An overlapping measure of the Hoboken pandemic’s curve being stomped into the dirt coincides with the political conflict soaring between Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Councilman Mike DeFusco.

The pandemic merely masked the years long Cold War between the parties since the terror flyer hit the sidewalk mere days before the 2017 mayoral election.

As there’s been but a handful of cases reported in Hoboken in recent days of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Virus, the warring alleging abuse of power by Ravi Bhalla’s staff exploded into the usually quiet Memorial Day Holiday weekend. Read More...

Stop the LockDown NJ announces:

In a late-breaking holiday weekend story, Councilman Mike DeFusco fired a guided missile at Mayor Ravi Bhalla after it was learned the Republican law firm where Bhalla holds a second job has filed a lawsuit against Governor Murphy over his allegedly illegal lockdown edict.

Ravi Bhalla is Of Counsel to the law firm and the city spokesman Vijay Chaudhuri fired back with a personal attack about the councilman allegedly going to the gym in Manhattan leading into the pandemic and visiting seniors “door to door” calling it a risk “jeopardizing” their lives. Read More...

Last night the Hoboken City Council declined Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s request to increase taxes 5% on an interim basis pending the introduction of Hoboken’s 2020 budget.

His request will be carried by the City Council for approval at the next meeting in two weeks.

Close observers recognize there’s likely another double-digit tax increase coming on top of the interim tax increase of 5% when the full budget is finally introduced by the Bhalla Administration.

Ravi Bhalla points to losses of a million per month in tax revenues during the pandemic. This is in addition to the estimated $14 million some claim existed prior. The all-in figure speculated is roughly in the ballpark of a $20 million budget deficit projected for 2020. Read More...

In a secret move unrevealed to the public, Mayor Ravi Bhalla, sitting on a time bomb of a budget deficit since early this year estimated in the ballpark of $20 million, has snuck in a 5% tax increase onto the City Council agenda for tonight’s meeting.


While Hoboken taxpayers won’t be surprised there is a tax increase coming, they will be taken aback there’s an immediate and secret tax increase of 5% being thrust upon them with no notification. So will the City Council which has yet to see any budget from Ravi Bhalla.



Ravi Bhalla has acted similarly in the past with one of the all-time largest developments downtown in NJ Transit. In a similar effort, the public was given no notification last year his administration would put up the massive redevelopment for council approval.


As Yogi Berra would say, “it’s deja vu all over again.”


The announcement of the pending tax increase legislation didn’t come from the mayor’s office but in from Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher. The Ravi Bhalla secret Santa surprise is sure to raise eyebrows.


This would be an interim tax increase allowed under NJ law with an obviously bigger one to follow with introduction of Ravi Bhalla’s budget.


Fisher made the revelation in an email release to the public earlier. In it she writes:

Read More...

There’s one principle prize Mayor Ravi Bhalla upholds on local government, “It’s all about me.”

If you want to see where his investment in time and energy is from the second floor of the mayor’s office, this when he’s in the office at all versus his second job chasing HudCo contracts for a Republican law firm fronting him much dough, tomorrow is the show.

Several positions are up for a second reading for budge deficit reduction. Two of the positions are for the “luxury” office of Constituent Services, another is an engineering role. The savings would be into the six figures as Hoboken shows no sign of a budget heading into June. Read More...

The complete program for Hoboken small business with The Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.
The fund recently passed $100,000 in donations.

From the Facebook page of the Hoboken Fire Victims Memorial Project: