Accomplishments

Career Accomplishments  

• Greenway initiatives
  • I spearheaded efforts to create the Essex-Hudson County Greenway which is a nine-mile former rail line, which will be converted into a new State park connecting eight Essex and Hudson County communities – Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearny, Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Montclair. 

• Countywide Complete Streets Policy
  • I led the adoption of Essex County’s Complete Streets policy, the first of its kind at the county level in New Jersey. The policy requires that county road and bridge projects consider the safety of drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, not just cars. This shifted the standard for how county infrastructure is planned and designed. (Like Montclair, Essex Adopts ‘Complete Streets’ Policy | Montclair, NJ Patch) This served as a model for New Jersey’s statewide strategy, in use today.
• Fighting ICE detention center contracts 
  • “As I have stated on many occasions, I am against Essex County’s contract with ICE, and I am in favor of a responsible wind down of the contract.” Commissioner Gill stated, “The county’s decision to depopulate the ECCF of ICE detainees by August 23, 2021 is a positive step towards removing Essex County from the process that leads to undocumented residents enduring the criminal consequences of incarceration, due to the alleged civil offense of violating their immigration status.” (Tap Into).
• Resolution Endorsing the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act
  • I introduced the resolution that made Essex the first county legislative body in New Jersey to formally endorse the Immigrant Trust Act. The resolution urges state leaders to limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement and to protect immigrant residents when they use county and municipal services. (Essex County Board of County Commissioners)
• Strengthen county level gun laws
  • “With gun violence a persistent problem — particularly in Newark — Essex County Commissioner President Wayne L. Richardson named Gill this week to head a new Anti-Gun Violence Committee. In a state that already has among the most stringent gun regulations in the country, this new effort, Gill said, was born out of frustration with what he called “the total lack of action at the federal level” (Montclair Local).
• Newark Lead Pipe Replacement Financing and Union Jobs
  • As board president, Gill led the approval of a $120 million bond ordinance to fund Newark’s full lead service line replacement. The project protected working class neighborhoods from lead exposure and generated significant construction and utility work performed by union labor. (LiUNA)
• Project Labor Agreement for West Caldwell School of Technology
  • As Freeholder President, Gill helped secure a project labor agreement for the $30 million renovation of the Essex County West Caldwell School of Technology, guaranteeing that the work would be done with union labor. The PLA tied a major education investment to union construction jobs, with negotiated standards on wages, safety and training for building trades workers. ($30M Facelift At W. Caldwell Tech School; Union Labor To Be Used | Caldwells, NJ Patch)
• Resolution on Ride Share Regulations and Fair Standards
  • Working with the United Transportation Alliance of New Jersey, Gill announced and backed a county resolution supporting state level regulations for ride share services such as Uber and Lyft. The resolution called for clear rules that create a level playing field for drivers and traditional transportation workers. (Essex County Freeholder Board Passes Resolution Supporting Regulations Governing Ride-share Services)
• Project labor agreement for Francis A. Byrne Golf Course modernization
• In 2022, Gill supported the county’s modernization of the Francis A. Byrne Golf Course in West Orange, a project that proceeded under a project labor agreement requiring unionized labor for all course improvements. He highlighted how investments like this both bring the community together and sustain union jobs on long term public assets. (Essex County to modernize Francis A. Byrne Golf Course in West Orange)
• Smoke Free Parks Ordinance 

Gill championed an ordinance that banned smoking in all Essex County parks and recreation areas. The move positioned Essex County as an early adopter of smoke free outdoor policies and tied public space management directly to public health goals. (Freeholder Gill Ordinance Prohibiting Smoking in County Parks Passes)