Hoboken bars who hold liquor licenses ... In any other place, this would not seem extraordinary. However, in Hoboken, [the] former chief of staff to Mayor Bhalla named John Allen, a city employee, was serving as attorney for the local Alcohol and Beverage Commission Board at the time while also employed as one of Schenck Price’s attorneys — a clear conflict of interest."

The pair said that after they filed public information requests to get more information, Allen left the ABC board job. He remains in his job in the city attorney's office.

Fisher said Monday, “Our understanding is Allen stepped down from his role as ABC board attorney this week and on the heels of Councilwoman Giattino’s October 15th OPRA request.”

The pair asked why his outside law firm was taking on clients that could come before the ABC board in the first place when they note on their website that Allen works as an attorney to the same board.

Currently, the web entry for Allen says, "Serving as a strategic advisor to two of New Jersey's more prominent mayors, John has developed an extensive network of contacts in both public and private sectors throughout the State. John continues to work for the City of Hoboken in the Office of Corporation Counsel where he previously served as Alcohol Beverage Control Commission board attorney."

An article in TapInto from this past January noted that Allen's bio on the firm website said, "John continues to work for the City of Hoboken in the Office of Corporation Counsel where he serves as Board Counsel to the Hoboken Alcohol Beverage Control Commission.”

City spokesperson Marilyn Baer responded to the councilwoman's statements on Monday.

“Assistant Corporation Counsel John Allen resigned as counsel for the Alcohol Beverage Control Board on October 13," Baer said.

She added, "He chose to resign to avoid future potential conflicts. As previously disclosed, Mr. Allen is affiliated with Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP. Because a license holder retained an attorney at the firm, Mr. Allen chose to resign instead of simply recusing himself on individual matters pertaining to the license holder."

Baer added that he could have recused himself, but he went "the extra mile" by leaving the board position entirely.

"Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP has never appeared before the ABC Board, nor has it received or sought any governmental action whatsoever by the ABC Board or any other municipal board," she said. "The plain facts are Mr. Allen went the extra mile to resolve the matter and any allegations to the contrary are unsubstantiated and without merit."

She noted, "Corporation Counsel [the current city attorney, who works with Allen] has reviewed this matter and considers it closed.”

Fisher and Giattino are calling for an investigation.

Allen's work for the private law firm came to light in a story in TapInto last year, "Office of Corporation Counsel Under Scrutiny." Read more here.

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