Hoboken is a city of about 40,000 that borders Manhattan and has three independent candidates for mayor, who, in the words of the Hoboken Report, will have “their ideas heard,” even if they lose the election.  An article in that newspaper profiles all three independents, and three independents running for city council.  They are running against three other candidates who are current City Council members.

Of the independents, one candidate has vowed to revamp the system in City Hall; another wants to turn the city’s dire fiscal straits into a budget surplus; and the third is hoping to create a greener master plan for zoning…

Ryn Melberg

Personal: 40 years old; single; Hoboken resident for nine years.

Professional: Business and financial consultant; former chief of staff for CFO at Credit Suisse; former instructor with New Jersey Small Business Administration.

Civic: Citizen representative during the Hudson County budget review process; president of the Financial Council of Saints Peter and Paul Church…

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing Hoboken right now, and how do you propose to solve it?

When I walk around Hoboken and talk to my neighbors about our city, I hear an outcry of discontent and anger. We have a wonderful city that should have a budget surplus. Instead, we have had huge property tax increases and cuts in services.

My priority is to fix Hoboken’s finances. As mayor, I will streamline our budget, collect the more than $2 million owed to us, and seek out new sources of revenue to reduce our dependency on property taxes.

I will aggressively pursue grant and foundation monies, and create an economic plan to attract and grow businesses. The right economic development projects could generate $10 to $100 million. It is clear that we cannot afford another politician. We need a financial manager as our next mayor. I know I am that person and that is why I am asking Hoboken voters to hire me as their mayor…

Frank Orsini

Personal: 41 years old; single; Hoboken resident for 19 years.

Professional: Self-employed as commercial mortgage broker; 15 years experience in operations and compliance at New York financial institutions

Civic: Former member of the Planning Board and Historic Committee; former board member of the Hoboken Shelter; deacon in the Reformed Church of America…

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing Hoboken right now, and how do you propose to solve it?

The council itself. Their inability to work together has robbed us of our quality of life. Zimmer, Cammarano, and Mason are part of the current council that contributed to the 47 percent tax hike, $4.2 million compliance error, decreased property values, rising rents, decreased public safety, no new recreational facilities, and still no parking. Their talk of change and a better future falls short with their résumé of inaction and neglect.

Hoboken solves its problems by electing new leadership. My administration will make sure City Hall opens its books and wasteful spending is eliminated. Budget issues will be no longer and taxes will be reduced. I will demand community development with recreational facilities for children to seniors. We improve our quality of life by making Hoboken a town that serves the entire community. A community that has additional parks, tennis courts, recreational centers, and even a bowling center…

Tom Vincent

Personal: 54 years old; single; 28 years in Hoboken.

Professional: Self-employed database and workflow designer; clients include Time Magazine, New York Magazine, Conde Nast Publications, small to medium-sized print shops, a film festival, and an assortment of small businesses.

Civic: Musician; emcee for Hoboken Arts and Music Festival…

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing Hoboken right now, and how do you propose to solve it?

There are two pressing issues. We have to fix the system and share information. We can’t really fix anything until we get the government operating efficiently and everyone knows what’s going on.

Then we’ll be equipped to deal with the budget, flooding, parking, the hospital, health insurance costs; it seems everywhere you look there’s something that needs fixing.

With a state monitor running things, this is the perfect time to revamp the entire system so that when she leaves we’ve got a nimble and responsive government to take back our city.

These are the most pressing issues because they are at the heart of our problems.

Here’s some of what we get: eliminated waste and duplication; easy access to information; reduction of abuse; redefined job descriptions.

In short, we finally get the tools we need to run the city so we can start to explore our incredible potential instead of putting out fires.

These three independents are also apparently having fundraising trouble.  While their city council competitors have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars together, each of the independents has raised only a few thousand dollars.

The three independents running for city council are:

Christopher Carbine is a 32-year-old systems engineer who has worked in the financial services industry for 10 years. Carbine is confident he can find more savings in the city budget. Carbine said while he agrees with gradual reductions in staff, he is not supportive of the city’s proposed layoff plan.

Timothy Occhipiniti is a 31-year-old who works in the information technology field. Occhipinti has vowed not to accept any donations from political organizations. He said the tax increase was a result of politics and said he will bring integrity to the council.

Patricia Waiters is 46 years old and a single mother of three who claims she was fired as a Hudson County corrections officer without cause in 2005. Waiters said she has since been fighting against the miscarriage of justice. Waiters said she will work to streamline personnel costs and eliminate any dual job holdings.