While eight of the nine county commissioner races are uncontested in this year’s election, accountability to the voters should still be paramount for our elected officials. As the sixth mostly densely populated county in the United States, Hudson County has unique challenges in how it develops more housing, better transit, safer streets, and accessible green space year round.
The county government is in a unique position to be a transformative force on the urban fabric, controlling vital parcels in the heart of Jersey City and long stretches of busy roads that stitch the county’s 12 cities and towns together.
We sent the following statements to the candidates running for office, asking them which initiatives they support and giving them space to explain their positions to the voters. We hope, despite the lack of competitive elections, that candidates choose accountability to the 736,000 residents who call Hudson County home.
The Commitment Letter Questionnaire Better Blocks sent to the candidates running for Hudson County Commissioner is reproduced below:
Hudson County is made up of densely populated cities that are economically vibrant and rich in their cultural diversity. Despite great strides, the more than 700,000 residents who call Hudson County home face a housing shortage that drives up costs for working families, suffer from roads that kill and injure pedestrians every year, endure bus service that is too slow and too unreliable, and relax in parks that have gone without meaningful investment for decades.
1. Build More Housing
Hudson County must lead on increasing housing supply to address the affordability crisis.
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Approving the Hudson County Affordable Housing Initiative, including its supply-side recommendations, and using county resources and authority to build at least 1,800 units across four county-owned sites.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Using county land and financing tools to prioritize transit-oriented development near rail stations and potential Bus Rapid Transit corridors.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Reforming county planning board review processes to reduce unnecessary delays to establish clear, predictable timelines for applicants so that housing projects move forward without bureaucratic obstruction.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Setting parking maximums in all county-owned or county-assisted housing projects to ensure that public dollars do not subsidize car storage at the expense of housing affordability.
Please Explain:
2. Accelerate the Adoption of Vision Zero on County Roads
Too many people are killed and seriously injured in preventable crashes in Hudson County every year; 21 died on roadways in Hudson County in 2025. Hudson County must accelerate its Vision Zero timeline.
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Approving tactical quick-builds on county roads to install safe, protected intersections; to pilot low-cost protected bike lanes; and install bus priority lanes on county roads to quickly demonstrate safety benefits and build public support for permanent improvements.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Prioritizing “Safe Routes to School” on county roads and routes to county-operated schools with physical infrastructure like protected bike lanes and daylighting improvements at dangerous intersections.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Expanding automated parking enforcement on county roads that is modeled on programs like Hoboken’s CLEAR program, to free travel lanes, improve bus speed, and reduce dangerous double-parking near schools, crosswalks, businesses, and bus stops.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Upgrading crosswalk visibility, signal timing, and intersection geometry on county roads, including eliminating left turns at high-injury locations where appropriate.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Building a protected bike lane network on county roads that will integrate with local municipal efforts and affording protection on busy and dangerous thoroughfares like JFK Boulevard, Paterson Plank Road, County Ave, and Paul Amico Way (to provide safe access to the future Essex-Hudson Greenway).
Please Explain:
3. Invest in Better Buses and Bus Rapid Transit on JFK Boulevard
Thirty-five percent of households in Hudson County are car-free. Hudson County is also one of the most bus rich regions in the country with over 25 million rides a year. But those buses are often unreliable and stuck in traffic. In particular, JFK Boulevard is one of the most transit-dependent corridors in New Jersey, with heavily used bus lines totaling over 6 million rides per year.
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Fully funding a full Bus Rapid Transit system on JFK Boulevard with dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, off-board fare payment, and ADA-accessible level-boarding platforms — not a watered-down “BRT-lite” that leaves buses stuck in traffic.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Implementing quick-builds on JFK Boulevard to demonstrate BRT benefits including paint low-cost, temporary dedicated bus lanes or installing bus priority treatments to speed buses now and build public and political support before full BRT construction.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Advocating to NJ Transit for improved bus frequency and first/last-mile connections to include expanded bus shelter infrastructure on county roads and better connections to NJ Transit rail stations including Hoboken, Secaucus Junction, and the various Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stops across the county.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Piloting a “Hudson Hop” county bus system modeled after the successful Hoboken Hop to fill in transit gaps that cannot be filled-in easily by NJ Transit and creating opportunities for shared services and consolidation among private municipal, scholastic, and building routes.
Please Explain:
4. Improve Our Parks and Green Infrastructure
Hudson County’s parks are among its greatest assets and among some of the most scandal-plagued.
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Ensuring The View at Lincoln Park meets agreed-upon requirements and opens to the public to fulfill the county’s promise to provide a community amenity for Jersey City and Hudson County residents for years.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Pursuing resilient park improvements at West Hudson Park in Harrison and Kearny to integrate green infrastructure — flood storage, bioswales, and resilient plantings — to address Passaic River flood risk and serve a rapidly growing population.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Prioritizing greenway upgrades to county roads to add bioswales and rain gardens to better manage stormwater runoff and improve the local streetscape.
Please Explain:
☐ I Support ☐ I Do Not Support Establishing a winter sports bubble program at county park facilities to enable year-round use of athletic fields through seasonal bubble structures and create opportunities for indoor racquet, soccer, track and other winter activities for county residents regardless of weather.
Please Explain:
Your Commitment to the Voters
While this coming primary election season is largely uncontested, the residents you serve deserve specific, achievable commitments within the authority and budget of the Hudson County Board of County Commissioners.
As a political advocacy group dedicated to the creation of vibrant cities, the Better Blocks New Jersey team is asking you to sign your name and stand by the commitments made in this letter. Hudson County residents deserve results that will deliver more housing, safer streets, faster public transit, and more pleasant public parks.
Will you commit to these goals in your term as a Hudson County Commissioner?
Name / District / Title: