BHALLA HOSTS CAMPAIGN KICKOFF TUES, MAY 24th AT HUDSON TAVERN]
On Tuesday, Ravi Bhalla will host a special campaign kick-off event at Hoboken's own Hudson Tavern at 51 14th Street at 6:30PM. Supporters from all over Hudson County will be joining with the Assembly hopeful to show support, share stories from the field, and listen to Bhalla outline his reasons for running.
The assembly campaign in the recently redrawn 33rd Legislative District has been mostly quiet this year, but as anyone who has been near Bhalla's First St headquarters will attest, the pace has picked up dramatically. “I have seen tons of people coming in and out of the place this entire week. Today I counted no less than 2 dozen enter, then leave with Bhalla t-shirts and clipboards,” said Jennifer Rock.
Momentum for Ravi Bhalla has increased significantly in the past few weeks. As the Hudson County Democratic Organization once again battles against itself during the Democratic Primary, many view Ravi Bhalla's candidacy as a chance to significantly boost the opportunity of Democratic Committee candidates running off the line. “You better believe that when I go knock on doors and talk to voters that I'm talking about Ravi Bhalla too. He's already been knocking on doors in this neighborhood, so I'm hoping to build both of our name recognition,” said committee candidate Joe Branco.
Last year, Ravi Bhalla led a group of community activists to reform the Hoboken Democratic Committee by electing a new majority and wrestling control away from the Russo clan. Despite those efforts, the Hudson County Democratic Organization gave the official party line for this year's election to the Russo ticket anyway. This power grab has motivated Hoboken's reform community to take a stand for themselves and for Ravi Bhalla.
These Democratic Committee candidates, running under the banner “Democrats for Honest Government,” have more motivation than their own candidacy. As a City Councilman in Hoboken, Ravi Bhalla has already worked to reduce taxes by over 15%. He has fought for real, progressive initiatives like Corner Cars, which have cut down on the number of parking passes. He even took a stand and proposed campaign finance reform in Hoboken that would have ended pay-to-play and wheeling, leveling the playing field for candidates with real community support. With all of these accomplishments on his resume, reformers are anxious to see what he can do in Trenton.
“I have so much respect for the Democrats for Honest Government slate this year. Frankly, I am excited to have the support of such active and civic minded members of the community. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” said Councilman Ravi Bhalla.
For more information on Bhalla for Assembly, please visit http://www.bhallaforassembly.com/ ◦
