Ravinder Singh Bhalla (born January 13, 1974), often simply called Ravi Bhalla, is an American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

lawyer, politician, the 39th and current mayor of

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58, ...

. Prior to becoming mayor, he served in the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, since 2009. On November 7, 2017, he was elected New Jersey's first

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...

mayor, as well as the first elected mayor in the United States who is a Sikh and wears a

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

.Ravinder Bhalla becomes first Sikh mayor of Hoboken city in US
. ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

''. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.Baer, Marilyn (October 22, 2017).
Profiles: Three of six mayoral candidates: Get to know Bhalla, Giattino, and Bautista
. ''

The Hudson Reporter ''The Hudson Reporter'' is a newspaper chain based in Hudson County, New Jersey. ''The Hudson Reporter'' publications mainly focus on local politics and community news. The oldest newspaper in the chain is the ''Hoboken Reporter'', founded in 1983. ...

''. October 22, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.Park, Madison (November 8, 2017).
Election night brings historic wins for minority and LGBT candidates
. ''

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the ...

''. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.Trans politician and Sikh mayor among diverse politicians chosen in US elections
.

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.

Early life

Ravinder Singh Bhalla was born in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69, ...

,Sohrabji, Sunita (3 April 2009). "Ravinder Bhalla Runs for Hoboken City Council". ''India-West''

San Leandro, California San Leandro ( Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the ...

). p. A26. and raised in Woodland Park (then called West Paterson.) His parents, Ranbir and Harminder Singh, live in

Montville, New Jersey Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528, reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in t ...

, where they own and manage a company that manufactures

high-pressure sodium A sodium-vapor lamp is a gas-discharge lamp that uses sodium in an excited state to produce light at a characteristic wavelength near 589 nm. Two varieties of such lamps exist: low pressure and high pressure. Low-pressure sodium lamps are ...

street lamp A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt ...

s that Ranbir Singh, a physicist, invented himself.Sohrabji, Sunita (26 June 2009). "Hoboken Gets First Sikh City Councilman". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). p. A29. Bhalla earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in political psychology from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, Administration (government), administration of Government, government establishment (Governance#P ...

and

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

, and earned his

juris doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

from

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common l ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

About Ravi
. ''Ravi Bhalla for Hoboken Mayor''. 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.

Career

Legal practice

George Floyd protest in Hoboken, NJ - June 5, 2020 - 5530

Bhalla was a civil rights attorney at the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader, who have represented

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, ...

.Attorneys
. ''Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader, LLC''. Retrieved November 10, 2017.Venugopal, Arun. "Community concerns discussed at SAALT talks". ''India Abroad'' (New York, New York). April 15, 2005. p. C6. In a case in 2002, Bhalla represented three high school students at

Hunterdon Central High School Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school, and regional school district that serves students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Students hail from ...

Flemington, New Jersey Flemington is a borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

.Slack, Donovan (June 28, 2002). "Experts: Garden State case may carry more weight". ''The Times'' (Trenton, New Jersey). p. A1. The New Jersey state court ruled that the random drug-testing was allowable under the state constitution, pointing to a similar case ruling by a federal court. Bhalla said he disagreed with the state court's ruling, saying that the New Jersey Constitution gives a wider protection against

unreasonable search and seizure The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. It prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. In addition, it sets requirements for issuing warrants: warrants must be issued by a judge o ...

than the United States Constitution. In a case in 2003, Bhalla represented Amric Singh Rathour. Rathour had qualified for a job in traffic enforcement with the

New York Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. Rathour's supervisors fired Rathour because he would not shave his beard or stop wearing his

, both of which are required by Rathour's religion,

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit= Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fr ...

. On behalf of his client, Bhalla filed a lawsuit in

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district c ...

for

religious discrimination Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated u ...

."Sikh alleges discrimination by NYPD". ''The Statesman'' (India). March 5, 2003. Bhalla wrote an

amicus curae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

for the federal court case of married couple Harpal Singh Cheema and Rajwinder Kaur. Cheema had been brutally and repeatedly

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

d by Indian police for protesting the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

and for giving food and shelter to protesters. Cheema and Kaur had been allowed to enter the U.S. for humanitarian reasons. Their asylum application was later disapproved, and they were trying to fight that decision so they could remain in the U.S. Cheema lost his appeal and was deported to India, where he was arrested at

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, Delhi, southwest of the New De ...

. In another case, Bhalla represented Gurpreet S. Kherha. A car dealership in

Little Falls, New Jersey Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The township was named for a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 census, the township's population was 13,360 reflecting a decreas ...

