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As Hoboken's leadership hung in the balance during a too-close-to-call mayoral race, and as the city was subsequently rocked by the winner's connection to FBI corruption busts, Dawn Zimmer looked to Judaism to get her through tough times.

While campaigning for mayor, Zimmer refused to attend events on Friday night so she could celebrate Shabbat. To cope with anything she perceived as slander against her, Zimmer honed in on the blessing in the Amidah prayer starting with "Elohai netzor leshoni mera," translated as "God, guard my lips from speaking evil."

Zimmer, previously Hoboken's city council president, rose to acting mayor July 31 when Peter Cammarano III resigned as one of 29 public officials arrested for bribery or influence peddling July 23. Cammarano served for about a month after winning the election by a mere 161 votes over Zimmer in a runoff.

Throughout the stressful process, and the rest of her political career in Hoboken, Zimmer told The Jewish State that she credits her Jewish values with keeping her focused on what is most important to her -- community and family.

"I'm very proud of that," Zimmer said of becoming Hoboken's first Jewish mayor. "My Jewish tradition has really carried me through Hoboken politics."

Hoboken will hold a special election Nov. 3 to fill out the remainder of Cammarano's term, and Zimmer, 41, confirmed that she would run. For now, Zimmer is also city's first female mayor, as well as its first mayor born outside of Hoboken.

An active member of the United Synagogue of Hoboken (USH), Zimmer was raised Unitarian in New Hampshire but converted when she and her husband, Stan Grossbard, agreed to raise their two sons, Alex and Jacob, Jewish.

But Zimmer insisted on not converting for the purpose of marriage, and therefore decided to first take Rabbi Robert Scheinberg's yearlong Judaism course at USH along with her husband. Converting was "not just about saying I'm Jewish," Zimmer said, and when she completed the process she made sure that her family began taking Shabbat seriously.

"My husband jokes that I know more about Judaism than he does," Zimmer said.

Hoboken headed into its May 12 elections with favorable odds of getting a Jewish mayor, as Beth Mason, another Jewish city council member, joined Zimmer and Cammarano as the top candidates. When no one secured 50 percent of the vote, the race was extended to a June 9 runoff between Cammarano and Zimmer, in which Cammarano pulled ahead after absentee and provisional ballots were counted.

Cammarano resigned following charges that he took $25,000 in bribes from the government's confidential witness, Solomon Dwek. On the day Zimmer was sworn in, Scheinberg was quick to wish her "mazel tov" on the new position.

"We celebrate with her, while acknowledging that she is coming into the mayor's office at one of the most challenging moments in Hoboken's history," Scheinberg said in a statement. "We wish her much strength, success, and good fortune in leading this city, as well as in restoring credibility to local government and helping our city to heal."

Adam Weiss, chairman of the non-profit HudsonJewish, said that having a Jewish mayor in Hudson County is indicative of the continued revival of Jewish life in Hudson County.

"Obviously the circumstances which she had become a mayor are unfortunate, but it's wonderful to have someone from the Jewish community in a leadership role," Weiss told The Jewish State. "It just shows that Jewish people are starting to be involved in public life in increasing proportion to their presence in the region. I wish her all the best."

Zimmer said she hopes holding a high-profile job as a Jew becomes proof of the local Jewish community's accomplishments, rather than just her own.

"It's not about me," Zimmer said. "It's about anything that shows our leadership, and how we are focused on the community."

Zimmer acknowledged that her win was "bittersweet" in light of Cammarano's resignation, and said she is responsible for both restoring Hoboken's public image and its residents' trust in government. Being thrust into the national spotlight was a traumatic experience for Hoboken, she said, and what is known as the "Mile Square City" should instead be in the spotlight as a thriving center of commerce with popular restaurants and nightlife as well as a splendid view of New York.

"I do feel that this has been a crisis for our city," Zimmer said. "Hoboken is a great town and we don't want to be known for corruption. We want to be known as the gem right across from New York City."

"Understandably, people [in Hoboken] are questioning what happened," she added.

Cammarano, who celebrated his 32nd birthday the night before his arrest, is an attorney for the Newark firm of Genova, Burns and Vernoia (with a now ironic specialty in election law). Besides for serving in the Hoboken city council, he was a rising political star with positions like general counsel for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and statewide legal coordinator for Sen. Robert Menendez's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign.

But when the juicy details of the bribe he accepted from Dwek emerged, Cammarano transformed into a poster-boy of sorts for the political side of the corruption busts. In a criminal complaint, the FBI said they taped Cammarano saying about the election that, "The Italians, the Hispanics, the seniors are locked down. Nothing can change that now... I could be, uh, indicted, and I'm still gonna win 85 to 95 percent of those populations."

In his resignation letter, Cammarano apologized for the heartache he caused the residents of Hoboken, but maintained his innocence.

"Regrettably, it has turned out that the controversy surrounding the charges against me has become a distraction to me and an impediment to the functioning of Hoboken government," Cammarano wrote. "Accordingly, it is in the best interest of the City and all concerned for me to resign."

"However, I would like to reiterate that I am innocent of any criminal charges and I intend to fight the allegations against me," he added.

Until the November election, Zimmer said her primary goal is to create an open and honest government. With her professional background in communications, she hopes to re-design Hoboken's Web site in a way that gives residents clearer information about basic processes such as applying for building permits.

Zimmer is also planning green initiatives such as bringing more Zipcars and bike routes to Hoboken, and enhancing the public transportation system.

"We can use technology to increase the communication and make things smoother for people," Zimmer said.