List of mayors of Hoboken, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
The Mayor of the City of Hoboken is the head of the executive branch of government of Hoboken
, New Jersey
, United States
. The mayor
has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances
; prepare the annual budget; appoint deputy mayor
s, department heads, and aides; and approve or veto ordinances passed by the City Council. The mayor is popularly elected in a nonpartisan
general election
. The office is held for a four-year term without term limit
s.
Thirty-eight individuals have held the office of mayor since the City of Hoboken was chartered on March 29, 1855. Cornelius V. Clickener was the inaugural mayor of the city, and served two consecutive terms. The current mayor is Dawn Zimmer
; she assumed the position as Acting Mayor on July 31, 2009 following the resignation of Peter Cammarano
. She was elected in a special election
to fill the unexpired term on November 3, 2009 that was due to end on June 30, 2013. On July 20, 2010, the Hoboken Council voted to move the nonpartisan municipal elections to be held on the same day as the statewide general election in November. This extended Zimmer's term until December 31, 2013.
form of government under the Optional Municipal Charter Law
. This provides for a city-wide elected mayor serving in an executive role, as well as a city council serving in a legislative role. All of these offices are selected in a nonpartisan
municipal election and all terms are four years. Under state law, the mayor has the duty to enforce the charter and ordinances of the city, and all applicable state laws; report annually to the council and the public on the state of the city; supervise and control all departments of the government; prepare and submit to the council annual operating and capital budgets; supervise all city property, institutions and agencies; sign all contract
s and bonds
requiring the approval of the city; negotiate all contracts; and serve as a member, either voting or ex-officio, of all appointive bodies.
The mayor has the power to appoint departments heads with the approval of the City Council; to remove department heads subject to a two-thirds disapproval by the City Council; approve or veto ordinances subject to an override vote of two-thirds of the council; and appoint deputy mayors. The mayor is permitted to attend and participate in meetings of the City Council, without a vote, except in the case of a tie on the question to fill a council vacancy.
, and the council has 30 days to name an interim mayor. If no interim mayor is named, the Council President continues as acting mayor until a successor is elected, or until the council reorganizes and selects a new President. Prior to 1971, there was no automatic succession law.
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances
Local ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
; prepare the annual budget; appoint deputy mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
s, department heads, and aides; and approve or veto ordinances passed by the City Council. The mayor is popularly elected in a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. The office is held for a four-year term without term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s.
Thirty-eight individuals have held the office of mayor since the City of Hoboken was chartered on March 29, 1855. Cornelius V. Clickener was the inaugural mayor of the city, and served two consecutive terms. The current mayor is Dawn Zimmer
Dawn Zimmer
Dawn Zimmer is the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. She was sworn in on November 6, 2009 after winning a special election to fill the remainder of Peter Cammarano's term. She had been serving as Acting Mayor since Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 following his arrest on corruption charges...
; she assumed the position as Acting Mayor on July 31, 2009 following the resignation of Peter Cammarano
Peter Cammarano
Peter J. Cammarano III was the 37th Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from July 1, 2009, to July 31, 2009. He was born in Wayne, New Jersey and attended Boston University and Seton Hall University School of Law...
. She was elected in a special election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to fill the unexpired term on November 3, 2009 that was due to end on June 30, 2013. On July 20, 2010, the Hoboken Council voted to move the nonpartisan municipal elections to be held on the same day as the statewide general election in November. This extended Zimmer's term until December 31, 2013.
Duties and powers
The City of Hoboken is organized as a mayor-councilFaulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council government.This form of government provides for election of a mayor and five, seven, or nine council members...
form of government under the Optional Municipal Charter Law
Faulkner Act (New Jersey)
The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H...
. This provides for a city-wide elected mayor serving in an executive role, as well as a city council serving in a legislative role. All of these offices are selected in a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
municipal election and all terms are four years. Under state law, the mayor has the duty to enforce the charter and ordinances of the city, and all applicable state laws; report annually to the council and the public on the state of the city; supervise and control all departments of the government; prepare and submit to the council annual operating and capital budgets; supervise all city property, institutions and agencies; sign all contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s and bonds
Municipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
requiring the approval of the city; negotiate all contracts; and serve as a member, either voting or ex-officio, of all appointive bodies.
