I am writing to support the candidacy of Hemant Marathe for mayor of West Windsor. Eighteen years ago, as a real estate agent, I was given the pleasure of assisting Hemant and his family to find housing in our area. The blizzard of 1994 was upon us. Time was valuable as they were transferring from Syracuse, New York. Though a major move ranks as being one of the most stressful times in people’s lives, and especially with a six-week-old daughter in tow, Hemant was focused on the mission and he could not have been more pleasant.
He is a people person, thoughtful, caring about others, appreciative of others’ time and efforts. Throughout the real estate process he was fair, honest, and respectful. His intelligence, listening ability, thoughtful consideration, and positive attitude were a great asset to completing our task in a timely manner.
He was attracted to our schools and shared his views about the complexity of good schools along with contributing to his community. I encouraged him to run for the school board. His years on the board, and rise to president, are evidence he is a leader and has established his ability to work well with others. Please join me in voting for Hemant Marathe so our community can continue to benefit from his reputation as a person of accomplishment.
Patricia (“Trish”) Kehler
I had the special opportunity to serve as superintendent of schools of the WW-P district for four years. During three of those years Hemant Marathe was board president.
It is my observation that Hemant was an exceptional board president. He worked hard at the job, helping the board function effectively. Hemant has many skills, some of which were evident as he appointed the board committees and encouraged them to complete their work and report back to the total board for review and action. The school district and its operation is a complex organization. An exceptional board president helps the board and the school district do its job.
Hemant always trusted others to do their job in a manner that represented the best interests of the students’ staff and community. His expectation was that we would always be able to verify our recommendations and actions taken. He guided others without being dogmatic and listened for input from many sides. At the appropriate time he was decisive.
I think our best leaders encourage input, listen carefully, build consensus, if possible and take action. Hemant exemplified that during my time as superintendent.
Hemant cares deeply about the community. He and his family have developed firm roots and good friends.
The wonderful people of West Windsor have certainly not moved to the community because of its beaches. It is due to exceptional schools, availability of transportation, and a community always striving to be better. Hemant will help enhance all of that and much more. He will be an excellent mayor.
Robert L. Loretan, Ph.D.
Sarasota, Florida
We have lived in West Windsor since 1998 and have known Hemant Marathe for almost that entire time. Since our now-adult daughters were friends and classmates in grade school we have witnessed and appreciated Hemant’s commitment to our school community. The outstanding national reputation of the WW-P School District is a direct reflection of Hemant’s leadership skills and dedication.
One concrete example of Hemant’s foresight and leadership is his support for the successful and recently completed initiative to install lights at the district’s high school athletic fields. Hemant supported the effort to install state-of-the-art athletic lighting at High Schools South and North — at zero cost to taxpayers. The installations are complete, and we can tell you they are a resounding success! Full efficiency can now be obtained from the Astroturf fields as practices do not have to end at dusk. Friday night games are now a reality and are a wonderful, family-oriented activity.
Hemant Marathe has proven time and again his leadership abilities as WW-P Board of Education president. He has earned your support to be the next West Windsor mayor. It is time for a change.
Mary and Mike Meduski
Marian Drive, West Windsor
MCCC’s $40 million solar project is a perfect example of Mayor Hsueh’s continued neglect of West Windsor residents. Last year when MCCC unveiled plans for a 33,500 paneled Solar Farm we immediately requested a meeting with Mayor Hsueh.
That request took a week to shuffle around the administration. Meanwhile, councilmembers Linda Geevers and Bryan Maher met with us the very next day. Finally, when Mayor Hsueh met with us, he stated that “West Windsor has no jurisdiction over MCCC’s solar farm.” Not exactly the words a neighborhood wants to hear when a huge power utility is planned on 67 acres of prime historic farmland that will destroy more than 340 trees, damage freshwater wetlands, and exacerbate drainage concerns.
Our environmental issues are significant, and we asked Mayor Hsueh repeatedly to meet with the stakeholders at the county level to address our concerns. Two letters were written, but no meeting was ever held with the county executive. Councilwoman Linda Geevers repeatedly spoke up to protect our neighborhood with respect to the finances, the lack of berms to hide the site, and the never held courtesy West Windsor planning board review.
