The Community First team would like to thank everyone who participated in the election for West Windsor Township Council. Wonderful people volunteered; they wrote letters, sent e-mails, made phone calls, commented on Facebook, hosted meet-and-greets, provided funds, put signs on their lawns, chatted with candidates on their doorsteps, and most of all, voted.
We’d also like to thank the candidates: our gallant opponents, and each other, the best running-mates ever. We’re proud of the clean, positive campaign we ran, and will be able to recall with fondness the spirited exchanges that took place during debates.
We extend our congratulations to Hemant Marathe on his victory. He is and will be a worthy colleague.
Sincerely,
George Borek
Alison Miller
Ayesha Krishnan Hamilton
#b#Editor’s Note:#/b# The above letter was to be printed in the November 20 issue and instead will be printed in the December 4 issue.
I wish to send my heartfelt thanks to the voters of West Windsor. I am honored to have been re-elected to the WW-P School Board.
I will continue to work collaboratively and contribute productively as a member on the Board of Education. I am committed to maintaining excellence in education. I will define goals for our school district based on a vision of high expectations for all students and staff and make balanced and informed decisions that are focused on what is best for all learners.
Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving a second term on the WW-P School Board.
Michele Kaish
West Windsor
Congratulations to West Windsor’s newly elected Council members Hemant Marathe, Alison Miller, and Ayesha Hamilton. It was an honor to run with Hemant Marathe and Gerald Halloran. Hemant has been an outstanding community leader for more than a decade, and I am thrilled that he will continue his service on Council. We are in good hands. Gerald cares very much about the future of West Windsor, and I know he will continue to find ways to serve our community. I also wanted to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone who supported our campaign and voted for us. I would love to see even more residents get involved in local issues.
As a result of our experience in this election, we have one serious concern about the county’s process of collecting and counting provisional votes. Provisional ballots must be sealed at the polling places and remain sealed until opened by the Board of Elections in Trenton. Unfortunately, the small plastic clips that are used to “seal” the bags are quite fragile, and often break when the bags are handled by poll workers or transported to the municipal office or to the county — and then none of those votes are counted.
This happened with the bags from two districts in West Windsor. While the number of votes from those districts was not enough to change the results of this election, it was close, and it certainly could be an issue in the future. Devising a better system to secure the provisional ballot bags is necessary to ensure that all residents’ votes count and to avoid legal issues for future candidates.
Best wishes to all of the candidates! I look forward to continuing my volunteer efforts and, as always, I’m happy to serve in any way that I can.
Virginia Manzari
I would like to thank the voters of West Windsor for their vote of confidence on November 3. Congratulations to Alison and Ayesha for their victory. I look forward to working with them on council. I would like to thank George Borek for his service to the township as a councilman.
Special thanks to my running mates Virginia Manzari and Gerald Halloran. Both of them care deeply about this town and ran an issue-oriented, spirited campaign. They came just short in an incredibly close election that could have gone either way. It again demonstrates the importance of voting in local elections. Results of these elections have far more direct and immediate impact on your life than national elections. The best cure for broken politics is to always vote for the best person on the ballot irrespective of any external classification.
Virginia has been a tireless advocate on both municipal and school board issues. Her energy and dedication to take on issues that affect us locally is amazing. Any effort to narrowly define her politically would fail, as her clear vision and pragmatic approach to meeting the needs of our community reaches beyond partisan politics. This ability to challenge the status quo and call things as she sees them is a quality that is rare in today’s elected officials.
Gerald worked hard knocking on doors and meeting residents in spite of having a three-year-old at home. In an era of declining public participation I truly appreciate his willingness to get involved. I am certain both Virginia and Gerald will have an opportunity to serve this town in the future. It will be unfortunate if the residents don’t take advantage of their talent and passion.
With the election over, the easy part is done. Now the more difficult and challenging part of governing begins. I pledge to work with everyone and make decisions that I believe are in the best interest of West Windsor in the long term. I encourage the mayor to be transparent and engage the Council and residents of West Windsor in the decision-making process on every issue from the beginning.
Hemant Marathe
Clarendon Court, West Windsor
Thank you West Windsor: for giving me a chance, for asking the questions and testing me on the issues.
As friends and neighbors we need to work for the common good of enhancing small and professional businesses in West Windsor. Not only are you helping increase the commercial tax ratables for your town, you are also working on your own business. Like fish, we are stronger swimming together than alone.
Please e-mail me at ahamilton@ahlawpc.com so that I can add you to a LinkedIn group. Let’s use this online forum to introduce ourselves to each other and to define what we would like to get out of this group. I believe that it is important to “buy local, shop local,” but we can’t do that without a better understanding of the businesses around us and without clearly defined objectives.
Make this a new start for the New Year, but let’s start now. Let’s swim together!
Ayesha Krishnan Hamilton, Esq.
West Windsor Councilwoman-elect
