Hudson County View released a video of the official campaign office opening relaying in its headline a campaign strategy announcing Councilman Ravi Bhalla as the national candidate writing: “Bhalla: You can count on me on the local, state and national level.”

In contrast to his mayoral rival City Council President Jen Giattino, Councilman Ravi Bhalla is appealing to Hoboken voters with a national candidate focus. Giattino in her policy speech at Moran’s last week said she would continue in the footsteps of Mayor Zimmer and not use Hoboken as a stepping stone and focus on delivering on local issues.

The rival candidate are competing for both professional and reform oriented voters. Previously, some believed the differences on local issues such as the massive PILOTed Bijou project on 7th and Jackson would be an area of disagreement. The contrasts however along with the stakes are increased.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer in her remarks excised Councilman Dave Mello who is seeking an independent third term council re-election bid. Mayor Zimmer stated Councilman Jim Doyle was on her council slate since 2009. Doyle was elected on the mayor’s ticket in 2013. She made no attempt to correct the record.

Councilman Dave Mello is a current two term councilman and ran with Mayor Zimmer and Councilman Ravi Bhalla in 2009 and 2013.

Here is video of the event: courtesy of the Hudson County View:

Talking Ed Note: The mayor’s office and Bhalla campaign are moving ahead with a strategy to appeal to Hoboken voters nationalizing the mayoral election. The new Hoboken Democratic Committee was the first linchpin used to get behind the Bhalla campaign and the strategy is now officially in place.

City Council President Jen Giattino is focusing on local Hoboken issues but it’s clear the Bhalla campaign hopes to subsume a local focus in its political communications to Mile Square voters.

The Bhalla for mayor campaign is furthering its efforts to leverage new members of the Hoboken Democratic Committee to focus attention beyond Hoboken local issues in an appeal for votes.

MSV earlier reported as part of that strategy an effort to overthrow the Hoboken Democratic Chair Tiffanie Fisher who is supporting her council colleague Jen Giattino. No one from the mayor’s office, the mayor or the Bhalla campaign contacted have denied the effort.

A vague anonymous statement allegedly by a member of the Hoboken Democratic Committee and close to Mayor Zimmer appeared on another website promoting the Bhalla campaign. (In Hoboken411 fashion, it has been trying to avoid mentioning the name of mayoral candidate Jen Giattino and personally attacking and censoring comments including an innocuous one by this editor.) The anonymous statement allegedly from someone among dozens of Hoboken Democratic Committee members said they have no knowledge of the coup attempt planned against Tiffanie Fisher.

The anonymous statement came with a claim alleging the MSV report is “paranoid gossip.” No evidence was provided in typical Grafix Avenger “reporting” and MSV was not contacted by that website on its multiple independent sources.

Among the dozens of people on the Hoboken Democratic Committee, the anonymous person couldn’t muster their lack of alleged knowledge of the coup attempt against Hoboken Democratic Chair Tiffanie Fisher by even identifying themselves. No one would expect the dozens of committee members would have such knowledge. Only the coup plotters closely working with the mayor’s office and the Bhalla campaign would.

In poker, we call that a tell. MSV stands by the accuracy of its report.

As for the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, MSV supports all of it and is not changing its policy. It will however respond to any Loser and their party line brethren who embrace censorship and their purple pillow imitators in kind. Look in the mirror when you project, why don’t ya?

Sadly, some have invested their self-esteem in a local election and everything is on the table: erecting and pummeling straw men, personal attacks, urinating on the First Amendment and embracing censorship in a win at any cost effort to advance their candidate.

It’s truly unfortunate. Used to like the place with the funny pictures, when it was funny.