The governance of a town like West Windsor is, and should be, a lot different from governing the state or the nation. Our government is run on a non-partisan basis in order to avoid the bitter divide that exists between Republicans and Democrats. I brought my family (wife, Lois, and son, Jason) from New York in 1998 because the town offered good suburban amenities and good quality people who value education and hard work. Overall life in the town has more than met our expectation. One thing that has disappointed us is the bitter divisions that have existed between Town Council members, and we hate it when Council discussions on important issues degenerate into personal attacks.
To change things for the better, we need Council members who are consensus builders rather than combatants. I have had the pleasure of knowing Ayesha Hamilton, and I think she is the type of person we need on Council. The two most important jobs of Council members are to keep West Windsor as a great place for families, and to create an atmosphere that encourages businesses to locate here and stay here. She is well qualified on both fronts.
She is a wife and a mother of two children (her website says she can often be found cheering the kids on at swim and soccer meets). At the same time, she is also runs a law practice, advising small businesses on employment law and business contracts, and advising employees of their rights under the employment laws. Her interests, however, go far beyond law, and she is a strong advocate for small business.
She understands that West Windsor is not simply a bedroom community for people who commute to jobs in New York or elsewhere, and that it is essential to have a strong economic base right in our town. She is realistic to know that in changing times, West Windsor and central New Jersey in general cannot afford to be dependent on the Fortune 500 companies to fuel the local economy. Her approach is to have a Town Council that is friendly to small business, from which most of the job growth is likely to come.
Ayesha believes that it is important to prevent over-development, but that regulation must be done in such a way that it does not discourage businesses from moving to or staying in West Windsor. Ayesha will encourage the town to take an active role in economic development, doing such things as helping companies to find sites in the town in which to locate or expand their business, and offering seminars for small business people on the practical aspects of starting and growing a business.
Ayesha is the type of person who can discuss controversial issues on a cool-headed, intelligent basis. When people get beyond the name-calling and talk about issues rather than personalities, they often find that they are more in agreement than they thought. She is willing to make reasonable compromises to get things done, but is tough enough to stand her ground on issues that are really important.
Though it is sometimes said that Council members or legislators in general do not need to be lawyers, the truth is that a law background is always useful when trying to run a government. At the same time, we want someone who understands business management in general and can apply the principles of good management to the running of a government. Ayesha Hamilton has the qualities that we need.
Ralph Gerstein
Canoe Brook Drive, West Windsor
I first met Ayesha Krishnan Hamilton in her capacity as chair of the governing body of Athena Powerlink International for the Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area, an organization that supports the growth of women-owned businesses. I am a business owner in Westampton, New Jersey, and have worked closely with Ayesha since 2011 in her capacity as a business leader and as an attorney.
Ayesha’s role as the chair of Athena was to determine what my business needed, and to build a panel of experts and advisors who would guide me. She was astute in her questions and got right down to task. In addition, even after the official panel was complete, she has continued to help me with legal issues or business questions.
I am thrilled to hear that she is a candidate for Town Council as she has exactly the right focus and professional background that government needs to be efficient and cost-conscious. As a business owner herself, Ayesha understands what it takes to operate efficiently and productively. Ayesha has volunteered a substantial portion of her career and professional skills to help women-owned businesses succeed, and I believe that she will bring much needed skills and professionalism to West Windsor.
Allyson Christoffersen
Managing Partner/CEO,
Rethink Innovations
