Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla counts achievements in 2022

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Mayor of Hoboken, Ravi Bhalla, the first Indian-American to be elected to that position in the city neighboring the Big Apple, counted up to 30 achievements of his administration during 2022.

“We were able to accomplish a great deal for Hoboken, and together we’ll continue to make our Mile Square the best town to live and raise a family in New Jersey,” said Mayor Bhalla who is among very few Indian Americans of the Sikh faith to lead a city in the nation.

Among the achievements he listed were the historic acquisition of Union Dry Dock waterfront property with the goal of turning it into a public park; redesigning a major artery, Sinatra Drive, to include a protected bike lane and end accidents; removing more than a dozen abandoned boats at Weehawken Cove; installing new lighting etc. along the South Waterfront; advancing historic redevelopment of the Hoboken Terminal; several other infrastructure initiatives.

He also listed achieving a perfect score rating from the Human Rights Campaign for inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ policies yet again for the fifth year.

Hoboken also partnered with Volta to add 25 publicly accessible Electric Vehicle charging stations that will come into being in 2023.

For children in the city, Mayor Bhalla’s administration has created two new recreation options, co-ed volleyball and First Tee gold, and he promised more such projects will be added.

Expanding access to vaccines and boosters; expanding affordable housing; beautifying the city with murals, are some more areas the city allocated monies for.

Expanding early childhood education spaces; maintaining Hoboken’s AA+ rating from Standard and Poor’s; a Climate Action Plan praised by environmentalist organizations; an initiative to replace old water drains, purchasing a new modern fire truck; and hiring new police officers, including women were some of the other accomplishments listed for 2022.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mayor Bhalla is an 22-year resident of Hoboken, serving eight years on the Hoboken City Council before being elected Mayor in November 2017.

Once in office, Bhalla is credited with reducing municipal taxes, improving the City’s bond rating from junk bond status in 2009.

Under his leadership, “Hoboken has become a national model for creating safer streets for all residents and modes of transportation,” with his Vision Zero initiative to end casualties on roads, recognized recently by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.