Four Democrats and four Republicans have filed to run for four seats on the East Windsor Township Council, eliminating any political party primary fights in the June 4 political primaries.
The winners of the June 4 political primaries will square off against each other in the Nov. 5 general election for the four available seats on the East Windsor Township Council. The term is for four years.
Democratic Party nominees Marc Lippman, Janice S. Mironov, Peter V. Yeager and John Zoller – all incumbent East Windsor Township Council members – turned in their nominating petitions by the April 1 deadline.
Republican Party nominees Paul “PJ” Hummel, Anna Lustenberg, Vincent Stottlemyer and Steven Uccio turned in their nominating petitions by the April 1 deadline.
Lippman has served on the East Windsor Township Council since 1996. He pointed to the stable municipal property tax rate and the desire to keep spending in check as among the reasons he is seeking re-election.
“I am a strong believer of no matter how much we as a Township Council had accomplished, we are all strong believers of moving forward and pushing the envelope to better the quality of life of our residents. My passion has never been stronger,” Lippman said.
Mironov has served on the East Windsor Township Council since 1996, and has held the ceremonial post of mayor since being sworn into office in January 1996.
Mironov said there are many projects that are under way that she is looking forward to bringing to fruition, such as the Route 130/Hankins Road/Conover Road realignment, an expansion of the East Windsor Township Senior Center that will be paid for with a grant, and a 3.5-mile-long extension of the Union Transportation Trail that will also be paid for with a grant.
The township has been able to attract many new businesses and stores – pharmaceutical companies, in particular – while still preserving open space and farmland, she said. The municipal property tax rate has remained unchanged for seven consecutive years, she said.
Yeager was appointed to fill an unexpired term in 2011 and was re-elected to a full term later that year.
“I am running for another term for a simple reason – and the same reason I have run each time. It is to ensure East Windsor remains a great community to live in, work in and raise a family in,” Yeager said.
He said he hopes to continue many of the policies that the Township Council has pursued over the years that allow it to grow and prosper, such as open space and farmland preservation.
Yeager also mentioned increasing recreational opportunities, attracting new businesses, and keeping the municipal property tax rate low while maintaining and growing public services.
Zoller, who has served on the Township Council since 2008, said he is running for re-election to ensure that East Windsor Township continues to flourish under the current united Township Council and the leadership of Mayor Mironov.
“Conservative financial planning over the long term is the foundation of the township’s current healthy fiscal position. Our municipal property taxes remain low and unchanged for the longest continuous period in modern East Windsor Township history,” Zoller said.
Zoller said new businesses continue to be attracted to the township by improvements to transportation and infrastructure, which are financed by grants and shared-service agreements – models of municipal government that he is proud to support.
On the Republican Party side, Hummel is a lifelong resident of East Windsor Township. He is the past chairman of the East Windsor Township Republican Party and a real estate broker and licensed insurance producer.
Lustenberg, a retired Verizon external affairs director, moved to East Windsor Township in 1986. She is the last Republican Party member to have served on the East Windsor Township Committee, serving from 1994 to 1997. She served on the East Windsor Township Planning Board, and is a past president of the East Windsor/Hightstown chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Stottlemyer has lived in East Windsor Township since 2016. He has managed his family’s wholesale food distribution business for 20 years, with a background in logistics, food safety and customer service.
Uccio moved to East Windsor Township in 2010. He is a former Congressional candidate in the 12th Congressional District and also ran for a seat in the Assembly in the 14th District. He works for a logistics company in Millstone Township.
The Republican Party candidates’ focus is on transparency and accessibility. East Windsor Township does not have a Facebook page, and its website does not include the full text of proposed ordinances and resolutions that will be voted on. The Township Council meetings are not recorded, and the meeting minutes on the website are months behind, they said.
The Republican Party slate also stated that the township’s debt should be addressed, noting that the township is proposing to spend $2.3 million on debt service out of its $22 million budget. Just over 10 percent of the budget is earmarked for debt service, the candidates said.