Stop Divisive Party Politics from invading West Windsor!
Vote
No
on Ballot Question
| Andy Lupo | Bob Murray | Meena Tomar | Paul Murphy | Patty Ryan |
| John Roeder | Gay Huber | Alison Miller | Corey Safran | Tejinder Gill | Joseph Charles | Steve Kellner |
My name is Andy Lupo, and I moved to West Windsor in 1986. My wife and I raised our boys in our school district. We downsized our home about 12 years ago and relocated to the Elements.
I have always enjoyed trying to help the community I live in. I had been involved in West Windsor Little League and the Parking Authority for over 20 years. I also coached rec soccer and Pop Warner football.
My only semi political involvement was working with our Plainsboro neighbors, as part of the Citizen Referendum Team in 2005 to help successfully pass the $27.5 million dollar initiate to renovate and improve our schools as well as install artificial turf at both high schools.
When I first moved to the township, we were governed by a partisan committee, much like the political climate seen nationwide today. In those days, although Independents could run for office, they rarely succeeded. Thanks to the efforts of people like Rae Roeder in 1993, we were able to switch to a non-partisan mayor and council. Our township has been a wonderful place to live and raise children. We are a very diverse community which allows for anyone to get involved regardless of their political affiliations. Over the past 30 years, we've seen successful cross-party teams in government, with our current council featuring two such mixed tickets. This promotes an all-inclusive representation and has led to a more productive and constructive form of governance.
Because I believe this is an important issue for West Windsor, I agreed to chair the efforts to keep our community non-partisan. The Keep West Windsor NonPartisan group's mission is to ensure voters understand the real impact of switching back to a partisan government. After being fully informed, they can choose for themselves what they think is best. West Windsor's registered voters are approximately comprised of 8,700 Independents, 8,600 Democrats and 2,500 Republicans and a few belonging to other parties. Changing to a partisan government prevents our Independent registered voters from participating in primaries. Their only choice would be among candidates already chosen by each party in the primary. Our elected officials should make decisions based on what is best for West Windsor not best for their party.
Please visit and follow our website and Facebook page. Please join our supporters group. It's your community get involved.
- Andy Lupo
Chairperson
Keep West Windsor NonPartisan
A Note from
West Windsor Mayor
Hemant Marathe
As a 40+ year resident of West Windsor, I was very active in the West Windsor government for many years and served on the various Boards and Committees, including the Township Committee when we voted on changing the form of Government from Township Committee and Partisan to Mayor Council and NonPartisan. I served as Mayor during this period.
The reasons were very strong to make the town NonPartisan and with the growing Indian and Asian population, this was a strong influence on our town and management structure. While this cultural mix has been a very positive influence on West Windsor and with its present and immediate past Mayors, this cultural population mix continues to influence the governance of the community. This has made the NonPartisan venue a much better and more effective form of voting for West Windsor's governance.
I would strongly recommend not changing this structure from NonPartisan to Partisan and continue the community governance as NON PARTISAN.
I am proud of my involvement in this community and wish West Windsor the continued success it has so richly achieved.
- REM
Robert E. Murray
Former West Windsor Mayor
Dear Neighbors,
I was a member of the Charter Commission which recommended West Windsor’s present non-partisan form of government in August 1992.
Heeding the observation of a former mayor testifying before our Commission that political issues in West Windsor had no connection to the issues of national parties, we unanimously recommended a nonpartisan form of government to the voters of West Windsor.
Thirty-two years later, I still feel that we did the right thing, and I applaud “Keep West Windsor NonPartisan” group for validating our recommendation.
I urge all West Windsor voters to support the efforts of “Keep West Windsor NonPartisan” group and Vote “NO” on the ballot question on 5th November.
Sincerely,
John L. Roeder
51-year Resident
Dear Neighbors,
In 1992 when we voted to change West Windsor’s form of government to Faulkner Act Non-Partisan, one of our reasons was that coalitions of qualified registered voters could run together regardless of political party affiliation.
