Politics & Government
Independent Candidates In Hoboken Forge Alliance: Election 2019
Ron Bautista and Shweta Gursahani are collaborating in their quest for victory in Hoboken.
HOBOKEN, NJ — A pair of independent candidates running for Hoboken City Council and the local school board have forged an alliance ahead of the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Ron Bautista, a candidate for city council in the 3rd Ward, and Shweta Gursahani, a candidate for the Hoboken Board of Education, are partnering up in their quest for victory in the upcoming election.
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Bautista and Gursahani – both parents raising their children in Hoboken – announced their partnership in a Facebook video earlier this month. One goal of the collaboration is to raise some awareness about the school board race, they said.
Bautista said that while he had an opportunity to discuss his ideas for City Council directly with voters last week at Stevens Institute of Technology’s DeBaun Auditorium, no such platform exists for Hoboken’s school board this year.
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“As a parent, activist, and organizer in Hoboken, I see an opportunity here to bring people together and make their voices heard,” Bautista said. “The precedent of not having a debate for school board candidates leaves voters in the dark.”
Gursahani, who has two children who attend public school in Hoboken, said she believes collaboration between the schools is one of the keys to future success as the district copes with rapid growth and a pressing need for more space.
Bautista said that despite polarized views to the contrary, Hoboken can balance the need for more mixed-income housing with the need for additional community space.
“I say we can do both, while leaving the first-floor commercial space available at fair prices to local nonprofits and community partners like the Hoboken Public Library or the school district,” Bautista said.
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