From left are Mayor Vic De Luca, SOMA Bike Bus founder Martin Ceperley, and Planning Board and Hilton Neighborhood Association member John T. Sullivan. See detailed profiles of the candidates at EssexNewsDaily.com.
Three candidates. Two seats.
Mayor Vic De Luca, SOMA Bike Bus founder Martin Ceperley, and Planning Board and Hilton Neighborhood Association member John T. Sullivan gathered at DeHart Community Center for a candidate forum last week as the three run for the two seats on the Maplewood Township Committee.
The primary is June 3. The three are all Democrats. No Republicans have filed to run.
The forum was led by Mary Boehner, Hilton Neighborhood Association president.
De Luca introduced himself and said, “I have had the honor of serving you on the Township Committee. It has really been a pleasure. I believe in local government. I believe it works for people. We’re a progressive government. I think I get things done. That’s critical.”
Ceperley, who is a dad of three and a 15-year resident of Maplewood spoke about his advocacy for safer streets.
“We need transportation options for everyone,” Ceperley said. “We’re facing traffic congestion. We need options to get around. I think we need to keep Maplewood affordable. We need to develop our business districts like Newark Way, Springfield Avenue, Maplewood Village.”
Sullivan has been a resident of Maplewood for the past 25 years.
“I’m running tonight because I want to give a voice to those that are underserved and are not treated in the same manner that we all want to be treated,” Sullivan said. “I want to be that voice. I want to listen first.”
Boehner asked the candidates how they view the relationship between redevelopment and economic accessibility in Hilton.
“Growth of some of the businesses on Newark Way is very exciting,” said De Luca. “The most affordable housing in Maplewood is on Newark Way. We have to make sure that we’re doing the most we can to keep taxes down.”
“I’m excited by all the development on Newark Way and on Springfield Avenue,” said Ceperley. “But I think we need to spread the development across the whole town. In terms of residents’ concerns around development and Newark Way, I think we need to come together and listen to what the concerns are. We need to get creative in terms of solutions because we have limited space to work with.”
Sullivan said, “The first thing we need to do is look at our masterplan. The masterplan encourages developers to reach out to the communities and engage in conversation about what type of projects are going to be done.”
The next question regarded affordability, housing, and infrastructure.
“I’m coming from a family that has deep roots in affordable housing,” said Ceperley. “My wife, for her whole career, for 20 years, has been working in affordable housing and homeless services. She’s my advisor on this. The only reason that she agreed to let me run was that I would push for affordable housing. I’m inspired by JESPY projects in South Orange—what they’re doing on Prospect Street. I think we need more of that in Maplewood.”
“We have a moral and ethical obligation to meet the 216 units of affordable housing by the year 2035,” said Sullivan. “And that will be one of my main goals when elected.”
“Affordable housing is absolutely essential,” said De Luca. “The way it works right now is the state provides zero dollars to help us meet our needs. We have to find another way.”
Boehner asked the candidates about street safety.
“Maplewood has a complete street policy,” said Sullivan. “However, that policy has not been updated in 12 years. I want to congratulate Martin for what he’s done with the bike bus, and also the bike lanes. I want to continue that work, expand on that.”
DeLuca also thanked Ceperley for raising the whole issue of transportation and bike safety and pedestrian safety.
“We have to educate folks about being safe on the road, taking care when you’re out there because it’s our families that are walking and biking out in the streets,” DeLuca said. “We need engineering. We need traffic calming. We need speed bumps. We need the blinking crosswalks.”
“We’re raising kids that need to get around independently without being chauffeured by their parents,” said Ceperley. “We don’t want giant parking garages.
People need options to get around. We need to build bike lanes that are actually bikeable. It’s a holistic project.”
Boehner asked the candidates about Hilton neighborhood priorities.
DeLuca felt the library was important. “What’s going to happen to the Hilton Library?” he said. “I’m on the strategic planning committee for the library. How are we going to program it to a full service library? The building needs a lot of work.”
His dream was also to expand DeHart and build more green space there; and to work with the Department of Public Works to make sure more trees are planted in the Hilton neighborhood.
Ceperley said the beauty of the Hilton neighborhood is that it is “so walkable.” He said, “We need to focus on the pedestrian experience, making it a nicer place to walk around.”
Sullivan felt there must be a commitment to provide fields that are playable but also available to people for picnics and playing with their children.
Other issues discussed included town meeting attendance, turf at Ritzer Field, engaging young people and seniors to vote, and how the candidates would work collaboratively with all Township Committee members.
In conclusion, each candidate was asked to summarize what they’d say to the public in two minutes.
Sullivan raised the serious issue of ICE and what they’ve done to the community at large. “The township has to make a firm stance,” he said. “Pass an ordinance, not simply a resolution, outlining that our police officers will not engage or assist ICE in any way. In addition, provide safe spaces in the community. Community rooms like this. Churches. Even in restaurants. We need to have a more expanded emergency response team.”
Ceperley echoed what Sullivan said about ICE, and also that more voices were needed in Town Hall. “I’m trying to bring a voice to maybe seniors that are feeling left out of town government,” he said. “I think we should fight against the Essex County machine politics that we’re seeing where the gubernatorial race determines who’s mayor and who’s not mayor.”
De Luca agreed that elections are about the future.
“How is tomorrow going to be better than today? How are we going to work on things? You better speak out,” DeLuca said. “Things are a lot better now in New Jersey with the governor we have, but we have to keep them on their toes. And that means using your voice and speaking out. That’s why I go to Trenton. That’s why I just came back from Atlantic City because I was down there talking to the lieutenant governor and Dean’s [Dafis] boss, the commissioner of community affairs. And today I spoke to the attorney general and I mentioned about the ICE agents coming to town and asked about the masks and all that. That’s what you have to do. That’s what I will continue to do.”
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