HOBOKEN -- City voters can credit President Donald Trump with Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's surprising decision not to seek a third term in office.

With Hoboken Councilman Ravinder Bhalla by her side, Zimmer addressed several dozen reporters and supporters in front of city hall Tuesday morning.

"I've decided not to seek reelection this November. It's been a very difficult decision, however, as many people know, I consider the issue of climate change and resiliency to be an urgent issue facing our city, our state and our nation," Zimmer said.

The two-term mayor said she had initially decided to run for mayor to protect Hoboken from rising sea levels and increasingly dangerous weather as a result of climate change. A priority of hers has been a $300 million federally-funded project to protect the city from the kind of storm surge that resulted from Hurricane Sandy - a project whose planning stage is well underway.

"I'm certainly proud that Hoboken is on track to be protected from climate change," she said. "But, while our city is on the right track, our country no longer is. With President Trump having pulled our country out of the Paris Accord, demonstrating a lack of commitment to addressing this critical issue at the federal level, I've decided that it is the right time for me to take a new role working more directly on this important issue."

Taking questions after her remarks, Zimmer said she had no position lined up. She has, she said, spoken to Phil Murphy, the Democratic nominee for governor, about her decision, but that Murphy had not offered her a place on his ticket, or if he wins, a place in his administration. Zimmer also said she had spoken to state senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who had endorsed her. Neither had yet made a new endorsement for Hoboken mayor.

Zimmer said she would be endorsing Bhalla in November's election.

Bhalla said he'd come to Hoboken as a young bachelor, but had stayed to raise a family and serve as a councilman, and now looked forward to serving as mayor. He said he would follow through on Zimmer initiatives, including the storm surge project, as well the expansion of Southwest Park and creation of Northwest Park.

Zimmer's departure intensifies a November municipal election that had been shaping up as a race between a two-term incumbent and a field of challengers that includes a Hudson County freeholder, a city councilman and pair of local business owners active in local politics.

Only one day before Zimmer's announcement, Freeholder Anthony Romano's campaign manager said Romano was "leaning very, very strongly" toward running.

On Tuesday, Romano said Zimmer's withdrawal from the race was good news for him.

While the race is officially non-partisan, Romano said he would seek the blessing of the Hudson County Democratic Organization for mayor, after having won the June 6 freeholder primary decisively while running on the county party line. Romano also said he would seek Stack's endorsement.

City Councilman Michael Defusco formally declared his bid for mayor over the Memorial Day weekend, while Zimmer was still running. On Monday, DeFusco announced that businessman Michael Flett would be the first of his three city council running mates in the November race.

Although the mayoral election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, with partisan general elections for freeholder, state legislature and governor, Zimmer, her challengers and the city council candidates will not run on a party line. Like local elections still held in May, Hoboken's contest for mayor and council remains officially non-partisan despite its November date.

Another declared mayoral candidate is local businesswoman Karen Nason, owner of the Hoboken Hot House cafe on Monroe Street, and Hot House Pizza just around the corner on 2nd Street.

Ronald Bautista, a local activist and cycling advocate, rounds out the field.

Zimmer's path to the mayor's office and her election to two four-year terms have been as complex as any traffic or flood control plan she has tried to implement.

She first ran for Hoboken mayor in May 2009, while serving on the City Council, but lost to Peter Cammarano. Even so, she retained her council seat and was named council president by fellow council members during the city's reorganization in July.

However, as council president, Zimmer was sworn-in as acting mayor weeks later, after Cammarano was forced to resign less than a month into his first term amid federal corruption charges alleging he accepted bribes during a sweeping undercover operation. Zimmer then won a special election that November to finish out Cammarano's term, which was due to expire in July 2013 and still had 3 1/2 years remaining.

Hoboken voters then passed a referendum to change the date of the city's regular May municipal elections to November. That effectively extended Zimmer's initial, unexpired term by six months, stretching it to four years. She was then elected to her second 4-year stint as mayor in November 2013, this one a "full" term.

In 2014, in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal, Zimmer claimed the administration of her former ally, Gov. Chris Christie, kept Sandy funds from the city after she refused to support a Christie-backed development. An investigation found no merit to her claims.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at

. Follow him on Twitter

. Find