Hoboken Councilwoman Giattino says she might run for mayor

HOBOKEN — Two days after Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer made a surprise announcement that she won’t run for re-electino as mayor — a surprise, apparently, to close allies as well as area politicians who endorsed her — Current Council President Jen Giattino stated in an email announcement Thursday that she is considering running for mayor as well.
Zimmer, at her press conference Tuesday, said she would endorse Councilman-at-Large Ravi Bhalla for the spot. She said she wanted to pursue a future fighting against climate change.
Giattino said, “Like many, I was surprised with the series of events this week in Hoboken starting with our Mayor Dawn Zimmer opting not to run for a third term. This week I have been humbled and honored by the outpouring of support from many friends, colleagues, and people in our community who have expressed their support and encouraged me to run for mayor. I am passionate about the future of our town and giving this serious consideration. I plan to publicly respond soon.”
After Zimmer’s announcement, Freeholder Anthony Romano told the Reporter’s political columnist that he too will run for mayor come fall, but had not scheduled his press conference as of Thursday.
Also in the race are Councilman Michael DeFusco and businesswoman Karen Nason.
Giattino, if she ran, might split the pro-Zimmer vote with Bhalla. Romano and the rest might split the anti-Zimmer vote. And that might mean that voters could see quite a slugfest.
Aside from mayor, three council-at-large seats are up for grabs in November as well.
Want to run? Why not? Tweet us at @hudson_reporter.