Four City Council members are running campaigns to be Hoboken’s next mayor. On Wednesday night, will developer money influence their votes on the Garage B Redevelopment ordinance?
FBW | March 13, 2025
For the past several decades, Hoboken has been spared the insidious practice of real estate developers and firms with municipal contracts buying influence through their campaign contributions. In a November 2004 ballot initiative, Hoboken voters overwhelmingly adopted an ordinance that restricts professional firms doing business with the City from contributing to local political campaigns. Subsequently, local civic leaders successfully lobbied the City to pass a second ordinance prohibiting developers with redevelopment contracts from making political contributions. These measures effectively leveled the political playing field and dramatically reduced the corrupting influence of money in local decision-making.
These local reforms were revoked in 2023 when Governor Murphy signed the controversial, so-called Elections Transparency Act, voiding hundreds of local pay-to-play ordinances adopted by municipalities, townships, county boards and school boards throughout the state of New Jersey.
There are four City Council members, Michael Russo, Ruben Ramos, Emily Jabbour and Tiffanie Fisher, vying to be Hoboken’s next mayor. On Wednesday night, they will be casting their votes on the Garage B Redevelopment ordinance. Will developer contributions or the prospect of future contributions influence their votes? Developers, of course, can increase potential profits by building taller buildings, as this ordinance allows for with its 25-story towers.
The following individuals — developers or owners of redevelopment sites in Hoboken — made total contributions in the years 2023-2024 to Councilman Michael Russo’s campaigns:
- Michael Barry (Ironstate/Applied/Urby) $5,200
- Joseph Barry (Ironstate/Applied/Urby) $5,200
- David Barry (Ironstate/Applied/Urby) $5,200
- Anthony Corea (Urby) $750
- Lawrence Bijou (Bijou Development) $1,300
- LCOR (Developer of NJ Transit property) $1,500
- David Lehmkuhl (Academy Bus/North End Redevelopment property owner) $1,800
- Charles Poggi (North End Redevelopment) $2,000
- Mark Villamar (Western Edge Redevelopment) $5,200
Over the past two years, Councilman Ruben Ramos has received campaign contributions from the following developers or owners of redevelopment parcels:
- Joseph Barry $5,100
- Lawrence Bijou $300
- Chris Mazzola (Bijou Properties) $300
- Joe Caulfield (Caulfield Development) $500
- David Lehmkuhl (Academy Bus) $2,000
- Mark Settembre (URSA Development) $5,600
- Poggi Press (North End Redevelopment) $3,500
- Mark Villamar (Western Edge Redevelopment) $2,850
In 2024, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour received a $250 contribution from Brian Barry of LCOR and $300 from Academy Bus. In the past three years, she has raised over $5,000 from union political action committees (PACs) including local firefighter, local police and trade union PACs. Councilwoman Fisher has not yet officially declared her candidacy for mayor and thus, has not yet filed any reports to ELEC.
If the Garage B ordinance is adopted, the City of Hoboken will issue a RFP, a request for proposals, to build on this site. Will a developer making significant contributions to these mayoral candidates have an inside track to be selected? Will donations from developers vying for this contract also come into Mayor Bhalla’s primary campaign for State Assembly? The lack of a level playing field could also deter prospective developers from responding to the RFP.
With another nine months till election day, the competition to buy influence with the candidates through campaign contributions will only grow, although several candidates claim that they will not accept contributions from special interests.
The Elections Transparency Act doubles the state limit on individual contributions to candidates and parties from $2,600 to $5,200. For Hoboken, this is opening the floodgates and returning to an earlier era where extravagant sums of money fueled political campaigns and gave an overwhelming advantage to incumbent office-holders. Special interests seeking to influence government decisions will now have an opportunity to do so with their political gifts.
Several decades ago, Hoboken’s mayor and the local Democratic party expected professional firms with City contracts to show up for political fundraisers and contribute the maximum allowed. The same held true for major real estate developers seeking approval for their projects.
In 1997, Harry Pozycki founded The Citizens Campaign, which created a task force to craft model ordinances to curb the practice of pay-to-play. His staff worked with Hoboken and countless other communities to pass these ordinances. New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center provided further assistance, most especially by harnessing New Jersey’s Initiative and Referendum statute as a tool for voters to adopt these ordinances. However, all that was lost with the stroke of a pen when Governor Murphy signed the so-called Election Transparency Act into law.
Related links
Gov. Murphy signs an act revoking pay-to-play reforms established in Hoboken & 100s of other NJ municipalities
Hoboken citizens invoked Initiative and Referendum to alter an entrenched political system
Political turmoil and pay-to-play ordinances level the political playing field
POG takes mayor and City to court for campaign finance violations
Major contributions solicited from developers and city contractors
Developers pay to play at Hoboken City Hall by writing big checks