Dawn Zimmer

Hudson sources say the two likely leading candidates for mayor of Hoboken both had trouble with their petitions this afternoon on the filing deadline.

Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer initially handed in incomplete petitions, which her allies say she later rectified before the deadline, while 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason didn't make the deadline.

Mason spokesman Paul Swibinski said Mason's situation was purely accidental.

"Beth was in this new county building long before the deadline," said Swibinski. "She was sent to the wrong room three times and trapped in a non-working elevator that maintenance people tried to operate. We have a number of witnesses, including public safety personnel, to confirm all of this.  A conspiracy theorist would think that Hudson County set up a gauntlet for Beth to overcome, but we believe that this was just a ridiculous set of circumstances. Dawn Zimmer on the other hand appears to have a much more serious legal problem.”

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(HOBOKEN, September 16) – Nathan Brinkman, co-founder of the Hoboken Republican Club, today joined the race for Mayor of Hoboken. Brinkman filed 173 signatures on nominating petitions at the Hudson County Clerk’s office.

Photo courtesy of Paul Swibinski

2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason at her kickoff tonight with daughters Shipley and Virginia.

Updated 

HOBOKEN - Those exhausted by head-to-head Hoboken politics will have to gut out yet another round in the aftermath of Mayor Peter Cammarano's late July fall down, which cleared the way for now-Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer and 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason to recharge, reset and redo.

Zimmer hopes the result of an encounter with Mason will be the same as last time, when she quickened the Mason campaign's May meltdown and earned a berth in the runoff with Cammarano, which she lost by fewer than 200 votes.

Cammarano subsequently exited, resigning the mayor's office amid federal bribery charges - and now Mason's back, arguing that she has the best professional profile and public record to deliver a real era of reform to Hoboken - and a plan to win this time.

She formally kicked off her campaign tonight at the Brass Rail, chastising Zimmer for losing her way in the thicket of City Hall.   

Hoboken 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason will officially announce her candidacy for mayor at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to a statement issued by Mason spokesman Paul Swibinski.

Mason's family, friends, supporters, business associates and fellow activists will be present as she formally enters the race at the Brass Rail, Swibinski said.

Mason is challenging Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who took over in mid-summer when Mayor Peter Cammarno resigned amid federal charges of corruption.

2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason

Rematch. Hoboken.

It looks real right now as 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason picked up petitions to run for mayor, opened a campaign account, is assemblying a team and filing with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).

"Over the past few weeks, I have heard from family and friends from all corners of Hoboken asking about my future plans," Mason said in a statement. "Many have urged me to run for Mayor in the Special Election in November.

"She will make a final announcement next week," said spokesman Paul Swibinski.

Mason is looking to challange Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who assumed the oath of office on the day Peter Cammarano issued a statement of resignation following his indictment on federal corruption charges.

Democratic political consultant Paul Swibinski with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park)

Veteran Democratic strategist Paul Swibinksi spent several hours this week in a conference with Beth Mason laying out a plan for her to win a November special election for Mayor of Hoboken against the new incumbent, Dawn Zimmer.    Swibinksi, who was the consultant on the recent mayoral campaign of Peter Cammarano, who beat Mason in the May election and Zimmer in the runoff, thinks Mason can win - if she hires him.  Mason has not hired a consultant yet in a race to replace Cammarano, who resigned last week after nearly a month in office.

The most sought after endorsement of the 2009 gubernatorial campaign might be Brian Stack, a Democratic State Senator and the Mayor of Union City, who says he remains undecided in the contest between Jon Corzine and Christopher Christie.  Both candidates showed up in Union City last night to kiss the ring of a local party boss who can deliver 70% of the vote to the candidate of his choice.  Christie came bearing a gift: a strong suggestion that Stack is not the target of any federal investigation.  Clearly Stack was appreciative of the personal endorsement, although it is possible that he won't reciprocate in November. Stack has told people he will make up his mind soon, but he's more likely to extend the courtship, and see where the race is going in October.

It is unlikely that Christie would be so effusive in his praise if he thought Stack was going to get busted.  If that happened, the Corzine campaign would have his comment on YouTube within minutes.  But Christie has an insurance policy: if Stack was in trouble, it makes claims of politically motivated federal prosecutions less credible.  This is a win-win for the former United States Attorney.

Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Hoboken City Clerk Jimmy Farina

HOBOKEN - One of Dawn Zimmer and Peter Cammarano's early battles involved zoning board appointments.

Cammarano wanted the mayor to make them. Zimmer, as the council president, argued that the council should make them.

Today, moments after she assumed the oath of office to replace Cammarano and become mayor, Zimmer stood by her desire to see the power to make zoning board appointments invested in the governing body and not the mayor.

"I hope my council colleagues restore power of zoning board appointments to the City Council," she announced moments after her swearing-in ceremony.

Cycnics would argue that as council president with at least three solid allies on the council, Zimmer would still ultimatley retain control of those appointments.

Councilwoman Carol Marsh stands by her friend, Dawn Zimmer, as Zimmer becomes Hoboken's first woman mayor.

HOBOKEN - It's been a torturous and rewarding path in Hudson County politics for Councilwoman Carol Marsh, who ginned up the city's reform movement base in her unsuccessful 2005 run for mayor against Dave Roberts, and won a seat on the council four years later on the Zimmer Team.

"I never felt this would be easy, and there's a lot of work to do to resolve a lot of competing interests," said Marsh as her friend and ally Dawn Zimmer became Hoboken's first woman mayor.

Sandwiched improbably between her two historic runs - one a heartbreaking loss and the other a victory culminating with Zimmer's swearing-in this afternoon - was Marsh's 2007 bid for the Assembly in the 33rd District as a candidate on the ticket backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).

A lot of Marsh's allies worried that her place on that doomed ticket - running with West New York Mayor Sal Vega and Nicole Garcia -  against the Union City machine of Mayor Brian P. Stack was the HCDO's way of throwing Marsh under the bus.

Councilman Michael Russo

Third Ward Councilman Michael Russso greeted Dawn Zimmer warmly and stood with the coterie of councilpeople who formed a half circle behind her as Clerk Jimmy Farina swore her into office as Hoboken's first woman mayor.

Later, Russo wouldn't rule out a challenge to Zimmer, saying simply "no comment," when asked.

"I am supporting Dawn Zimmer to be our acting mayor," said Russo, son of former Mayor Anthony Russso and an emblem of old Hoboken with roots that stretch back into the pre Frank Sinatra era.

"This is about good government right now, we need to move our city into a positive light," added Russo, whose onetime ally and collegaue, Peter Cammarano, submitted his letter of resignation three hours earlier as he continues to fight federal corruption charges.

Russo said he had heard rumors of people who want to run Judge Kimberly Glatt for mayor in the November special election, but wouldn't confirm that they're going anywhere.