Committee member Ed Yates has announced that he will seek reelection in November. Yates has been a Committee member for 16 years. Yates and his wife, a real estate agent, moved to Plainsboro in 1986, because of the open space and the excellent school system, and all five of their children graduated from High School South.
“I am running for reelection because there are a few projects I want to see completed,” said Yates. “I want to help with the completion of the Princeton Medical Center redevelopment plan and the Village Center plan.
“As liaison to the community development committee, the zoning board, and the development review committee, and member of the planning board, I have been heavily involved in these projects and most of what happens with development here in Plainsboro. In addition, I am the liaison to the Plainsboro Plaza redevelopment. I will be working with the outside consultant and the new owners on that project. We are having ongoing discussions to make every effort to have a supermarket come into the Plaza,” he said.
Yates is proud of the committee’s accomplishments over the years. “Fifty percent of our space is preserved farmland open space. Of course the Environmental Conservation Center (Plainsboro Preserve) is a large part of that. And we recently completed the last piece of the open space preservation set forth in the master plan-the conversion of the Bulk farm, which is about 88 acres, into pristine, preserved open space.”
Yates, who was born in Brooklyn, attended Lewis University in Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance management. He has been employed as a senior project manager in construction for Kanta Electric Corporation for 35 years. He has also been a member of IBEW local union No. 3 for 35 years. Yates is a licensed electrician in New York and New Jersey.
He and wife, Blanche, who have been married for 39 years, moved to Plainsboro “because it was a perfect fit for us. At the time, we were looking for a bigger home, with more space, and a better school district. We fell in love with the town. It is one of the greatest towns to live in,” said Yates. “It is important to give back to the community.”
“We have been involved with the community ever since we moved here. My wife is a real estate agent, and I have been involved with a wide variety of activities. I was the cub master of Cub Scout Pack 168 for 10 years; was a former president of the Cranbury-Plainsboro Little League, as well as a former board member of the Babe Ruth Baseball Association. I was on the committee to hire the school district superintendent, and was also the former president of the Gentry Homeowners Association, where we live. In 1998, when Mayor Peter Cantu asked me to run for Committee, it seemed like the right time. Most of my kids were done with school, and I wanted to be even more involved, so I decided to run. It is important to always give back to the community.”
“I will miss Michael Weaver though. He and I have been friends forever, and our kids grew up together. I will sorely miss his expertise and his advice. He was an outstanding Committee member.”
“But I am pleased that David Bander is my running mate. I have known David for many years. He has been active in the Democratic club for years, and he is very energetic and very dedicated. He is eager to serve, and will make an excellent Committee member,” added Yates.
