As a tenant and housing advocate, Ron Bautista knows firsthand that the housing affordability crisis is driving families out of Hudson County. 

That’s why, as County Commissioner, Ron will establish a Tenant Legal Defense Fund to provide free legal representation for all tenants facing eviction. He will also create a Nonprofit Apartment Trust Fund to build housing on county-owned land, and he will ensure a Housing First approach that combines immediate stable housing with expanded rental assistance and wraparound services to end homelessness.

How we design our streets determines who gets to participate fully in our community, whether you’re getting to work without a car, a senior walking to the grocery store, or a kid biking to school. Getting around should never be a choice between convenience and safety, affordability and reliability, or between neighborhoods near the PATH and those that get left behind. 

Ron’s work with Hoboken advocates helped transform the city into a national model. Now, Ron is running to put people front and center at our county roads like Willow Avenue, Clinton Street, 14th Street, Paterson Plank Road, and Observer Highway. He’s always believed that streets are for people, and our neighbors deserve safe streets that work for all of us.

ICE has wreaked havoc across Hudson County. From kidnapping at least ten people off the streets of District 5 in February, to the murders of American citizens just weeks prior, it is clear: We can no longer expect the federal government to keep us safe. Hudson County has the power, and the responsibility, to stand up where Washington has failed us. As Commissioner, Ron will do everything in his power to stand up to ICE — because anything less is patently unacceptable.

Education is the backbone of our community, and in Hudson many of our schools are operated either by the County or a City. Ron Bautista understands that education is the cornerstone of our community and that our students deserve the best schools we can offer. That’s why he’ll bring an independent auditor to our county schools budgets to end the machine patronage system. He’ll also expand youth development programs to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Art, like libraries and schools, should be viewed as a public good. At its best, robust arts programming can foster community, engage our county’s youth, and promote local artists. 

That’s what Hudson County both needs and deserves — and as Commissioner, Ron will find every opportunity to foster arts education and public access. He will expand our county’s Mural Arts program so students can collaborate with emerging artists and local leaders to celebrate the neighborhoods and communities they live in. He will also bring culturally responsive arts programs to Hudson County.

A large percentage of your property taxes goes to the county government. If you don’t know where or how that money is spent, you’re not alone. Politicians make it difficult on purpose because that means they’re in control, it allows corruption, and keeps money away from addressing the real needs of the community.

That’s why Ron Bautista is proposing an Easy Budget solution online, to make it easier for everyday people to know the details of where our tax money goes. Together we can ensure our county government invests in the community, not into political favors. Ron will stop nepotism in hiring and public contracts at the county level, end no-show jobs, instill new standards for transparency, and advocate for a more transparent budget.