Mickey Mouse Is Runner Up For Mayor Of Hoboken, NJ

Hoboken NJ

12 November, 2021

1:10 PM

Description

HBOKEN, NJ — In Hoboken, N.J. — a city of 53,000 people across the river from Manhattan — it's unprecedented in modern times to have an uncontested mayoral election. So, with only Mayor Ravi Bhalla running for re-election this past Nov. 2, more than 600 voters had a little fun, writing in characters like Mickey Mouse or celebrities instead. And some of them took the opportunity to make a statement. Get a morning newsletter with news in Hoboken or your town (it's free!): https://patch.com/subscribe As of 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, Bhalla had received 4,325 votes, with 298 write-ins for mayor. As of Friday, Nov. 12, with all mail-in and provisional votes counted, Bhalla received 8,716 votes, with 604 write-ins. What of those who wanted a different choice, or figured Bhalla would win anyway and wanted to make a statement? Mickey Mouse, Trump, And...Hey, Hey, A Monkee Voters wrote in several council people who sometimes lock horns with Bhalla (Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino and Councilman Michael DeFusco, who ran for mayor in the past, each got more than a dozen write-ins). But then there were the funny votes, and the impossible ones. Among those, former President Donald Trump drew 16 votes. (And some say he shouldn't be a factor in local elections.) Mickey Mouse, a popular figure among write-in voters in American elections, commanded nine votes. Kermit the Frog drew one. There were none for Donald Duck, perhaps because he never submitted his flood plan. But someone who's obviously tired of flooding in Hoboken wrote in Henk Ovink, who has a flood plan for the world. There were dozens of unfamiliar names appearing with just one vote each, likely people voting for themselves. Unsurprisingly, most were men. Mike Nesmith of the Monkees got one vote, but he's unlikely to run since he already gets plenty of funding from Big Wite-Out. Some people used their vote to shine a light on social issues. Rent Is Too High One person voted for "Rent-Is-Too-High." (The average rent in Hoboken is $3,374.) Another suggested that a "RotationofCityHomeless" should take the $116,950-per-year mayoral spot, which would surely help them. Hoboken, N.J., Nov. 12, 2021.And, in a poignant vote, someone wrote in Robert Hemleck, a homeless man who walked the city streets for decades until his death from cancer last month. READ MORE: Well-Known Hoboken Homeless Resident Passes Away Hemleck was known for resembling Jesus Christ — who also got one vote. Other Vote-Getters Among others who received votes: Councilman Ruben Ramos Jr., Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Councilman Michael Russo, just plain "Russo" (perhaps the former mayor?), former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, former Mayor David Roberts, Anthony Romano, Patricia Waiters (who ran for council and school board), Angelo Valente, David Mello, Daniel Tumpson, Joshua Einstein, Ian Rintel (who ran for council), Paul Presinzano (who ran for council), Kurt Gardiner, Leon Gold, John Branciforte, Nick Colvin, Matt Majer, Angelo Cascetta, David Mallet, former Police Chief Ken Ferrante, and two for the sometimes controversial Pastor Alex Santora. "I wrote in Jen Giattino," said Ian Rintel, "but I guess someone wrote me in. The irony is that had I ran for mayor instead of City Council, it's pretty certain I'd have done much better!" In celebrity and character votes, Santa Claus, Jane Doe, Mayor McCheese, and Charles Schultz each commanded one vote. So did former president Barack Obama and former Gov. Chris Christie. A few people wrote in former presidential candidate Ron Paul. More than a dozen people wrote versions of "Anyone Else," "No One," "Not Bhalla" and "Noone-ProtestVote." Someone thought he (or she) was being clever with "Brandon Lezgo." And someone just wrote "Al." But in the end, even top write-in vote getters Mickey Mouse and Donald Trump trailed Bhalla by more than 8,000 votes — and both are equally unlikely to concede. Related: Write-In Votes Could Have Swayed A Verona Election Get a free email newsletter at 6 a.m. each day with news in Hoboken or your town, just by entering your email and zip code: https://patch.com/subscribe You can sign up to get breaking news alerts in Livingston or a free daily newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. with local news. Sign up with your zip code and email here and you'll get an email asking for your preferences