I had the great honor and pleasure to work closely with Hemant for nine years on the WW-P school board, and I’ve closely observed his tenure on town council since then. His boundless energy, outstanding judgment, and fair-minded leadership have served his community well.
Hemant is a man of unquestionable integrity who has worked diligently and effectively for the good of West Windsor. In the many years I’ve known Hemant, I have grown to greatly admire and respect his willingness to listen attentively and with sincerity to other’s opinions and concerns, to be direct and honest in his responses, and to always work toward finding common-sense solutions and to forge compromise and consensus even when they seemed impossible to find.
He is a man of character, experience, and good sense, whom I’m proud to call my friend. I look forward to his continuing contributions to our community.
Robert J. Johnson
Van Wyck Drive
A popular quote about leadership states, “A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader serves the people from within them.” I was fortunate to serve the WW-P community for 15 years as the principal of High School North. During most of my tenure, I was fortunate to serve with a supportive and committed central administrative staff, and a thoroughly professional Board of Education. That body was led for most of my time in WW-P by one individual, Hemant Marathe.
Hemant’s time as Board of Education president was marked by certain characteristics that effective leaders must have:
The ability to listen first
A calm and reflective demeanor
A servant outlook on leadership
There were many times when Hemant was confronted by an opinionated public on a controversial topic. In those hectic moments Hemant showed the ability to listen, ask pertinent questions, and most importantly, make the person speaking aware that he was listening. He did not always give them the answer they desired, but they knew they were heard. Hemant then used that input to make decisions in the best interest of the students and staff of our district.
When you couple those abilities with a servant orientation, essential to serve as a school board member, you have a combination of traits well suited for public service. Hemant Marathe has what it takes to be an excellent choice for the citizens of West Windsor Township as a council member. I can give him my highest recommendation.
Michael Zapicchi
Principal (Retired),
High School North
