Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Serving all of Hudson County since March 2011Hoboken, N.J., vendors gave $40.2K to Mayor Jabbour & Team Emily
Eight Hoboken contractors gave $40,200 to Mayor Emily Jabbour and Team Emily—including $23,000 in Jan. 2026 to her 2029 account—before 2026 contract votes.
HUDSON TV EXCLUSIVE — First reported by Hudson TV: HOBOKEN, N.J. — Eight municipal contractors contributed $40,200.00 to Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour and her Team Emily council-at-large slate between October 2024 and June 2026 — including $23,000.00 deposited into Jabbour’s 2029 re-election account in January 2026 — ahead of unanimous 2026 City Council contract awards, according to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) filings, Open Public Records Act (OPRA) disclosures, and roll-call records analyzed with public-records tools from Garden State AI.
Including redeveloper Advance at Hoboken LLC / Advance Realty ($21,000.00 to Jabbour and Team Emily), the nine entities gave $61,200.00 to Jabbour’s mayoral accounts (EIDs 436661, 502591, 505651) and the Team Emily committee (EID 502593) shared with At-Large Council members Joe Quintero, Caitlin Layson, and Steven Firestone — while giving $55,000.00 to Councilman Michael Russo, Russo’s 2025 slates, Council President Ruben Ramos Jr., and Quintero for a combined $116,200.00.
The auditor pivot: $5,000 to Team Russo, then $5,000 to Jabbour 10 days before a $154,000 award
After giving $500.00 to Russo in June 2024, auditor Wielkotz & Company, LLC (VID 16225) gave $5,000.00 on Nov. 20, 2025, to Team Russo Runoff 2025 (EID 482055) — 12 days before Jabbour won the Dec. 2 runoff and 21 days before Hoboken opened CY2026 auditor proposals (RFP 25-07) on Dec. 11. Hoboken’s Oct. 27, 2026 OPRA production (Log # 26-2866) shows managing partner Steven D. Wielkotz signed the RFP’s C.271 Political Contribution Disclosure form on Dec. 8, 2025, but attached a “Political Contribution Disclosure – 2024” sheet listing only $500.00 to Russo and $1,500.00 to Team Guttenberg — omitting the $5,000.00 Nov. 20 runoff check.
On Jan. 5, 2026, Steven Wielkotz gave $5,000.00 to Jabbour’s 2029 account (EID 505651). Ten days later, on Jan. 15, the Council voted 9-0 (moved by Phil Cohen, seconded by Quintero) to adopt Res. 26-62 awarding Wielkotz a $154,000.00 audit contract ($1,000.00 below competing bidder Donohue, Gironda, Doria & Tomkins LLC’s $155,000.00 bid).
January 2026 post-runoff surge into Jabbour’s 2029 account
Four other vendors joined Wielkotz in giving to Jabbour’s 2029 account on Jan. 5 and Jan. 27, 2026: J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. ($5,500.00 on Jan. 5), Florio Kenny Raval, LLP ($5,000.00 from Edward Florio on Jan. 27 plus $500.00 from Leslie Florio on June 22), Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC ($5,000.00 from Donald Scarinci on Jan. 27), and RD Parisi Associates, Inc. ($2,500.00 on Jan. 27 after giving $7,200.00 to Russo). On council, Firestone, Quintero, and Layson moved and seconded the vendors’ 2026 contracts.
Verified vendor donations to Mayor Jabbour, Team Emily, and rival accounts
| Vendor / Redeveloper | Jabbour & Team Emily | Other Officials | Total | 2026 Votes & Form BE Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florio Kenny Raval (12852) | $11,300.00 ($5.5K ’29; $5.3K ’25; $500 Slate) | $3,500.00 ($1.5K Russo Slate; $1.2K Ramos; $800 Russo) | $14,800.00 | 5 unanimous votes (26-163, 26-222, 26-309, 26-512, 26-621; moved Firestone) |
| J. Fletcher Creamer (11265) | $5,500.00 (1/5/26 ’29) | $0.00 | $5,500.00 | $5,675,349.79 Form BE; 3 unanimous votes (26-106, 26-316, 26-701) |
| Wielkotz & Company (16225) | $5,000.00 (1/5/26 ’29) | $5,500.00 ($5K Russo Runoff 11/20/25; $500 Russo) | $10,500.00 | Res. 26-57 (8-1; Russo NO) & 26-62 (9-0 $154,000.00 award, sec. Quintero) |
| Scarinci & Hollenbeck (11541) | $5,000.00 (1/27/26 ’29) | $0.00 | $5,000.00 | Res. 26-475 (9-0 $5,000.00 housing counsel, sec. Layson); $32,197.50 Form BE |
| Donohue, Gironda, Doria & Tomkins (15927) | $4,500.00 ($2.5K Slate; $2K ’25) | $5,000.00 ($4K Russo; $800 Slate; $200 Ramos) | $9,500.00 | Res. 26-57 (8-1 prequal, sec. Quintero; $155,000.00 RFP 25-07 bid) |
| McManimon, Scotland & Baumann (11612) | $3,500.00 ($2.5K Runoff; $1K ’25) | $1,500.00 (Russo, 10/28/25) | $5,000.00 | $1,627,457.00 Form BE; 10 unanimous votes (26-154 to 26-710) |
| RD Parisi Associates (16010) | $2,800.00 ($2.5K ’29; $300 ’25) | $7,200.00 (Russo, 2024–25) | $10,000.00 | Res. 26-503 (9-0 $60,000.00 broker award, moved Firestone, sec. Quintero) |
| Antonelli Kantor Rivera (16095) | $2,600.00 ($1.6K ’25; $1K Runoff) | $3,300.00 ($2.8K Russo; $500 Bhalla ’21) | $5,900.00 | $274,761.19 Form BE; 12 adopted votes (11 unanimous, 8-1 Res. 26-681) |
| Advance at Hoboken / Advance Realty | $21,000.00 ($15K Slate; $5K ’25; $1K ’29) | $29,000.00 ($22K Russo Slate; $6K Russo; $1K Quintero) | $50,000.00 | Hoboken Connect / Warrington Plaza redeveloper |
| Total (8 Vendors / 9 w/ Advance) | $40,200.00 ($61,200.00) | $26,000.00 ($55,000.00) | $66,200.00 ($116,200.00) | Awarded under “fair and open” RFP exceptions |
Hoboken repealed its local pay-to-play ordinance in December 2023 (Ordinance B-632), and “fair and open” contracts are exempt from state contribution limits under N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4 et seq. Mayor Jabbour’s office, council members, and the vendors are welcome to provide comment or context at info@hudsontv.com.
Hudson TV asks: Should Hoboken require contractors and officials to disclose campaign contributions on the agenda before contract votes?
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