As expected, West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh has announced he will run for a fourth term. Joined by Councilman Kamal Khanna and long-time resident — but political newcomer — Eric Payne, Hsueh’s slate will be known as the “West Windsor Moving Forward Together” team.
Hsueh, who has served as mayor for the past 12 years, has also served eight years on the Township Council, including four years as council president.
Says Hsueh: “I believe that in the past 12 years, we have laid the groundwork for many significant long-term achievements including the preservation of open space and farmland, as well as historical preservation, traffic reduction, and business and educational growth. But I have not yet completed all that I have set out to do, and I want to ensure the future of our town. Through my years of service, I have built positive relationships with state and local, and even national officials, Princeton University, the business and high-tech communities, the school district, other mayors in the region, and residents. I am the one who can bring these groups together to plan for our future — now is the time for the township to gain the positive results of my efforts.”
“One of my goals is to have West Windsor become the economic engine for the entire state, similar to the high-tech centers in California and Massachusetts. We have all of the resources available here — highly educated residents, high-tech and other industries, an excellent school district and numerous universities. We are a central transportation hub for the state and the entire region. Plus we have financial stability, thanks to our municipal bond rating ‘AAA’ designation, preserved open space, historical significance, and a sense of community. We have the foundation we need to make West Windsor’s future secure.”
Hsueh and his family have lived in West Windsor for 28 years. His son and daughter both graduated from WW-P schools. He has three grandchildren. Born in Taiwan, Hsueh was the first Taiwanese mayor elected in the United States. “I am an engineer by training, but I have many hobbies. One of my hobbies is art, and I have some paintings on display at the West Windsor Arts Council. In fact, I won prizes in art at the national level when I was in high school in Taiwan, and in college I was the president of the Art Society and wrote art appreciation articles for the college newsletter. I wanted to become an artist, but my teachers talked me out of it, so I became an engineer.” Hsueh earned his Ph.D. in chemical and environmental engineering at Rutgers and worked for many years as the administrator of the NJDEP water supply division.
“I also love to cook, and have given healthy cooking demonstrations at the farmer’s market. And I make soymilk for my grandson. I have also taught tai chi for the past 18 years, at the Senior Center and at Village Grande.”
“Being involved with seniors and youth is very important to me. I make myself accessible to all West Windsor residents. I give out my cell phone number and tell everyone to call me directly if they have a problem or need to talk about anything. But our seniors and our students are two of West Windsor’s greatest strengths, and I have tried to enrich their lives. Since becoming mayor, I have worked hard to get the farmer’s market and the arts council up and running. We have created recreational facilities for everyone — Duck Pond, the Community Park facilities, batting cages at Ward Fields, parks and memorials — all through public/private partnerships, without using taxpayer money.
“And I try to attend as many community events as I can. West Windsor has such a sense of community, such a sense of place, and I believe it is important for the mayor to foster that.”
Running mate Kamal Khanna, who is running for re-election to the Town Council, has lived in West Windsor for more than 35 years. “Four generations of my family have lived in West Windsor: my parents, my wife and I, our children, and now our grandchildren. We love living in this town and being part of the community. We have always been active in community and charity events because it is very important to give back and help out. I came to the United States in 1965 and did not have much money. We prefer to live a simple lifestyle because making a lot of money is not what is most important to us.”
Says Khanna: “When I met the mayor, I was very impressed with him. He asked me to help find good people to run for council — but instead he drafted me to run. And I am very proud to be running with him again. He is the best person for the job, and is the best partner I ever had. I was council president for two consecutive years, and he would always reach out to me to resolve differences. We did not always agree, but we have always been cordial, professional, and non-confrontational toward each other, which is how I believe public officials should be.”
Khanna says that he would be running for re-election even if Hsueh were not running again. “In the past, the council was unable to finalize many projects. Now we are able to get things done. I am a mainstream businessman, and I believe in starting a project and finishing it. I have to get things done, and we have been able to complete many projects during the time I have been on the council, such as improving our parking facilities at the train station, developin a sustainable budget and stable tax rate, increasing our percentage of preserved open space, ensuring that West Windsor is bicycle and pedestrian-friendly, and more.
“Through my business, I interact with people from all over the world — India, China, Europe — and I believe I have a ‘big-picture perspective’ that helps me focus on getting the job done. I also work 72 hours a week in New York, so when I am attending council meetings, I want to focus and be productive. I have never missed a meeting.”
Khanna is running for his second term on council. He has served as member and/or liaison to the zoning board, affordable housing committee, environmental commission and the WW-P Board of Education. Currently he serves on the planning board. Khanna is the founder and CEO of Sante Classics, an international clothing manufacturing and distribution company based in New York. Prior to starting his own business, he worked for DuPont for 10 years as a business analyst, planner, and efficiency engineer.
Eric Payne, a Penn’s Neck resident whose family has lived in West Windsor for nearly 100 years, is also seeking a council seat in November. Payne has become involved in community issues; he is a founder of Smart Traffic Solutions, the grassroots organization formed in response to the NJDOT Route 1 pilot program that negatively affected township residents.
“It is partly because of this experience that I decided to become more involved and run for council,” says Payne. “I am still working with the state and local government officials, public and private organizations, and the Central Jersey Transportation Forum to assure West Windsor residents’ concerns are being heard, and want to do so for all issues that affect our residents.”
Payne, who is also a member of the Township affordable housing committee, holds a bachelors degree from Florida Institute of Technology in aviation management. He formerly worked as a Continental Airlines pilot as well as a flight instructor. “I believe my training as a pilot will make me an effective council member, because I can take initiative and make decisions quickly and effectively. I go back to the ‘cockpit resource management’ training course that I taught at flight school: When you and your co-pilot are up in the air, and something goes wrong, you have five minutes to come up with a solution and make a decision, or everyone will die. This is invaluable training for any situation.”
After Continental Airlines merged with United, Payne’s position was cut. He returned to West Windsor and bought a family member’s home in Penn’s Neck. “I plan on living in this house for the rest of my life. I want to get married and raise a family here. I talk with my neighbors and residents every day. There is a real spirit of community.”
Payne, who currently works in real estate as the office manager for Century 21, notes that people from all over the country are looking to move to West Windsor. “West Windsor is known as being a wonderful town to live in, and has a great reputation — especially in the last 12 years, since Mayor Hsueh has been in office. We are definitely seeing more people moving in than are moving out. West Windsor has it all: parks, a great school system, transportation and development. We have the mayor to thank for much of that.”
“I have been communicating with the mayor and council frequently because of the Route 1 issue. I am so impressed with Mayor Hsueh. He is so energetic, and so enthusiastic about the town and its residents. One of the reasons I was so successful in convincing NJDOT to cut short the pilot program was because of the mayor — he was willing to listen, to compromise, and to help. I very much want to continue to work with him to secure our town’s future.”
Payne was also approached by Hemant Marathe and Linda Geevers as a possible running mate on their slate. “I greatly like and respect both Hemant and Linda and am very grateful that they asked me to run with them. But I looked across party lines and contacted the mayor regarding his ticket, because I honestly believe that he and Khamal are the better candidates. They are more effective at getting things done and doing them right. They work for the best interests of West Windsor residents, and I want to be a part of their team.”
