In an editorial, independent Hudson County commissioner candidate Aaron Weiner (D-4) gives his thoughts on incumbent Yraida Aponte-Lipski refusing to debate him.
When the President of the United States is flirting with the idea of being a king, the last thing our county politics needs is a coronation.
My grandfather was a navy officer in World War II, where his boat was blitzed by kamikaze pilots; my great-grandfather was a member of the Lost Battalion in World War I.
Fighting for our democracy is in my family’s blood. When I see our county’s elected seats being treated like bargaining chips in a shady backroom poker game, it makes my blood boil.
That’s why I’m running for Hudson County commissioner in District 4. I’d like to make the case to you for why our fiercely progressive, fiercely independent city deserves a County Commissioner that matches our spirit.
But my machine-picked opponent refuses to debate me.
I’m not surprised by this, because machine politics thrives on secrecy and backroom deals. But it is that exact type of nose-in-the-air politics that have turned voters off to politics altogether. I’m running to end that culture for good.
My name is Dr. Aaron Weiner. I’ve called Jersey City home for the past 13 years, and I love this city so much. It’s where I found my fiancée, and it’s where I found a community to fight alongside in support of immigrants, healthcare, and a just economy.
I’ve protested the closure of Christ Hospital alongside members of HPAE, elected officials across the state, and community members who have relied on this hospital for their entire lives.
I’ve marched alongside residents tired of ICE running roughshod over our communities and fearful for the lives of their neighbors, but hopeful because we were all together that day.
I’ve spoken out at hearings and community meetings all across the city in support of building more housing, reopening Christ Hospital, and ensuring our states are safe and accessible for all.
And in every single one of these places, our current County commissioner was absent.
So no, I’m not surprised our incumbent County Commissioner won’t debate me. It’s just another instance of her being absent, of not answering to the community who puts her in power every three years. That’s exactly what machine politics will always offer you: absence.
But just because I’m not surprised she won’t debate me doesn’t mean I don’t still believe she should. After all, that’s the point of democracy.
Everyone should have the chance to hear from their elected officials, and every elected official should have to answer to the public for their re-election.
So our county commissioner should have to answer for why she hasn’t lifted a finger to save Christ Hospital, which is in her district.
Our county commissioner should have to answer for why she hasn’t held a single town hall or community meeting her entire time in office.
Our county commissioner should have to answer to the public for why, as ICE tore through the Heights, her response was to dismiss basic protections against ICE as “ineffective” and “impractical.”
If a debate occurs, I will welcome the opportunity to pitch a different future for District 4: one where our commissioner is as independent and progressive as we are.
One where our commissioner is accountable to the people, not developers or the corrupt political machine. And one where the democracy that my grandfather took shrapnel for is respected for the sacred thing it is.
But until that day, I look forward to meeting all of you at the doors and in our community. We have a democracy to fight for, and I won’t be absent for that fight.
Dr. Aaron Weiner is a physical therapist, a longtime Jersey City resident, and the progressive, independent Democrat running for Hudson County Commissioner, District 4. Dr. Weiner got through school by working as a barista across Jersey City, so he knows what it means to fight to make ends meet — and he knows that the County government can step up to lift families out of our affordability crisis, if only they had the political will to do it. That’s why he’s running for County Commissioner to reopen Christ Hospital, build real affordable housing, and protect our communities from ICE.