Meet Ron Bautista | Ron Bautista for County Commissioner

Ron is a community advocate in Hoboken and Jersey City and candidate for County Commissioner. He gets his inspiration for public service from his daughters Sofie and Aurora, and his 70-year-old mother living in Hoboken; they're a clear example of the most vulnerable of our neighbors and for whom we need safer streets, cleaner air, and tenant protections.

Ron was an undocumented immigrant for 11 years due to a long bureaucratic process to get his green card. During those years he had to live in fear, without a voice, and feeling as if he didn't have any rights because of his immigration status.

Once he got his green card, he began speaking up, not just for himself but for neighbors as well. He understands that we all live in a broken system and it takes a village to make the system work for people of all incomes, ages and abilities.

A selfie image of Ron, his mom and Sofi, his daughter

An image of Ron, Winnie, his wife, and Sofi, his daughter, in a church

Fighting Rent Price Gouging
When corporate landlords tried to double rent prices in Hoboken, Ron stood with tenants — and helped defeat them. In 2023, a landlord-backed referendum tried to weaken Hoboken’s rent control protections — a move that would have led to sharp rent increases and the displacement of long-time neighbors.
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While political insiders stayed quiet, Ron Bautista worked side-by-side with tenants and housing justice organizers, helping lead the fight to educate voters, knock on doors, and expose the truth behind the misleading ballot question. Through grassroots organizing and community power, voters overwhelmingly rejected the referendum — with nearly 73% voting to protect rent control.

Ron didn’t just support rent control — he helped defend it at the ballot box. It’s the kind of political courage he’ll bring to every fight as Hudson County Commissioner.

A selfie image of Ron and volunteers at a Hoboken street corner

Pedestrian Safety Infrastructure
Ron has been a member of the Hoboken Vision Zero Task Force since 2019. Through this work, the task force has achieved zero traffic deaths in the past four years. However, there's still a lot of work to be done in order to prevent serious injuries, and we don't live in a bubble; county roads remain our most deadly roads, especially the roads coming in and out of Hoboken.

Standing for Jersey City Tenants Rights
When tenants at Portside Towers in Jersey City were threatened with the removal of long-standing rent protections and faced steep rent hikes, Ron Bautista was one of the first public figures to stand in solidarity with them.
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He showed up early — at rallies, tenant meetings, and in the press — using his platform to amplify the tenants’ demands and call out corporate landlords attempting to displace long-term residents through legal loopholes.

Ron didn’t just show up as an ally — he showed up as a neighbor, committed to housing as a human right. He made it clear that when public officials stay silent while developers exploit tenants, that silence is complicity.

If it was up to Anthony Romano, Ron would have been deported for being a dreamer, an undocumented minor brought to the country for a better life. Ron is living proof that with a pathway to citizenship, he was able to lift up his family and give back to his community.

Romano and the political bosses have shown their priorities over the years: using immigrant family separation and incarceration to raise money for the county, not prioritizing tenant protections, and denying the science of pedestrian safety that have cost dozens of lives in the past few years.

Ron is running for County Commissioner because we need a public servant in office, not someone who answers to political their bosses.

A black-and-white image of Ron with his arms crossed