‘F— you Tiffanie’ — Hoboken councilman sorry for texting rabbit-loving opponent a photo of fancy rabbit stew

HOBOKEN – City Council members vying for municipal office in the Mile Square City were trading snipes about a rabbit dish from a high-end restaurant.

Councilman Joe Quintero is running for reelection on a ticket with mayoral candidate Emily Jabbour.  Two weeks ago, Quintero texted mayoral opponent Tiffanie Fisher a photo of what appeared to be a menu item at Hoboken restaurant hotspot Anthony David’s, according to a Reddit post.

Fisher said he “sent me a text that said ‘f--- you Tiffanie,’ along with a photo of the meal he was eating, rabbit risotto.”

“I have two rabbits — and a dog — who are part of my family," she said.

“We’ve seen what happens when politics becomes cruel for sport. When decency gives way to spectacle, and personal attacks replace honest debate. We can’t let that become normal here. Hoboken is better than that.”

Rabbit-dining Hoboken councilman vows to 'do better' after text

Fisher said that “Joe apologized, but not for what he said — just for sending it to me instead of someone else.”

When asked for comment by New Jersey 101.5, Quintero said he is embarrassed by his mistake and has apologized several times to his fellow elected official.

"A few weeks ago I sent a rude and inappropriate message to Councilwoman Fisher. That was wrong and I’m sorry. I immediately called Councilwoman Fisher to apologize and then apologized again via text. I’m embarrassed by this mistake and appreciate that Councilwoman Fisher accepted my apology. However, upon reading her statement yesterday, I felt I needed to reach out to her to apologize again — which I did," Quintero said in an email response.

"As I mentioned to Councilwoman Fisher, as an elected official, I understand my words carry greater weight and promise to do better in the future.”

Read More: Hoboken mayor slams 'campaign stunt' of ticket fixing claims

The incident was also discussed in a recent post to Reddit, where a comment with "Fisher" in a username appeared to confirm the councilwoman’s account of what happened.

Read More: NJ farm donates blueberries to food bank, social media misses mark

Fisher said her opponents, who have previously run with Mayor Ravi Bhalla, “represent politics as usual. The insider games, the silence, the toxic culture that’s taken hold in too many corners of public life.”

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom