The first candidate out of the gate to announce a mayoral bid against the incumbent Mayor Dawn Zimmer is a local businesswoman, Karen Nason.

Owner of the Hot House on lower Monroe St., she’s been appearing at City Council meetings and speaking on various topics. Her entry to the Mile Square mayoral sweepstakes comes not long after her decrying a business issue where her First St. business was informed it could not host private parties. Nason called the archaic rules an infringement on fair business practice.

Most recently, she appeared at the Mike DeFusco fundraiser earlier this year and in her departing remarks from the microphone at the last City Council meeting, Ms. Nason announced she “loved” Councilman Mike DeFusco, another anticipated mayoral candidate.

Karen Nason with Hobokenite actor Joey Pantaliano of Hoboken Sopranos fame. She’s a candidate for mayor, he’s an author and Hollywood actor.

Talking Ed Note: Over the weekend, Sully tossed Councilman Dave Mello and his denial he’ll be on any Councilman Mike DeFusco council ticket under the bus. The weekend column however quoted an email from the two term councilman stating:

“Nobody has talked to me about joining a DeFusco ticket,” he said. “I have no interest in joining a DeFusco ticket, I am very interested in running with Mayor Zimmer again, I expect Mayor Zimmer to want me to run with her again, and I would only consider running on another ticket if Mayor Zimmer rejected me from hers – which is something she in no shape or fashion has done.”

The political column says former councilman Tony Soares is slated to be on the DeFusco ticket with frequent council speaker Cheryl Fallick who often advocates for more subsidized/affordable housing in the Mile Square City. MSV has reached out to both for comment without success.

Unrelated: The Hudson County View reports Dana Wefer, who chairs the Hoboken Housing Authority will not be running for governor on the Republican line after all.

The story details fundraising obstacles and “the New Jersey Democratic Party is too corrupt” to give regular candidates a chance pointing to Phil Murphy who reportedly has already spent $10 million on the race.