Ravinder Bhalla

Mayor, Hoboken, New Jersey

Mayor Bhalla was elected Hoboken’s 39th Mayor on November 7, 2017. As Mayor, Ravi has focused on improving the quality of life for Hoboken residents while prioritizing fiscal responsibility. He introduced a City budget with no municipal tax increase, maintained the City’s AA+ credit rating, continues to oversee the rehabilitation of Washington Street, formed a Homelessness task force, is pursuing affordable housing strategies, completed the design phase of Northwest Resiliency Park, secured more than $1 million in state transportation funding, and signed executive orders to expand parental leave benefits, invest in the arts, and protect the civil rights of immigrants and the LGBTQ community. He has served as City Council President from 2010-2011 and 2013-2014, and City Council Vice-President from 2012-2013.

His first job was at a small law firm in Newark, New Jersey. Professionally, he is a lawyer. He earned national recognition in the New York Times for his legal advocacy after suffering a violation of his own constitutional and civil rights during a jail visit to a client. The incident motivated him to lead a successful campaign to reform the federal government’s visitation policies at correctional facilities nationwide.

Ravi received his undergraduate education from the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a B.A. in Political Psychology. Upon graduation, he attended the London School of Economics (L.S.E.) in the United Kingdom and received a Master of Science degree in Public Administration and Public Policy, and also earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.