Jason and Kristen Stewart, Cranbury
We’re registered Democrats but we will be voting for Win Cody for Cranbury Township Committee in November.
We trust most voters in Cranbury can agree that party affiliation has little relevance in the election of a position that represents the interests of a few thousand friends and neighbors in our small community.
We know each other, see each other on Main Street or getting a treat at Gil & Bert’s. With that kind of familiarity and common interest in the issues, there is no need to consider party when voting for the neighbor we think can best serve Cranbury.
We are voting for Mr. Cody because we have seen him speak at committee meetings and appreciate his positions and priorities. We are impressed with the detail of his knowledge, the thoughtfulness of his ideas and with his passion for serving Cranbury.
Mr. Cody recognizes that Cranbury’s response to the expanded COAH requirements needs to be our top focus. As a businessman, Mr. Cody understands that when your company or township faces a crisis, as we do now, you don’t allow for the distractions of elective projects that may drain limited financial and management resources. There is a time for expansion and a time for protecting the fundamentals. Cranbury is in the latter cycle.
Mr. Cody is also committed to open and inclusive government. Our committee has enormous discretion in committing substantial money to new projects, raising bonds that will result in higher taxes, in changing our Master Plan and zoning and other fundamentals that will define our township for generations. And they increasingly have done this with little to no public mandate or input and in closed sessions where voters have no insight into the decision-making process.
Cranbury needs an open government that respects the majority. Mr. Cody is committed to doing all he can to act as a vocal check against that closed, non-inclusive local government.
Mr. Cody understands that a legal debt limit is not the same as a checkbook. While Cranbury has a lower tax rate relative to the value of our homes and income, we pay among the highest actual taxes in the county. In the last couple of years, our tax escalation has exceeded the county and state average. Some of this is a result of the reassessment managed by the committee that shifted burden from the commercial district to residents. Excluding this, our budget increases exceeded the norm. A big part of this was our debt.
Mr. Cody recognizes that part of what makes Cranbury special is the presence of so many long-term, often multi-generation families who have been hurt by tax increases caused, in part, by spending on elective projects. Every project is an “opportunity,” but in a township our size such discretionary opportunities should be the decision of taxpayers.
We have enormous respect for our neighbors who take the time to contribute to Cranbury, whether on the committee, the school board or in other capacities. We appreciate all those who put themselves forth to run for local office. It is both a gift to the community and an honor.
It is also a responsibility that has an impact on all of our lives in this wonderful place we call home. We trust Win Cody with that responsibility. We hope every voter will recognize the importance of this election at this critical time for our township and, regardless of where their personal decision leads them, take the time to vote this November.
Jason and Kristen Stewart
Cranbury