Now I have received campaign literature from the group “WW for Representation” urging a change back to the old partisan ways. This is dispiriting because the reason given for the change is “greater transparency,” and the literature actually outlines a system of lesser transparency. There is no explanation of how a coalition of candidates from different parties or affiliations can be placed together on the ballot in Partisan elections. A voter can vote in a primary – one primary – but would be forced to leave the other candidate(s) out to dry. Non-Partisan elections in West Windsor has worked for 32-years because it allows all qualified candidates to run on mixed tickets, if they so choose; no primaries which limit who can run with whom.
It couldn’t be too difficult to find out each candidate’s political party or affiliation. Voters in West Windsor are intelligent and can easily find out such information by simply asking the candidate! I believe most people are more in-tune with wanting to know the positions of candidates on local issues, rather than changing to Partisan elections just to see the candidates’ names under traditional ballot columns.
Please join me in voting No on the ballot question which will result in keeping West Windsor’s long standing Non-Partisan elections intact. I believe this is best for our Township.
Sincerely,
Alison Miller
Former West Windsor Township Council President
36-year Resident
Dear Neighbors,
I want to show my support for staying with non-partisan elections. As an unaffiliated or independent voter, whichever term you want to use, I along with over 8,000 other voters currently have the same opportunities in municipal elections as those registered voters who have chosen a party.
If the elections were to change to partisan I along with other unaffiliated voters would only have the opportunity to vote in November after the candidates had been chosen by the members of the two major parties. Although there is a process allowing unaffiliated voters like me to vote in a primary why should we have to change our party affiliation to do so? Again, this does not seem fair to disenfranchise such a large portion of the registered voters in West Windsor.
I have lived in the township for 65 years and have seen both forms of government and I believe that the non-partisan way has been the correct way for West Windsor for over 30 years. It allows anyone who wishes to step up to these thankless elected positions to run for office and does not limit the pool of candidates to just two parties. There is a reason why the Township has over 8,000 unaffiliated voters. They do not believe in either of the parties’ values fully, I know I don’t.
When the form of government was changed years ago it was a group effort of both Republicans and Democrats who came together and worked tirelessly to review, research and then propose to the voters of West Windsor the changes they thought would best work for West Windsor and I believe they made the right choice.
If residents are not happy with those who have chosen to step up and take on these elected positions, then you have at least two options to make changes. One step up to the plate, run for office, do your homework, tell the truth and be transparent and two come to Council meetings express your opinions in a polite way and get involved in the community.
Please join me in voting NO to the ballot question and continue to Keep West Windsor Non-Partisan!
Sincerely,
Gay Huber
Former WW Township Clerk
My wife and I have lived in the Heatherfield neighborhood within West Windsor for 33 years. Our children attended the township’s schools, and we continue to enjoy a high quality of life in West Windsor.
After studying the Partisan Ballot question, I strongly recommend you vote “NO”! Introducing partisan elections into West Windsor means there will have to be primary elections pushing independent voters and candidates out of the election process. It also introduces
nationally polarizing issues which don’t belong in our municipal government. Our township elected officials should be 100% focused on local decisions which are best for West Windsor, not a state or national political party. Party politics will not only distract our elected officials, but run the risk of dividing our community. I find it refreshing that we elect our Mayor and Council members from the bottom up, looking at their past service and contributions to our community.
Partisan elections will bring in significant outside influence into township decisions. With 85% of the “YES” team funded by outside politically motivated organizations, there would clearly be outsized influence in our township’s decisions and policies from these parties and organizations. In fact, the Iron Workers local 399 in Hammonton has contributed $5,000 to the “YES” team. These outside interests could sway the development of open space properties and influence zoning changes.
Our Township has been well managed for past decades without partisan elections. As previously stated, we all enjoy a high quality of life here in West Windsor. Let’s keep it that way.
Vote “NO” to the Partisan Ballot question.
- Steve Kellner
I'm Meena Tomar. My husband and I moved to West Windsor in 2008 with our two very young children. We raised them both in this beautiful town and the school district.
