We are Hemant Marathe, Virginia Manzari, and Gerald Halloran, and we would like to introduce ourselves as candidates for West Windsor Town Council in the November 3 election. We believe our experience and skills will allow us to best represent West Windsor residents over the next four years as the township faces numerous challenges.
The first challenge is always taxes. While many people move to West Windsor because of our great schools, many leave because of the burden of high taxes. For the first time in recent history, municipal taxes have been flat for two years in a row. We know how important it is to continue to ask tough questions and make difficult decisions, keeping the tax burden as low as possible without sacrificing services. Each of us has years of experience managing multi-million dollar budgets and running successful businesses, and we pledge to spend taxpayer money with the same diligence we use to spend our own.
Increased development is looming as a serious concern for our town. Upcoming affordable housing court decisions and proposed residential developments have the potential to add significantly more housing in West Windsor. We need council members who have the business acumen and experience to make sure all development is handled properly. We are committed to protecting the interests of current West Windsor residents, our schools, and our quality of life.
Sometimes issues affect a certain neighborhood or part of town — like sidewalks on Cranbury Road, noise complaints on South Post Road, or increased development of the Maneely Toll Brothers project on Bear Brook Road. In these instances, there is a need for council members who will strongly advocate for our residents’ interests at every level of government. We have demonstrated our commitment to being advocates for our residents at the township, county, and state levels.
All six candidates running in this election have served West Windsor in various capacities, and during the campaign we may even take positions that sound similar. But the important question is: Which team do you trust to deal with the issues that West Windsor will face?
The unequivocal answer to that question is that the Marathe, Manzari, Halloran team is better qualified and has a proven track record to handle the upcoming challenges of our community. Our team has the perfect combination of experience, passion, and commitment to represent the future of West Windsor. Dr. Marathe has served on the school board for 12 years, with nine as president. He has demonstrated how people with different opinions can work as a team to provide a quality education at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers.
Ms. Manzari has demonstrated her passion lobbying for sidewalks on Cranbury Road and assessing the proposed train station development. Mr. Halloran has made West Windsor home for his young family, and has demonstrated his commitment to community service as a member of organizations such as VH1 Save the Music and Paul R. Carey Foundation.
During the next eight weeks, we hope to meet most of you as we attend different events and walk door-to-door. We want to earn your trust and your vote on November 3. Please visit our website, www.yourvoicewestwindsor.com, and like our Facebook page, “Your Voice, Our Commitment.”
Hemant Marathe, Virginia Manzari, Gerald Halloran
