In a letter to the editor, Hudson County commissioner candidate Ron Bautista explains why he stands in solidarity with Jersey City’s Portside Towers tenants.
Dear Editor,
Hudson County is facing a crisis when it comes to rental prices. Developers are taking advantage of the lack of rent control enforcement and are hiking up prices to unreasonable levels.
This is unfair to tenants, and it’s driving everyday people out of the community, like the tenants from Portside Towers and 70 Greene St. who spoke up at the Jersey City Council meeting a few weeks ago.
I stand with the tenants, and we must see immediate actions from the city and county governments.
This is not a new issue, and that’s why I’m running for office; because the county government has sat on its hands for too long.
It’s time for the county to start working with every city in Hudson County to implement a rent-control digital database, so we can ensure that real estate developers are not raising rents above what is fair and reasonable.
This will give tenants the peace of mind that they will not be suddenly hit with an unaffordable rent increase.
Furthermore, a rent-control digital database will allow for greater transparency and accountability in the rental market. Developers will have to justify their rent increases, and tenants will have a way to easily access information about rental prices in the area.
In addition, we must ensure that tenants have free legal representation and that tenant protections are actively enforced.
Having legal representation will give tenants the confidence to challenge unfair rent increases and other unlawful practices. It will also provide everyday people with a way to seek redress if they have been mistreated by developers.
Now more than ever we have to work towards a rental market that is fair, transparent, and accountable. We can no longer wait for crumbs.
Ron Bautista
Hudson County Commissioner Candidate, District 5