Emily Jabbour

Federal and social work

Jabbour's first employment with the federal government was as a Presidential Management Fellow. She worked as a Health Fellow on a detail assignment with the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.^[1][5] During her 19 years on the Administration for Children and Families, Jabbour served as a certifying officer and performance officer for the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation.^[6] In early 2025, Jabbour's employment with the Department of Health and Human Services ended following the closure of the New York City office of the ACF amidst DOGE budgetary cuts.^[4][7]

Jabbour has prioritized an emphasis on public safety throughout her social work career. Following an active shooter drill conducted at her daughter's school, she founded the Hudson County chapter of the gun-violence protection group Moms Demand Action.^[8][9]

Politics

Emily Jabbour ran for an at-large seat on the Hoboken City Council in 2017. Garnering 11% of the total votes, she successfully qualified for one of the three open seats.^[10] She was sworn in on January 1, 2018. Following her first term, she was re-elected to the position four years later in 2021.^[11]

In January 2025, Jabbour announced her mayoral campaign for the November 4th election, becoming the first candidate to do so. She ran on a platform of improving government transparency, public transportation, and educational facilities throughout Hoboken.^[12] Her campaign was endorsed by the respective president and vice president of the Hoboken City Council, Jim Doyle and Phil Cohen.^[13] Receiving 27% of the votes amongst six candidates, she was the highest vote-getter of the election and advanced to a December 2 runoff against 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo.^{[citation needed]}

Jabbour was further endorsed by fellow candidate Dini Ajmani and former mayor Dawn Zimmer, among others, following her advancement to the runoff election.^[14][15] Her campaign was ultimately successful, with her winning the runoff election by a seven-percent margin.^[16]