Hoboken election of 2005

See the bottom of the page for photos of all the candidates.

The Hoboken election of 2005 is an election that was held on May 10, 2005 in Hoboken, New Jersey for Hoboken residents, in which the Mayor of Hoboken was chosen based on the number of votes. However, no mayoral candidate was able to obtain at least 50% of the vote. The top two vote-getters, David Roberts and Carol Marsh, will be running in a June 14 runoff election. There were 5 people running for mayor, 3 of which did not make it to the runoff. There were also 17 people running for 3 at-large seats on the Hoboken City Council, but in the same manner as those running for mayor, no candidate could get a majority, so the 6 people running for council that got the most votes will be in the June 14 runoff election (everyone on Robert's team and everyone on Marsh's team). Since the start of the election, there were only 3 spots avalible on the council, so only 3 of the 17 running for Hoboken City Council (17.6%) would be successful. Those 3 people are now going to be people from either Roberts' team or Marsh's team, as dictated by the runoff. Each position that the candidates were running for is a 4-year term.

In an effort to gain support, there was a miscommunication on the night of May 10, 2005, when the people at Roberts' headquarters announed over a megaphone to a crowd of supporters that Roberts was going to win the election. Either they didn't get the correct information in time, or they came to a conclusion too quickly, because an hour after the announcement it was found that neither Roberts nor Marsh had gained 50% of the vote (which is required).

Evelyn Smith, the vice president of the Hoboken NAACP, came in last with only 289 votes. However, Smith wasn't upset with her defeat, saying "It was pretty much what I expected."

Independent Scott Delea also knew from the very start that he would lose, since Independents never win in Hoboken. In an advertisement in the Hoboken Reporter Volume 22 Issue 36, Scott Delea said the following: "When you vote for a political team, you're voting for people pledged to represent a mayoral candidate's interests. When you vote for an independent, such as myself, you're electing a Council voice that represents your intrests." He also said that Peter Cammarano, a candidate for council running with Roberts, was last year's democratic campaign manager, and used this as a point to argue that politicians are chosen for political reasons. However, despite his attempt, Delea came in 10th place.

See the bottom of the page for photos of all the candidates.

Campaign Slogans

• Mayor David Roberts – "Roberts Team 2005", "Serving our community"
• Carol Marsh – "Team Hoboken", "Join us to build a better Hoboken"
• Frank "Pupie" Raia – "More parking. More parks. New Leaders", "Shake Up City Hall"
• Michael Russo – "I Like Mike", "Building a Brighter Future for Hoboken", "Courage, Character, Leadership"
• Evelyn Smith – "Unbought and Unbossed"
• Independent Andrew Amato – "Better Management"
• Independent Scott Delea – "Positive Leadership for Hoboken"

The ballot numbers

Sources:

The Hoboken Reporter, Volume 22, Number 35

• Hoboken Reporter: the candidates
• Hoboken Reporter: Get ready for a wild ride
• Hobokeni.com: election

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