Hoboken’s mayoral race advanced to a runoff, and third-place finisher Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher endorsed Councilman Michael Russo on Tuesday.
Russo will face Councilwoman Emily Jabbour in the non-partisan municipal runoff next month. At-large council candidate Liz Urtecho, who initially partnered with Fisher, will join Russo’s candidate slate in the runoff.
“When I ran for Mayor, one of my promises was to bring my experience as a CFO to City Hall and help pull us away from a fiscal cliff that will skyrocket our taxes,” Fisher said. “The only mayoral candidate in this runoff election who is even remotely focused on this is Mike Russo, and Mike, Liz and I fight for many of the same things.”
Fisher finished third with about 19% of the vote. Jabbour led with 27%, while Russo earned about 24%. Because no candidate received 50%, the top two candidates proceeded to a runoff.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Councilwoman Fisher for her support in this critical election,” Russo said. “For years, Tiffanie has been a warrior for common sense budgeting in this city, and we both believe that it’s time to unite around a positive, common agenda for Hoboken.”
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is headed to the Assembly in the new year — he won election in the 32nd legislative district alongside Assemblywoman-elect Katie Brennan.
“Having Mike in City Hall and Liz on the City Council will create a dynamic of independent voices, checks and balances, and fighting for what’s best for our city: safety, affordability, infrastructure, parking, taxes, and future growth,” Fisher said. “These are all areas where we have all been on the same side, and where Emily Jabbour has either diverged from our position or been largely silent. Mike Russo, Liz Urtecho and the rest of Team Russo represent a better way to run Hoboken—and I’m happy to support them as the best way forward.”
In the Jersey City runoff, sixth-place finisher Christina Freeman endorsed Councilman James Solomon in his bid against former Gov. Jim McGreevey.
