Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla, known for his advocacy in climate resilience and civil rights, has declared his candidacy for Congress, promising to uphold his Sikh heritage while focusing on environmental, healthcare, and reproductive rights concerns.
A native of New Jersey, Mayor Bhalla has called Hoboken home for over two decades. Prior to serving two terms as Mayor, he spent eight years on the city council and worked as a civil rights lawyer.
During a recent gathering at residences in Crownsville, MD, Mayor Bhalla shared his personal journey, highlighting his father’s immigrant experience from India and his refusal to compromise his Sikh identity in America.
In his role as Mayor, Bhalla has prioritized strengthening Hoboken’s resilience to climate change, endorsing the city’s Climate Action Plan in 2019, aiming for net-zero energy status by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Drawing inspiration from his father’s example, Bhalla stressed the compatibility of Sikh identity with success, emphasizing the rejection of false dichotomies. His candidacy for Congress would mark a historic moment as the first turbaned Sikh elected to the position and only the second Sikh to serve in the nation’s capital.
Bhalla’s educational background includes a B.A. in Political Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Sc. in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics (L.S.E.), and a Juris Doctor Degree from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
