A Republican challenger has announced he will be running against Mayor Peter Cantu for the one open seat on the Plainsboro Township Committee in November’s elections.
Krishna Jagannathan, a resident of Plainsboro since 2008, has filed his petition to run as the Republican candidate. A resident of Aspen at Princeton Meadows, Jagannathan served as the secretary of his homeowners association until last summer. He will be running for re-election to the Board of Directors this June.
Jagannathan grew up in Montgomery, where he volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician. He earned his bachelor’s in ecology and natural resources from the Cook College at Rutgers.
Currently he works as an EMS Educator at the U.S. Department of Labor/Edison Jobs Corps Academy, where he counsels at-risk economically disadvantaged youth and trains then to become EMTs. His mother is a professor of public policy at the Bloustein School at Rutgers, and his father works in IT Management.
Jagannathan said he decided to become a candidate after receiving his property tax bill every year. “For 900 square feet that I own of indoor real estate, I’m paying almost $4,500 annually.”
He said he is aware that a very small amount — about 15 percent — goes to the township’s municipal government, while a majority goes to the school district, but he would like to have a say in the 15 percent.
“Largely, it seems like our current leaders don’t really listen to the community,” he said. “I believe strongly in a representative democracy. In order for that to work, government members need to listen to community members.”
He said that in many of the sound bites he has heard and articles he’s read, town officials have described what they think Plainsboro needs or does not need. “It shouldn’t be up to what the leaders think; it should be up to what the community members want.”
Jagannathan said he is also concerned for the business owners in town. He understands from reading recent articles that township officials have disputed reports that the township does not allow signage for businesses, but rather evaluates them on a case-by-case basis.
“Instead of putting the burden on the developer or business to do that I think the township should reach out” and describe what can and cannot be done when it comes to types of business signage, he says.
“I think our website is terribly outdated, and I think our current leadership has admitted that,” he added. He suggested the township include a business directory on its own website.
Specifically when it comes to business in town, if a business picks up and leaves, there is only so much that Plainsboro can do. “But the key is in keeping in constant communication with the organization and proactively reaching out to other organizations to see if someone is interested” if a business location becomes available.
Jagannathan said he wants to hear from community members, and urges them to visit his website, www.krishnaforplainsboro.com, or contact him at krishna@krishnaforplainsboro.com.
