On Monday,October 22, Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla officially opened the Office of Constituent Affairs, conveniently located on the 1st Floor of City Hall. This office is run by the Hoboken’s new Chief of Constituent Affairs,Caroline Caulfield. Caulfield is a fourth generation Hobokenite and a former aide to U.S. Senator Cory Booker.
Since Caulfield’s first day on Tuesday, May 29, she has been busy advocating for the needs of residents, advancing numerous projects to make City Hall more accessible. Most recently, Caroline held a luncheon for small business owners to have a conversation with the Mayor. In fighting for the needs of our City’slow-income residents, Caulfield has played a key role working with the Hoboken Housing Authority and as a leader on Mayor Bhalla’s Homelessness Task Force.
The Office of Constituent Affairs exists to help residents with quality of life issues,with a special attention paid to the needs of Hoboken’s seniors, low-income tenants, and residents with disabilities. In an effort to make sure all resident concerns are heard, the office will hold mobile office hours at various times and locations across our City. In overseeing the City’s digital 311 system, the Office of Constituent Affairs tracks response times across City Hall Departments and implements data to improve the daily function of municipal services for residents.
As a Councilman, Mayor Bhalla saw a gap in communication between residents and City Hall. Residents often contacted various departments and never heard back, sent an email to a faulty address or spent unreasonably long amounts time wandering through City Hall, sitting on the phone being transferred from office to office, only to land on a voicemail.
Open Monday through Friday, from 9-4 p.m., the office will serve as a central location where residents can come receive the quality assistance they deserve. Should you like to make an appointment in advance or outside of those hours, Caulfield can be reached by calling (201) 420-2000 ext.1311 or by emailing ccaulfield@hobokennj.gov.