The mayor has the power to appoint departments heads with the approval of the City Council; to remove department heads subject to a two-thirds disapproval by the City Council; approve or veto ordinances subject to an override vote of two-thirds of the council; and appoint deputy mayors. The mayor is permitted to attend and participate in meetings of the City Council, without a vote, except in the case of a tie on the question to fill a council vacancy.
Succession
In the event of an absence, disability, or other cause preventing the mayor from performing his duties, the mayor may designate the business administrator or any other department head as acting mayor for up to 60 days. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the President of the City Council becomes acting mayorActing Mayor
Acting mayor is a temporary office created by the charter of some municipal governments.-History:In many cities and towns, the charter or some similar fundamental document provides that in the event of the death, resignation, or removal from office of the mayor, another official will lead the...
, and the council has 30 days to name an interim mayor. If no interim mayor is named, the Council President continues as acting mayor until a successor is elected, or until the council reorganizes and selects a new President. Prior to 1971, there was no automatic succession law.
List of mayors
| Rank | RankBecause Franklin B. Carpenter, E.V.S. Besson and Louis de Pascale each served two nonconsecutive terms as mayor, the rank for all who followed each person became offset from the actual number of people who served (and as a result there have been 38 people who have served 41 mayoral terms). Because of this, rank can be determined either by the actual number of people who served (left column) or the mayoral terms served (right column). | Mayor | Years in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Cornelius V. Clickener Cornelius V. Clickener Cornelius V. Clickener was the first Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from 1855 to 1857.-Biography:... |
1855–1857 | Cornelius V. Clickener was the first mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey |
| 2 | 2, 4 | Franklin B. Carpenter Franklin B. Carpenter Franklin B. Carpenter was an American lumber merchant and politician who served in the New York State Assembly from Otsego County in 1845, served non-consecutive terms as the second and fourth Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1857 to 1858 and 1859 to 1860, and one term in the New Jersey General... |
1857–1858, 1859–1860 | |
| 3 | 3 | George William Morton | 1858–1859 | |
| 4 | 5 | John R. Johnston John R. Johnston John R. Johnston was an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1860 until his death in office in 1863.-Refences:... |
1860–1863 | |
| 5 | 6 | Lorenzo W. Elder Lorenzo W. Elder Lorenzo Welton Elder was an American physician and politician who served as the sixth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1863 to 1864. Elder was born in Guilford, New York and attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons graduating in 1847.-References:... |
1863–1864 | |
| 6 | 7 | Charles T. Perry Charles T. Perry Charles T. Perry was an American politician who served as the seventh mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1864-1865. Perry was a Whig in 1852, but was the Democratic nominee for City Treasurer in 1858.... |
1864–1865 | |
| 7 | 8 | Frederick B. Ogden Frederick B. Ogden Frederick Beasley Ogden was an American attorney, jurist, and politician who served as the eighth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1865-1867. He was the grandson of United States Senator and New Jersey Governor Aaron Ogden and the son of New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Elias B. D. Ogden... |
1865–1867 | |
| 8 | 9 | Frederick W. Bohnstedt Frederick W. Bohnstedt Frederick W. Bohnstedt was an American jurist and Democratic party politician who served as the ninth Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1867 to 1869.-Biography:He was born in 1825 in Germany. He became a US citizen on October 22, 1852... |
1867–1869 | |
| 9 | 10 | Hazen Kimball Hazen Kimball Hazen Kimball was an American merchant, banker, and politician who served as the tenth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1869-1871. Kimball was Vice President of the First National Bank of Hoboken and President of the Gansevoort Bank of New York.-References:... |