Mayor Hsueh was advised by our township attorney to have no comment at the only public meeting held at MCCC. When it became obvious that Mayor Hsueh would do nothing to speak out on behalf of his constituents, we decided to take legal action. Again, the mayor surprised us by filing a brief in court in opposition to our neighborhood as we sought compliance to have the courtesy planning board review that was promised to us by MCCC President Pat Donohue.
As the mayoral election approaches we will not have a difficult decision to make. Hemant Marathe is a level-headed leader who always encouraged open communication throughout his tenure. Team Marathe, Geevers, and Mendonez would be great for the many challenges that lie ahead for our neighborhood and West Windsor.
Teresa Lourenco
Janet Mariano
South Post Road
While praising himself in the local press, Mayor Hsueh has neglected and misrepresented many important facts.
In one such letter, published in a major newspaper on September 17, he takes credit for preserving 50 percent of West Windsor as open space, which is a gross exaggeration of the kind we have gotten accustomed to since he has been in office. I challenge him to support this statement with actual data. Large amounts were acquired and preserved long before he became mayor, and Mercer County Park, which alone is nearly 10 percent of our town’s area, was developed in the 1970s.
He touts the Schenck Farm restoration, ignoring that it has cost the taxpayers nearly a million dollars with no business plan ever submitted. It’s an expensive museum with little or no revenue to help support it.
He promoted the destruction of the Grover Farmstead, which was in excellent condition when Mrs. Grover vacated it and could have been rented. The cost to the town has been well over half a million dollars in lost property value, demolition costs, unrealized rental income, and legal expenses.
He says that “we” constructed the Alexander Road roundabout and bridge, but these were built and financed by the state.
He continually cites the town’s AAA bond rating, which many municipalities have anyway. In West Windsor property values are largely driven by our fine school system and easy access to Manhattan, neither of which the mayor has had anything to do with. He keeps seven million dollars in the bank earning little interest, when at least two million of this could be returned to taxpayers with no effect on our bond rating.
There has been a notable lack of transparency and accountability with Mayor Hsueh, and it’s time to bring in a fresh perspective.
John A. Church
West Windsor
After reading the mayor’s letter “Why I am running again,” my friend jokingly asked me, “As the school board president, Marathe, what have you done for us lately?” Though he was only joking, I have received this question in various forms as I knock on doors. On reflection I have realized that some people don’t appreciate the complexity and challenge of running a successful school district, especially since things have run smoothly for the past nine years. Neither the administrators nor school board members are on TV. We never attend events for photo opportunities. Even press releases announcing our successes are solely centered on students and teachers. As a school board president for the last nine years, I am proud of how the school district has been run by the administrators and the school board; getting things accomplished without being the center of attention. This is exactly how every government should function.
If this election is going to be about accomplishments, I will be happy to compare my school board record against the mayor’s township record. The mayor is correctly proud of the AAA bond rating achieved by West Windsor. The WW-P district was only one of two school districts in the state to receive an AAA rating in January, 2008. Today it is one of only 10 school districts in New Jersey to have an AAA rating. For the last five years the district has been awarded the certificate of excellence in financial reporting by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO).
This achievement is more significant when you consider that the school district is allowed to carry a budget surplus of only 2 percent, and over the last five years the district has faced significant cuts in state aid.
Over the past 12 years municipal taxes have increased by 130 percent and county taxes have increased by 102 percent, while school taxes have increased by only 45 percent. The 45 percent tax increase is about equal to the increase in student population plus inflation over the past 12 years.
I understand that the majority of your property taxes go to support our schools. However, over this time period the school portion of your property taxes has decreased from 67 percent to 58 percent, while the township portion has increased by 4 percentage points. Any way you look at it the school board has been more financially prudent than the township or county government.
I’m proud to share the credit for this achievement with administrators, school board members, and employees. It was achieved due to transparency, open communication and building of trust with all stakeholders. I am proud to have led the school board, and if elected mayor, I will use the same fundamental principles to achieve great results for the township.
After comparing our records I am certain you will agree it is time for change.
Hemant Marathe
