As Election Day approaches, chances are most Cranbury residents might have seen a Michael J. Ferrante lawn sign, shaken Jay Taylor’s hand or spoken to Wayne Wittman from their front porch.
In a small town like Cranbury, campaigning for Township Committee is viewed less about who has the biggest war chest to outspend the opposition and more about going to voters directly. To Taylor, it’s “old-fashioned campaigning.”
This year, two seats on the five-member Township Committee are up on Nov. 6 and true to past form, none of the candidates in the race plan to break the bank to win.
All of them filed paperwork with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission stating they would not spend more than $5,100. While that means voters won’t see the candidates on TV or hear them on radio, it does mean they have to get their message out with a limited amount of money to spend.
“We knew we were going to be under the limit,” Wittman said on Oct. 16. “I felt anything more than that would be excessive, personally. You needed a certain budget, but nothing over the campaign limit.”
Taylor, a Democrat, said on Oct. 16 that local races in Cranbury are low-budget affairs. His re-election campaign budget is less than $1,500, meaning there is no money for bumper stickers, buttons or other frills.
“I figured I would campaign the way I manage the town, which is to do everything as cost-effective as I can,” he said.
“I’m relying on mostly door to door, word of mouth and small get-togethers to tell people about my candidacy and what I stand for,” Ferrante said. “I think people like that our town is small enough that you can get to know people and meet them individually.”
All three men have run for office in Cranbury before. Wittman is a former township committeeman, Taylor is seeking his fourth term and Ferrante is a former school board member who was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Township Committee earlier this year.
Ferrante, a Democrat, said he had set a budget for his campaign to pay for lawn signs and brochures and approached prospective donors. He declined to say how much he would be spending.
“The goal is to only ask for enough funds you need to spend for the things you need to spend them on,” he said.
In Wittman’s case, the Republican has lawn signs, fliers and a mailer he plans to send out.
“It’s been all pretty much low-key, nothing exotic,” he said. “It’s all local.”
Taylor said he has gone door to door, although he is not going alone. He has brought his children along with him to participate in the experience.
“My daughter and two sons have wanted to walk with me as I’ve gone around town,” he said. “They’re getting engagement. They’re meeting kids in the community.”
In terms of a tactical decision, Taylor said he opted against having lawn signs, even though Ferrante and Wittman have them.
“I figured three of us doing signs,” he said, “everybody in town would get sick of us.”