Who or what was most influential in 2018?
The year 2018 found Hudson County energized by memorable people, important organizations, and trends that reflected what was happening around the country and around the world. Here is the Hudson Reporter’s list of local luminaries, dodgy characters, major events, cultural shifts, or silly happenings that were influential in 2018.
1 Immigration Activists
Activists and elected officials rallied to end the Hudson County Board of Freeholders’ arrangement with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). With the renewal of a contract, the county will rake in roughly $35 million yearly for keeping hundreds of ICE detainees in a county-run prison in Kearny. Opponents decry the county receiving financial benefits for facilitating the steadily-increasing ICE raids across the state. First Friends and others, including Rev. Tom Murphy of Jersey City’s Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, forced the county to provide improved conditions, medical care, legal representation, and visitation rights.
2 Amy DeGise
As the first woman chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, DeGise has the potential to completely restructure county politics. Her progressive ideas appear to jibe with the county’s younger population, steering politics away from the old boys’ network.
3 Robert Menendez
The U.S. senator survived a criminal case against him as well as two grueling battles in the primary and general elections. He will fight to bring federal funding for the sorely needed Gateway Tunnel project.