1869–1871 | |
| 10 | 11 | Frederick L. Schmersahl Frederick L. Schmersahl Frederick L. Schmersahl was an American merchant and politician who served two terms as the eleventh mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1871-1873.-Biography:... |
1871–1873 | |
| 11 | 12 | Peter McGavisk | 1873–1875 | |
| 12 | 13 | Joseph Russel | 1875–1878 | |
| 13 | 14, 16 | Elbridge V. S. Besson | 1878–1880, 1881–1883 | |
| 14 | 15 | John A. O'Neill John A. O'Neill John A. O'Neill was an American steel engraver and Democratic party politician who served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1872; served three terms on the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1869, 1870, and 1873; and one term as the fifteenth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey... |
1880–1881 | |
| 15 | 17 | Herman L. Timken | 1883–1886 | |
| 16 | 18 | Edwin J. Kerr | 1886–1888 | |
| 17 | 19 | August Grassman | 1888–1891 | |
| 18 | 20 | Edward R. Stanton | 1891–1892 | |
| 19 | 21 | William Ellis | 1892–1893 | |
| 20 | 22 | Lawrence Fagan Lawrence Fagan Lawrence Fagan was an American business owner and Democratic party politician who served as the twenty-second mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey and served in the New Jersey General Assembly for two terms from 1889 to 1890.-Biography:... |
1893–1901 | |
| 21 | 23 | Adolph Lankering | 1901–1906 | |
| 22 | 24 | George Steil | 1906–1910 | |
| 23 | 25 | George Gonzales | 1910–1912 | |
| 24 | 26 | Martin Cooke Martin Cooke (Mayor) Martin Cooke was the 24th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from 1912-1915. In August 1912, a crowbar dropped by a workman working at the Old Court House, narrowly missed striking the mayor.-References:... |
1912–1915 | |
| 25 | 27 | Patrick R. Griffin | 1915–1926 | |
| 26 | 28 | Gustav Bach | 1926–1929 | |
| 27 | 29 | Bernard N. McFeely | 1930–1947 | |
| 28 | 30 | Fred M. De Sapio | 1947–1953 | |
| 29 | 31 | John J. Grogan | 1953–1965 | |
| 30 | 32, 34 | Louis De Pascale | 1965, 1965–1973 | |
| 31 | 33 | Silvio Failla | 1965 | |
| 32 | 35 | Steve Cappiello Steve Cappiello Steve Cappiello is a retired police officer and American Democratic Party politician who served as the 35th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1973 until 1985. Cappiello served as a city councilman from 1963 until his election as mayor, and again after completing his three terms... |
1973–1985 | |
| 33 | 36 | Thomas Vezzetti Thomas Vezzetti Thomas F. Vezzetti was the 33rd mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, and served as mayor from 1985 until his death in 1988.Vezzetti was born in Bradley Beach, New Jersey along with his twin sister, Louise.... |
1985–1988 | |
| 34 | 37 | Patrick Pasculli Patrick Pasculli Patrick Pasculli is a retired educator and American Democratic Party politician who served as the 34th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1988 to 1993.... |
1988–1993 | |
| 35 | 38 | Anthony Russo | 1993–2001 | |
| 36 | 39 | David Roberts David Roberts (mayor) David Roberts was the 36th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from 2001 to 2009. Roberts declined to seek re-election in 2009, retiring from a political career of 25 years.-Early life:... |
2001–2009 | |
| 37 | 40 | Peter Cammarano Peter Cammarano Peter J. Cammarano III was the 37th Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from July 1, 2009, to July 31, 2009. He was born in Wayne, New Jersey and attended Boston University and Seton Hall University School of Law... |
2009 | Peter Cammarano was arrested in Operation Bid Rig Operation Bid Rig Operation Bid Rig is an ongoing, long-term investigation into political corruption in New Jersey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since 2002... and resigned 30 days after being sworn into office. |
| 38 | 41 | Dawn Zimmer Dawn Zimmer Dawn Zimmer is the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. She was sworn in on November 6, 2009 after winning a special election to fill the remainder of Peter Cammarano's term. She had been serving as Acting Mayor since Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 following his arrest on corruption charges... |
2009- | Dawn Zimmer was the first female mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey |