TRACK RECORD

Each day Emily works hard to get things done for the Hoboken community. Whether that means responding to emails from residents, answering questions on social media, or attending a community meeting, she’s always committed to listening and taking action.

A good leader engages with their community while also executing and moving things forward. Emily recognizes it is her duty as Councilperson, to continue to listen to the residents of Hoboken in an ongoing effort to make the Mile Square a better place for all residents.

There is a saying: “If you want to get something done, ask a busy person.” So when her friends jokingly ask her when she sleeps, Emily knows she’s succeeding when it comes to constituent services. Whether it’s emails, text messages, or social media questions, responding to constituent concerns is her number one priority.

Hoboken Resident Darby Corna Vinciguerra can attest: “Emily is very quick to respond and follow up with residents in regard to their concerns. We are continuing to work together to find ways to expand open play programming for children of all ages in Hoboken.”

Emily truly values the feedback that she receives from all residents, whether they agree on a topic or not. She recognizes it’s her job to listen, reflect, conduct outreach, and use that information to make well-informed decisions for all of Hoboken.

Another Hoboken Resident, Crissa Dragotti, spoke about her positive experience in working with Emily to make positive change happen in her neighborhood: "I live on the corner of Fifth and Grand. Last summer the concrete on the corners had been replaced, but the design was very dangerous and jutted out. After an elderly woman fell over it, I reached out to Councilwoman Jabbour, who was very easy to contact, and very concerned about the situation. Luckily, she was able to get it fixed within a few days."

Emily also recognizes the importance of Social Media as a way to connect with residents and hear their concerns first hand. She’s constantly checking in on the various community Facebook and Instagram pages and is always quick to answer a question in the comments or follow up with solutions.

Hoboken resident Lakeisha Taylor remembers a time when Emily listened and then acted to fix a problem she voiced on the town’s Facebook page: “A few years ago I happened to post on Facebook that I was frustrated about the noise coming from Mama Johnson Field because it was waking up my young daughter during the week. Emily reached out to me immediately and offered to contact the City and Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) about how to work together to address this issue. Through Emily's advocacy and repeated follow up, the City and HHA agreed to work with Zog Sports to adjust their schedule to avoid late night games during the week and moderate their noise level.”

Emily’s diligence and ability to navigate the city to fix problems when they are raised doesn’t go unnoticed. Lakeisha said “I appreciate Emily's dedication to following through on resident concerns and support for all her neighbors."

In 2019, the Hoboken Vision Zero Task Force was established in an effort to reduce all traffic-related deaths by 2030. As parent on foot and a frequent bike rider around Hoboken, this task force quickly became a passion of Emily’s. Like all of her efforts, she is actively engaged with the city and the Task Force to improve daily life for those who work and live in Hoboken.

Chris Adair, President of Bike Hoboken, spoke about Emily’s contribution to this initiative and many others: “Emily truly cares about her community with a focus on livability and public safety: whether it's working with Moms Demand Action, helping the Hoboken food pantry get food to people during COVID, or advocating for safe streets as a member of the Hoboken vision zero task force.”

Since the Task Force’s inception in 2019, Hoboken has added 48 daylighted intersections, upgraded 150 crosswalks to be safer for pedestrians and installed 11 new curb extensions. As a result, the number of pedestrians struck by vehicles decreased by 35% in 2020.

You can read more about the Vision Zero Task Force and ways to get involved here.

Small businesses are truly the heart of Hoboken. Our thriving commercial community – stellar restaurants, flourishing cultural destinations and unique retail spaces – make Hoboken a desirable place to live and work. Emily understands how vital these businesses are and will continue to support initiatives that allow them to prosper.

Catherine Wilhoit and Kristin Karotkin, owners of The Hive, have benefited first hand from Emily’s support. “Out of everyone we've met in Hoboken's city hall, Emily has been, by far, the biggest champion of ours, and her support is something for which we will forever and ever be grateful.”

HeeBin and Jin Yoon, owners of Black Rail Coffee, echo this sentiment: “Emily’s uplifting energy and genuine concern for helping small business has made the difference in our growth. We highly trust and respect Emily’s abilities. She truly cares for the community and people she represents. From the beginning, she has supported our growth and gave us guidance. She made it happen for our first children’s book reading & helped us get closer & understand the community better.”

When the pandemic forced small businesses to make dramatic changes, Emily worked hard as an advocate and became a liaison between the city and many business owners. Fit Foundry owner Dave Quevedo recalls how she personally stepped in to help him navigate the new rules: “At the start of quarantine Emily organized a zoom meeting with Mayor Balla so we could better understand the decisions that were being made and how it would relate to Fit Foundry. She is always there to help and listen to suggestions/ideas that will improve small business, public school, public safety and our community.” For Dave and many others, Emily’s willingness to go above and beyond made all the difference durning the stressful pandemic. “Her efforts and actions truly demonstrates how committed to Hoboken Emily is and how deeply she cares about the businesses and our community. She has worked tirelessly to keep them afloat via fundraisers, and finding ways to keep small business viable during her tenure as a council woman.”

Emily is proud of her professional identity as a Social Worker and often uses that lens to identify crucial causes in the community. One of her first interactions with local government was through her work with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. As the founder of the Hudson County Chapter, she began to network with community leaders and law enforcement to better understand the landscape of players in the issue of local gun violence. To this day, she continues to volunteer for Moms Demand Action and number of additional non-profit organizations that support our most vulnerable residents including the Hoboken Community Center and the Hoboken Food Pantry.

Amy Faucher, Emily’s Moms Demand Action Co-Lead has witnessed Emily’s dedication to local causes that directly benefit our community: “I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Emily to be an at-large city councilperson -- she’s proven time and time again that she’s willing to make the effort to improve the lives of all Hoboken residents (from seniors to babies and from teenagers to even dogs!). Whether it’s working to end gun violence, unloading trucks of food for the Hoboken food pantry, or working with the city to fix broken playground equipment at one of our parks, we know Emily will show up on her bike to get to work!”

Rachel Hodes, Elected Member of the Hoboken Democratic Committee, Member of the Hudson County Correctional Advisory Board, Hoboken Food Pantry Team Leader, and Former Hoboken Green Team Member, has worked with Emily on many local initiatives and agrees with Amy: “There is no fiercer advocate on important issues like immigration, food insecurity, climate change mitigation, and gun violence prevention than Emily Jabbour. Time and time again she has used her voice to stand up for those in need. A true partner in every sense of the word, I have proudly stood together with Emily at County Commissioner meetings, Black Lives Matter Protests, and March for Our Lives Rallies. Emily is the type of elected official I aspire to be and I can think of no one better to represent our Mile Square.”

Emily’s activism has also allowed her to connect with and advocate for many members in the Hoboken community. Mike Summers is one such resident: “When hiccups happen with complex issues, Emily is one of the first people I know I can count on to know who to contact and how to approach a situation to get the best results. Emily also supports countless initiatives and diverse community events and causes. As a member of the LGBT community, she’s been a great ally. No one said ‘adulting’ was easy but it’s good to have an ally who knows everyone and represents everyone in the city!”

When the pandemic hit and the city shut down, Emily was working around the clock to ensure residents were safe and supported. But she still found time to dedicate to the Hoboken and Jersey City chapter of FLAG (Front Line Appreciation Group). Founder Amy Goldman shares “Emily became a huge part of the movement and was essential to FLAG’s success. Her support, direction, and insight allowed FLAG to succeed in so many initiatives. Initially, that was feeding the front line, but it continued to the Battle of the Booty, FLAG/Rotary Club Toy Drive, the Socks for Seniors Campaign, and now monthly small business fundraisers for the Hoboken Food Pantry."