, refused to employ Kherha because of its policy of prohibiting beards. Kherha's religion, Sikhism, forbids him from shaving his beard. Bhalla filed a religious discrimination complaint with the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

and a lawsuit in New Jersey State Court, stating that the car dealership had violated Kherha's civil rights by refusing him reasonable religious accommodation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined that Kherha had indeed suffered religious discrimination, and the parties settled the case.Joseph, George (6 December 2013). "Sikh man gets $50,000 damages in religious discrimination case". ''India Abroad'' (New York, New York). p. A10.

Politics

Bhalla ran for an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

seat on the

Hoboken City Council Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,6 ...

in 2009 on incumbent mayor

Dawn Zimmer Dawn Zimmer (born April 16, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. As president of the Hoboken City Council, she became acting mayor after incumbent Peter Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 fo ...

's ticket. During Bhalla's campaign, he emphasized fiscal responsibility, slowing down development, increasing the amount of affordable housing, lower city property taxes, and transparency in government. In the election, Bhalla received 13% of the vote, advancing to a runoff election. In the runoff election, Bhalla received 17% of the vote, winning an at-large seat on the Hoboken City Council for a four-year term in office. He was sworn in on July 1, 2009.Baldwin, Carly (July 1, 2009). "Hoboken". ''The Jersey Journal'' (Jersey City, New Jersey). p. A4. Bhalla served as the chairman of the Hoboken Democratic Party from 2010 to 2011. He also served as vice president of the council between 2010 and 2011, and he served as president of the city council from 2011 to 2012.Joseph, George (15 November 2013), but lost subsequent re-election attempts for city counsel president. "Hoboken Councilman Ravinder Bhalla to sue colleague Beth Mason". ''India Abroad'' (New York, New York). p. A8.

In 2011, Bhalla ran to represent the 33rd Legislative District in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

. During his campaign, Bhalla emphasized that New Jersey had the highest property taxes in the country, and he advocated for lowering property taxes, offset by an increase to state income taxes. Bhalla focused on creating jobs and strengthening New Jersey's hate crime laws. Bhalla opposed

New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in ...

's $1.3-billion cuts in the state's education budget. Bhalla called himself an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

.Sohrabji, Sunita (27 May 2011). "Hoboken City Councilman Bhalla Runs for State Assembly". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). p. A10. Bhalla was defeated in the Democratic primary election, coming in third place, but he has stated that he still has political aspirations to be a legislator at the state or Federal level.Sohrabji, Sunita (17 June 2011). "Ravinder Bhalla Loses Bid for New Jersey Assembly Seat". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). p. A10, A12. In 2012, following

Superstorm Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

, Bhalla distributed food to people at multiple locations in Hoboken.Sohrabji, Sunita (9 November 2012). "Superstorm Sandy Decimates Homes, Businesses in Its Path". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). p. A2, A4. Bhalla filed to run again to represent the 33rd District in the

in 2013.Hack, Charles (April 24, 2013).
Hoboken Councilman Bhalla confirms run for state Assembly
. ''The Jersey Journal'' (Jersey City, New Jersey). nj.com. The following month, Bhalla withdrew from the election when Carmelo Garcia's candidacy was cleared.Hack, Charles (May 8, 2013).

. ''The Jersey Journal'' (Jersey City, New Jersey). nj.com. Instead Bhalla ran for reelection to the Hoboken City Council."Ravi Bhalla Runs for Reelection to Hoboken, N.J., Council". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). October 18, 2013. p. A18. Bhalla received 14% of the vote, giving him a second four-year term in office. In 2017, Bhalla decided to run for a third term on the Hoboken City Council."Hoboken Councilman Bhalla Raises Funds for Third Term". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). April 21, 2017. p. A22. When incumbent Hoboken Mayor

decided not to run for reelection, she endorsed Bhalla in a surprise press conference.Sohrabi, Sunita (14 July 2017). "An Unexpected Run for Hoboken Mayor". ''India-West'' (San Leandro, California). p. A3, A14. During Bhalla's mayoral campaign, he advocated for response development, open-space initiatives, defending Hoboken's citizens' rights from the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

, fiscal responsibility, holding the line on local taxes, and building a surplus for unanticipated city emergencies. Bhalla won the election with 33% of the vote. His term of office began January 1, 2018. In 2021 Bhalla ran unopposed for a second term.

Controversies

In 2018, Bhalla was censured by the New Jersey Supreme Court after a disciplinary board chided him for not setting aside over $6,000 for a former employee's retirement account between 2008 and 2009.

Personal life

Bhalla has lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, since 2000. He and his wife, Navneet (also known as Bindya), a human rights attorney, live with their children, Arza and Shabegh.

Electoral results

2009

2011

2013

2017

2021

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhalla, Ravinder Singh Alumni of the London School of Economics American mayors of Indian descent American politicians of Indian descent Asian-American people in New Jersey politics American Sikhs Living people Mayors of Hoboken, New Jersey New Jersey Democrats Politicians from Passaic, New Jersey Tulane University Law School alumni UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni 1974 births