The three candidates for West Windsor mayor were asked to give a brief biography and provide answers to the questions below. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
1.) Please summarize your background, career path, academic credentials, etc.
2.) What do you think should happen to the Wyeth/Howard Hughes land at Quakerbridge Road and Route 1? What steps would you recommend to achieve that result?
3.) A plan has been advanced to renovate the township office complex at a cost of several million dollars. What is your opinion of that expenditure?
4.) Several projects have been proposed to enhance the downtown area of West Windsor, including the pocket park next to the 7/11 and a proposal for landscaping the pond area in front of the Junction train station. Would you continue these efforts? Add other projects to the list? If so, how would they best be financed?
5.) What areas of township operations or infrastructure are most in need of immediate improvement?
6.) Do you anticipate a need to raise property taxes in the foreseeable future? Why or why not? Do you have a plan to lower taxes? How would you implement that?
7.) Long-term what are the biggest challenges facing West Windsor?
8.) Are there any other issues that you would like to raise?
9.) Is there a public figure or personal acquaintance you look up to as an inspiration or a role model?
Hemant Marathe
1.) I have a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, an M.S. from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. from I.I.T. Bombay, all in electrical engineering. We moved from Syracuse to West Windsor in 1994 due to my wife’s job relocation. Since we had two young girls, I was one of the early adopters of the stay-at-home-dad model. I truly enjoyed it. It allowed me to get involved in community issues and serve on the school board. Between 1991 and 2006 I worked from home and owned an IT consulting business. In 2006 I started a new small business as a wholesaler of Indian groceries. I have had an opportunity to participate in community activities including coaching WW recreational soccer, Lion’s Club, Princeton Toastmaster Club and others.
2.) Handling of the Transit Village project has disillusioned many residents. As mayor, my highest priority would be to not let the Hughes project turn into Transit Village II. This would be the largest single development project in West Windsor’s history. It could add more than 10,000 residents to the township, leading to overcrowding of our schools, increased traffic, and higher taxes.
While respecting the rights of the developer, the planning process must be transparent and include input from residents. The project must be at least tax neutral as shown by an independent analysis. As mayor I would insist on a transparent process that results in a project that all of us could be proud of.
3.) Here is a perfect example of how things will be different in a Marathe administration. In August, 2012, council approved the mayor’s request to pay $15,000 to an architect for design modifications to the municipal complex. The architect outlined a $5 million renovation. The following May, without asking for any input from council or residents, the mayor tried to get council to pay the architect $247,000 for a detailed design. During this whole process, the architect never spoke to council or residents.
If it’s determined that renovations are necessary, I will insist that the architect talk to all stakeholders before deciding on the design. A public presentation by the architect will be held to outline the concept and get further input before any plans are finalized. I will insist on the most cost-effective way of achieving results. As an example voters can look at how I have handled the expansion project at Village School as president of the school board. The architect finalized the design only after getting input from all stakeholders in open public meetings.
4.) Currently many projects are proposed and sit on the drawing board for extended periods. As mayor my priority will be to focus on projects that are the highest priority and get them finished in a reasonable time.
From a financing perspective no project should be thought of in isolation. As we have successfully done on the school board, we must have a master list of desired projects in order of priority. Our annual budgeting process must include a discussion of which projects to fund through the annual budget and which ones to fund through debt service. The process will be transparent and done in collaboration with council. As mayor I will seek sources of outside funding for specific projects like we successfully did for field lights at both high schools.
5.) Township operations must be transparent and responsive to citizen concerns. During the campaign I have heard from many people that they never get a response from the mayor or township to their query. We are here to serve the public, and their concerns and questions should not be ignored. As we have done on the school board, the mayor must seek input before a decision is made on any issue.
On the infrastructure side, many roads in the township are in need of improvement. We can tackle all infrastructure needs by including them as part of our capital budgeting process.
6.) Since actions speak louder than words, I will let my record on the school board speak for itself. During Mayor Hsueh’s and my career over the past 12 years, the school portion of property taxes has increased about the same as the rate of inflation and student growth (45 percent), while municipal taxes have increased by 130 percent.
Taxes can be reduced by bringing budgeted spending closer to actual spending and by accurately forecasting expected revenue. Another way to reduce taxes is to encourage business development and by increasing our commercial tax base. West Windsor has earned a reputation as a business-unfriendly town. I will work hard to change that perception and attract new businesses. I am confident that I can bring the township’s tax performance to the same level as that of the school board.
7.) Our greatest challenge going forward is keeping West Windsor affordable for people to raise their families and strengthening our bond as a community.
8.) As I have campaigned around town, I’ve realized how fortunate my wife and I have been to raise our family in West Windsor. People are very kind and tell me they are ready for a change in leadership.
9.) When I go home every day, I can look at my mother for inspiration. She is so full of energy and has successfully adapted to so many changes in her life. Her wide circle of friends is my secret weapon in this campaign.
