LARGE CROWD AT BHALLA FOR ASSEMBLY KICKOFF
On Tuesday, there was standing room only in Hudson Tavern as Councilman Ravi Bhalla rallied a crowd full of supporters to get involved in his campaign to become the first Asian-American State Assemblyman in New Jersey.
Hoboken Democratic Vice-Chair, Phil Cohen, kicked things off by remarking how excited he was to see Ravi Bhalla take this next step in public service. It was only 2 years ago that Ravi Bhalla became a councilman in order to clean up City Hall and just last year that he ran a campaign to reform the Hoboken Democratic Committee.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer followed up by saying, “we need Ravi Bhalla in Trenton. We may have just retaken the majority on the City Council in Hoboken, but we cannot afford to sit on our laurels. We must keep pushing forward because this culture of corruption and incompetence is like an onion: with every layer we peel back, we expose another.” Mayor Dawn Zimmer ran on a ticket with Councilman Bhalla in ’09 on a reform platform. “The reason we started this reform movement, to end the backward political practices that hurt our families, still hold true on the state level. That is why I fully support Ravi Bhalla for State Assembly,” said Mayor Zimmer.
Ravi Bhalla then took the opportunity to outline his own reasons for running. He spoke about his father’s first days in America and how a friend had initially encouraged his dad to conform by removing his turban. Ravi Bhalla and his father both proudly sport the traditional Sikh religious head covering to this day, which for Ravi, is one of the best things about being American. “It doesn’t matter what race, religion, creed, color, or sexual orientation you are. In America, we can all be treated equally. The fact that I was elected to Hoboken’s City Council is a testament to that fact.”
Councilman Bhalla continued by outlining some of his platform. “Taxes are too high, unemployment is too high, and the reason nothing is being done is because corruption is too rampant. The FBI should not have to be the ethics enforcement agency of Hudson County.” At the end of the event, supporters were encouraged to wear t-shits and buttons and to sign up to volunteer.
For more information on Bhalla for Assembly, please visit http://www.bhallaforassembly.com/ ◦
