“Eliminating wasteful spending practices in Hudson County based on personal favors and backroom deals would allow us to invest in critically-needed infrastructure and community improvements.”
https://www.eleanalittle.com/on-the-issues
Here’s why we enthusiastically endorse Eleana Little for Hudson County Freeholder:
Contract Vetting: I will rigorously review all county contracts to make sure they reflect fiscal responsibility and the values of constituents.
Comment: I would like to see all purchases itemized and available to the public.
Pay to Play: I will not exchange professional service contracts for donations to my campaign or the campaigns of my friends/allies. When possible, I will open contracts up for a competitive bidding process, instead of automatically renewing last year’s contract.
Professionalism: I will commit my time and energy to full length meetings that make information accessible to the public. I will not support rushing through an abbreviated consent agenda.
Comment: I’ve attended and participated in several freeholder meetings as an activist, and they frequently belittle speakers and attempt to rush through public comments. This is inappropriate and unprofessional. If I’m elected, I will call out freeholders who do this.
Meeting location: I believe meetings should rotate throughout the county in order to make attendance more feasible for residents of all municipalities.
Comment: I think we should have a remote participation option available at all meetings. If we can find locations that are large enough and we can use free of charge, I would be open to rotating throughout the County, but to me the remote participation option is the bigger issue. Due to COVID-19, we have been able to zoom in for public comments, and this has made it a lot more accessible. Unfortunately, there were some issues with zoom bombing at first, but they came up with a work-around to prevent that.
Meeting structure: I believe the bulk of the meeting should focus on county business rather than award ceremonies or speeches.
Meeting accessibility: I support using technology to make meeting attendance more accessible for residents, via recording or live-streaming of meetings or other remote attendance options.
Comment: See above
Information reporting: I support easily accessible online meeting agendas and minutes. I support user-friendly budgets so residents can easily see how public funds are allocated. I support user friendly agendas that include explainers about resolutions being voted on.
Comment: If the County will not provide user-friendly materials, I am willing to post a description/explanation of the agenda before meetings on social media.
The “county line” in primary election ballots: Realizing that being placed in a preferential ballot position hinges on freeholder candidates and that the county line is misleading and manipulative to voters, I will take a firm stand against the county line and advocate for a bubble ballot as is used in every other state and in some counties in NJ.
Comment: I have already been active in fighting the line through my work with the Hudson County Progressive Alliance and the broader Take Back NJ Coalition. I will use my platform as Freeholder to continue to advocate against the line.
Responsible County Entity Oversight: I will work to ensure that the county entities I oversee — libraries, parks, technical schools, community colleges, correction facilities, infrastructure — are safe, professionally staffed and appropriately funded.
Comment: The Hudson County Correctional Facility, known for unsanitary conditions, assaults, and deaths, is especially in need of oversight. I want to increase access to nurse practitioners and social workers in the facility, and contract with a third party to conduct unbiased, unannounced audits of conditions in the facility.
Appointments to Boards, Authorities and Commissions: I will appoint people with diverse perspectives to boards, authorities and committees, opening up government for greater participation, rather than selecting the well-connected. Because new ideas and voices are important, I will seek out new residents to fill these board positions rather than having the same individuals serve for decades.
More information about Eleana Little:
Email: eleana@eleanalittle.com
Phone: (201) 305-0314
Website: https://eleanalittle.com
Social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram
Education: M.S., Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley; B.S., Environmental Engineering, Rutgers University
Occupation: Environmental Engineer
Public/party service: I have not held public office before, but have served as Vice President of my neighborhood association for the past two years, and have been an active member of local grassroots organizations, including NJ-08 for Progress (where I serve on the steering committee), the Hudson County Progressive Alliance, the Hudson Climate Coalition, and Friends of Liberty State Park. I also served as a working group member on the Jersey City Climate Action Plan.
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