Former Hoboken city spokesman gets PR job; new spokesman to be announced Wednesday

HOBOKEN — Former Hoboken spokesman Juan Melli, who served through the administration of former Mayor Dawn Zimmer and for the first two months of new Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s term, will join the New Jersey team of Mercury, a global, bipartisan public strategy firm, as a vice president. The company’s headquarters is in New York City, but has more than 15 offices around the world.
Melli left his former role with the city on March 5. According to Deputy Chief of Staff Jason Freeman, who has been serving as the spokesman in the interim, the city will announce Melli’s permanent replacement tomorrow — Wednesday, March 21.
“I am excited to join such a talented team and look forward to helping clients in New Jersey and across the country solve their most complex challenges,” said Melli.
“We are thrilled to welcome Juan to Mercury,” said Mercury Partner Mike Soliman. “As a respected and experienced communications expert, Juan will be a tremendous asset to our team and provide best-in-class service to our clients.”
Prior to his work in Hoboken, Melli was director of new media for Gov. Jon Corzine’s campaign and associate editor and columnist for PolitickerNJ.com. Melli founded BlueJersey.com in 2005, a New Jersey political website.
He is a 2002 graduate of Rutgers University and earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2008. Melli lives in Hoboken with his wife and two sons.