The diversity of our town and how residents stay involved in the community and township affairs have always fascinated me. I have been involved as a volunteer in school groups, school sport booster committee, PTSA and Boy Scouts (West Windsor Troop 40) by observing many of our wonderful residents do all kinds of volunteer work selflessly in order to make this community and township a highly desirable place to live for all.
In over 16 years I have been a resident of this town, I have experienced our multiple township councils and two Mayors who work closely for the betterment of the town, regardless of their party affiliations, BTW which is available via a simple google search.
Making West Windsor election partisan would bring party affiliations and the polarizing politics, by which our great nation is hampered today, into our local elections. It would marginalize more than 40% of our township voters, who are independent and belong to smaller parties and discourage any independent candidates to run in these elections. Let’s vote NO on the ballet question in November.
We need to continue with our local election process, which is non-partisan. We have seen it to work effectively, collaboratively, regardless of party affiliations, and responsive to the needs of township residents.
Please help to defeat this divisive move to make West Windsor election partisan. Visit and follow our website as well as Facebook page. Please join our supporters group.
No one can do more for the community than its residents. Please stay involved.
-Meena Tomar
Treasurer
Keep West Windsor NonPartisan
If You Don’t Like the Results…
We moved to West Windsor forty-seven years ago. At that time, Republicans were the majority party and we had a partisan municipal system. Since people tend to vote along party lines, Democrats felt this put them at a disadvantage and successfully petitioned in 1993 to change the township to its present non-partisan system. As a result, our elected officials are now elected based solely on merit and are divided by personal party affiliation: three Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent. They work together cooperatively and are free to focus on local issues, without divisive outside party influence.
Today, after an influx of newcomers from nearby cities, Democrats enjoy almost a 4 to 1 numerical advantage over Republicans among registered voters in West Windsor. They now stand to benefit from changing back to the old partisan system and have petitioned again to change it to their advantage. In our last election, state and county officials strongly backed a Democratic Party slate and donated $50,000 to their campaign. Fortunately, West Windsor
voters resisted outside pressure and elected only one of the three Democratic Party candidates on their slate.
It is very much in our interest as West Windsor residents to reject the present petition to change the township’s form of government back to the old partisan system in which our candidates for office are selected by party mandate and are obligated to follow outside direction. Our needs and goals often differ from those of the state and county. The issues that define the two national parties are irrelevant at the municipal level. West Windsor is best managed by West Windsor residents. On November 5th I urge you vote to maintain the non-
partisan system that has served us so well. It works!
- Paul Murphy
Lorrie Lane
Dear WW community,
I am unable to make tonight's meeting because I am going to Washington DC to advocate for victims of terrorism. I say this because I have spent many years in our elected officials offices interacting with staff and the congressmen and senators in person. I have received quite a political education as a 9/11 widow. My family moved here in 1989. We chose this town for many reasons but ultimately I can say with clarity it was the best choice we could have made to raise our family. A culturally diverse and caring community. When my husband and others in our community were murdered on that morning of September 11th, 23 years ago, my life changed forever. I had to become much more politically aware because as a "victims group" we are used in creating legislation and policy. The use of 9/11 has become political in the worst ways and continues today.
I say this because I am vehemently opposed to changing our current governing structure. It adds nothing to the fabric of our town. One of the worst consequences of our current political climate is the spike in feelings of alienation many of us are experimenting in our relationships with family members, neighbors, former friends, and coworkers who differ from us politically. Today, over half of Americans report struggling with such tense division in their own families. I want to continue to live in a town that is model for non-partisan practices. A town that shares ideas and is able to have discussions that relate to our future and best interest of the town we live in and not outside interests. I say this from the bottom of my heart, the community came out and held me up in such a devastating time in my life and at those times you see the strength and health of a town. Let's continue to keep WW non-partisan and be a model for so many other communities in NJ who have had to bow to political parties' interests. Let's show the state that we are not republicans or democrats in WW but American's.
- Patty Ryan, 8/26/24
47 San Marco St., West Windsor, NJ 08550