Dr. Aaron Weiner, who is running against Hudson County Commissioner Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D-4) as an indepedent, challenged all nine commissioners to repeal raises they approved for themselves last year as tax hikes loom.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
At Tuesday’s budget hearing, Weiner denounced the tax increases in the 2026 county budget totaling over $769 million.
“Last year, the board voted to increase the salaries of the county executive, the commissioners, and the directors’ salaries. The timing of those increases raised some red flags. I had the feeling that you had planned those increases knowing you were going to raise our taxes this year and wanted to fly under the radar,” Weiner said.
“I ask you now, commissioners, in a show of good faith to your electorate, as part of tis budget process, repeal your raises. Voting yourself a raise while raising our taxes sort of stinks of crying wolf, doesn’t it? Telling us to pay more while you take more is sort of like saying, ‘Let them eat cake’ … I implore you to repeal your raises in solidarity with your constituents and show us that you understand and take seriously the impact that raising our taxes has.”
Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), however, noted he voted against raises annually for many years, with 2025 being no exception.
“Last year, I voted against it because it wasn’t for one year, it was for multiple years. And I put that on the record that I’ve always felt strongly that precedent was set many years ago and the administrator would bear this out. I’m the one who found out that we were getting raises without ever doing anything because of some executive order or action that occurred,” he said.
“And we were told that we couldn’t do that, we uncovered that’s not the way to do it. And I felt, every year after you adopt a budget, raises for the non-union- the directors, the other elected officials, including ourselves, happens after that. Because after that you know what the budget is, you know what the impact of taxes has been onto the town or towns you represent, and you should then act accordingly.”
Weiner, a progressive Democrat, recently launched his campaign as an independent to challenge Aponte-Lipski in the November 3rd General Election, as HCV first reported.
Earlier this week, he was endorsed by Aponte-Lipski’s predecessor former Freeholder Joel Torres, who has also previously served as the Jersey City Board of Education president.
A longtime Jersey City resident, physical therapist, and healthcare advocate, Weiner is running on a platform “to reopen Christ Hospital, fix Jersey City’s housing crisis by building real affordable housing on county-owned land, and championing safe, clean, green streets for every county resident.”
