In a letter to the editor, Hoboken 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher outlines why she’s supporting 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo over Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour.
For the past 10 months, I’ve talked with Hoboken neighbors about what matters most: safety, parking, affordability, taxes, and a city government that functions.
After almost a year running for mayor, nearly a decade on the City Council, and 23 years in real estate and finance, I understand exactly what the next mayor is walking into.
During the election, I was asked — and shared in my newsletters — my views on all the major candidates.
I followed up with an op-ed here in HCV on Mike Russo that seems to confuse those who never saw my critique of Emily (newsletter and two mailers), where I raised concerns about her blind support for Mayor Bhalla and his ethically troubling agenda, her divisive approach to politics, and her ability to meet the challenges Hoboken faces.
My endorsement of Mike Russo is not a flip. It is a choice between two candidates I had concerns about for different reasons.
Hoboken can’t afford four more years of the same — which is exactly what we will get with Emily: divisive politics, headline-driven leadership, under-managed operations, no real strategy for Hoboken’s future, and a consistent avoidance of the tough issues.
Haven’t we had enough?
My position hasn’t changed. Hoboken needs a mayor who puts residents and safety first in every decision — not politics.
Someone who understands operations and the budget, can lead on the hardest issues, and can manage growth while making tough choices for our future.
Based on eight years of working alongside Emily, the concerns in her record are real, and I believe Mike is the better choice to meet those needs and the moment Hoboken is facing.
This isn’t personal. I like Emily, and we worked side by side at the Hoboken Food Pantry every two weeks for years. But liking someone doesn’t mean they’re prepared to unite a city or run one with complex operational needs. Her strength is constituent response and facilitating fixes — but small steps don’t add up to the big actions she believes they do. Hoboken needs a mayor who can do both: help residents day to day and take on the hardest operational challenges. And simply saying you’re trustworthy doesn’t make it so.
Remember: Emily rubber-stamped the entire Bhalla agenda for eight years — even when decisions weakened transparency, accountability, or public trust. There was no legislative independence. No questioning. No scrutiny. From CLEAR cameras (which she still oddly defends) to rushed ordinances without public input, she followed rather than led on nearly every major issue.
When the mayor broke a redevelopment contract in 2021 to avoid a political opponent in his re-election — leaving taxpayers exposed to $50–100 million in potential damages — she didn’t ask a single hard question. When the settlement the mayor negotiated to protect himself came forward, dramatically increasing density on the western edge, she provided cover for him, approved it without hesitation, and moved on.
She led the effort to weaken Hoboken’s pay-to-play laws, allowing more political money into local elections without transparency.
She put politics ahead of your safety when she worked to defeat the Tests & Vests ordinance I co-authored with Councilman Paul Presinzano to address reckless e-bike riding — the top concern we hear from residents citywide — simply because she and the mayor didn’t want a political opponent to get credit.
She repeatedly joined the mayor in deepening the divide between district and charter schools for political gain because the district had more voting parents — an unnecessary, harmful wedge with lasting damage.
She spoke out against hate only when it was politically convenient, not when the target was a political opponent.
She has consistently shown she represents only those who share her political beliefs, alienating nearly a quarter of our population.
She has also shifted positions when politically convenient. In 2022, she nominated Mike Russo for Council President and said, “he’s changed.”
If she believes his past is disqualifying, that was the moment to say so. She didn’t then, nor in this recent election. That’s opportunism, not principle.
And beyond these decisions, Emily has been silent on the hardest parts of governing. She has never addressed parking or enforcement or led on public safety.
As a matter of fact, when more than 200 residents came to City Hall demanding action on safety after a nanny was beaten in broad daylight, Emily turned to me and asked, “Do these people really think Hoboken is unsafe?” Yes. They did — and many still do.
And she has never negotiated a major redevelopment or pushed back against a developer — despite what her mailers say. And she says almost nothing in subcommittees that manage infrastructure, road closures, capital projects, or safety.
Hoboken needs a hands-on mayor, and Emily has been hands-off for eight years. That is not going to change in year nine.
Meanwhile, she continues to be funded and managed by Bhalla insiders — the same architects of the politics Hoboken needs to move beyond.
So yes — I wrote an op-ed about Mike, rooted in facts. Just like this one is.
At the end of the day, to me this runoff is about who can govern this city on day one. Who can tackle safety, parking, enforcement, taxes, and growth. Who understands the job. And who brings the right change to put residents first and bring our community together instead of extending the headline-driven, divisive politics of the past eight years.
For 10 years, I’ve worked with Mike on Hoboken’s toughest issues. He’s loud – but I’ll take loud over divisive any day of the week. He challenges the status quo, asks hard questions and understands how this city actually works, and doesn’t. And I know I can work with him to take on the biggest challenges Hoboken faces.
Based upon everything I have seen firsthand – and with the real possibility of a fully independent City Council that will support good policy and hold he and his administration accountable — Mike Russo is the better choice for Hoboken.
That’s not a flip. It’s a choice between two candidates. It’s experience. It’s putting Hoboken first.