The announcement that Michael Weaver will not be seeking reelection creates an opening on the Plainsboro Township Committee. David Bander, 32, has will be making a bid for the seat.
Bander, who has been endorsed by the Plainsboro Democratic Committee, will run with current Committee member Ed Yates. Bander moved to Plainsboro in 2010, and recently he and his fiancee, Heather Taylor, who works at a non-profit organization called Citizens’ Campaign, have purchased a home in the Hampshire neighborhood. “We are getting married in August, and plan to make our future here. We hope to start a family soon, and want to raise our children in Plainsboro. We love this town — there are so many benefits to living here.”
Almost immediately after moving to Plainsboro, he became involved with the Township by filling a vacancy on the Zoning Board, and has been serving as a member for two years. Six months ago he was also appointed to the Development Review Committee. “I think land-use issues are very interesting, and very important. No matter what issues any community faces, land-use is almost always involved. It is so important to the life of the community. That’s why I decided to be a part of the Zoning Board and the Development Review Committee. I feel like I can contribute something.”
Bander, who currently works as an attorney for the SEIU labor union, is the former chief of staff for State Senator Linda Greenstein. Through that position, he became involved with Plainsboro by helping to resolve constituent concerns and issues, and other constituent outreach. He also worked with Township officials, helping on grant applications, for example. “Senator Greenstein’s office is close by, in Monroe, and through my work there I learned about Plainsboro and all it has to offer, so I decided to move here.”
“Before working for the Senator I was very involved in a couple of political campaigns — one in Tennessee, where I went to law school and one here in New Jersey. Unfortunately, both candidates lost. I decided I would like a somewhat more stable lifestyle, and was very fortunate to get the job with Senator Greenstein.”
Bander grew up in Essex County and attended Rutgers University for two years, before transferring to the University of Virginia, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in government. He then earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
His parents still live in Fairfield. His mother, Seemah Bander, was born and raised in Calcutta, India, and moved to the United States in 1969 as a young adult. Her own mother had died when she was young, and her father died not long after they came to the United States. “It was a very difficult road for her,” says Bander. She attended Montclair State, and now works for AXA.
“The other day we were eating at Crown of India, and the owner came over to speak with us. It turns out that he and my mother were from the same part of Calcutta and knew many of the same places and landmarks. It was a very interesting discussion,” Bander said.
Bander’s father, Milton, is in furniture sales. While working at Seaman’s Furniture, he became involved with the union, which, says the new candidate, “is probably what began my interest in labor issues. My parents are very interested in news and current events, and we always had magazines and newspapers in the house. That helped fuel my interest in politics. My parents have always encouraged me to get involved. They think it’s great that I am running for Township Committee.”
When asked why he is running for the Committee, Bander said, “I want to work hard to serve and protect all of the good things we have here in Plainsboro. I want to be part of its future. I know I have a lot to learn. Government is taken very seriously in Plainsboro. Michael Weaver is an excellent Committee member. To be as capable as he is, I will have to work very hard. And I am prepared to do that. I think my legal background, my knowledge of labor issues, can be an asset to the Committee and the Township. I think it is also important to have someone with a youthful perspective. That can be an asset too.”
