Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of Hoboken |
|
|---|---|
 Ravinder Bhalla since 2018 |
|
| Term length | Four years |
| Inaugural holder | Cornelius V. Clickener |
| Formation | 1855 |
| Salary | $116,000 |
| Website | Mayor Ravi Bhalla |
The Mayor of the City of Hoboken is the main leader of the city government in Hoboken, New Jersey. The mayor makes sure the city's rules and laws are followed. They also create the yearly budget for the city.
The mayor chooses people to lead different city departments. They can also approve or reject laws passed by the City Council. People in Hoboken vote for their mayor in an election. A mayor serves for four years and can be re-elected many times.
Since Hoboken became a city on March 29, 1855, 38 different people have been mayor. Cornelius V. Clickener was the very first mayor. He served two terms in a row. The current mayor is Ravinder Bhalla. He was first elected in November 2017.
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What Does the Mayor Do?
Hoboken has a special way of organizing its government. It has a mayor who leads the city and a City Council that makes laws. Both the mayor and council members are elected for four years.
Mayor's Responsibilities
The mayor has many important jobs. They must make sure all city rules and state laws are followed. The mayor also tells the City Council and the public how the city is doing each year.
They are in charge of all city departments and services. The mayor prepares and gives the City Council the yearly budgets. These budgets show how the city plans to spend money. The mayor also looks after all city buildings and properties. They sign all important city contracts and agreements.
Mayor's Powers
The mayor has the power to choose people to lead city departments. The City Council must approve these choices. The mayor can also remove department heads. However, two-thirds of the City Council can disagree with this decision.
The mayor can approve or reject laws passed by the City Council. If the mayor rejects a law, the council can still pass it. They need two-thirds of their members to vote for it again. The mayor can also choose people to be deputy mayors. The mayor can attend City Council meetings. They can talk during meetings but do not vote. The only time they vote is if there is a tie when filling a council opening.
How a New Mayor Is Chosen
If the mayor is away, sick, or cannot do their job, they can choose someone else to be acting mayor. This person can be the business administrator or another department head. They can serve as acting mayor for up to 60 days.
If the mayor's office becomes empty, the President of the City Council becomes the acting mayor. The City Council then has 30 days to choose a temporary mayor. If they do not choose one, the Council President continues as acting mayor. They stay in this role until a new mayor is elected. This system for choosing a new mayor started in 1971.
Past Mayors of Hoboken
Many people have served as mayor of Hoboken over the years. Each mayor has helped shape the city.
| Rank | Mayor | Years in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornelius V. Clickener | 1855–1857 | Cornelius V. Clickener was the first mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. |
| 2 | Franklin B. Carpenter | 1857–1858, 1859–1860 | He was a lumber merchant. He served two terms as mayor. |
| 3 | George William Morton | 1858–1859 | Morton was the first Treasurer of Hoboken. He served one term as mayor. |
| 4 | John R. Johnston | 1860–1863 | He was highly respected by those who knew him. |
| 5 | Lorenzo Welton Elder | 1863–1864 | He was a doctor who helped create the Hudson County Board of Health. |
| 6 | Charles T. Perry | 1864–1865 | He was president of the Hudson County Gaslight Company. |
| 7 | Frederick Beasley Ogden | 1865–1867 | |
| 8 | Frederick W. Bohnstedt | 1867–1869 | |
| 9 | Hazen Kimball | 1869–1871 | He was born in Vermont. He was a bank vice president. |
| 10 | Frederick L. Schmersahl | 1871–1873 | He was a German-American merchant. |
| 11 | Peter McGavisk | 1873–1875 | |
| 12 | Joseph Russel | 1875–1878 | |
| 13 | Elbridge Van Syckel Besson | 1878–1880, 1881–1883 | |
| 14 | John A. O'Neill | 1880–1881 | |
| 15 | Herman L. Timken | 1883–1886 | |
| 16 | Edwin J. Kerr | 1886–1888 | |
| 17 | August Grassman | 1888–1891 | |
| 18 | Edward R. Stanton | 1891–1892 | |
| 19 | William Ellis | 1892–1893 | |
| 20 | Lawrence Fagan | 1893–1901 | |
| 21 | Adolph Lankering | 1901–1906 | |
| 22 | George Henry Steil | 1906–1910 | |
| 23 | George Washington Gonzales | 1910–1912 | |
| 24 | Martin Cooke | 1912–1915 | |
| 25 | Patrick R. Griffin | 1915–1926 | |
| 26 | Gustav Bach | 1926–1929 | |
| 27 | Bernard N. McFeely | 1930–1947 | |
| 28 | Fred M. De Sapio | 1947–1953 | |
| 29 | John J. Grogan | 1953–1965 | |
| 30 | Louis De Pascale | 1965, 1965–1973 | |
| 31 | Silvio Failla | 1965 | |
| 32 | Steve Cappiello | 1973–1985 | |
| 33 | Thomas Vezzetti | 1985–1988 | He served as mayor until 1988. He worked to prevent the city from changing too much. |
| 34 | Patrick Pasculli | 1988–1993 | He became acting mayor after Mayor Vezzetti. He wanted to open the Hoboken waterfront for building. |
| 35 | Anthony Russo | 1993–2001 | |
| 36 | David Roberts | 2001–2009 | He was a former firefighter and served two terms. |
| 37 | Peter Cammarano | 2009 | He resigned shortly after becoming mayor. |
| 38 | Dawn Zimmer | 2009–2017 | Dawn Zimmer was the first female mayor of Hoboken. She became acting mayor and then won an election. |
| 39 | Ravi Bhalla | 2017– | Ravi Bhalla is the first Sikh Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. He was supported by the previous mayor, Dawn Zimmer. |
