East Windsor Township Council Candidate Profile: Peter Yeager

Name: Peter Yeager
Party: Democrat
Running for: Four year term 

Why are you running for Township Council?

As a Councilperson for East Windsor Township since March, and as a candidate for election this November, I have been asked one question more than any other…why are you doing this?

As someone with a young family, I accepted my appointment to council and am running for a full term for a simple reason: to ensure East Windsor remains a great community to live in, work in, and raise a family in. Great communities do not happen by accident. It takes an active mayor and council, dedicated township employees, strong community leaders and everyday citizens who volunteer their time and effort to help make East Windsor a fantastic place. I want to be a part of that.

What are the three issues most important to you and why?

1. Preserving open space and farm land

Preserving open space and farm land is good for our environment and our bottom line. When our Township preserves open space and farms we prevent further development on those lands which would increase the need for additional municipal services. It also allows us at times to increase recreational offerings with additional playing fields or walking trails. Additionally, keeping our trees and open space helps keep our environment clean and healthy and strengthens the quality of life for our residents.

East Windsor has been able to preserve our open space and farmlands through the aggressive pursuit of grants and through developers’ fees to finance the purchase of these properties, helping keep our municipal tax rate as low as possible.  

2. Attracting new businesses

Attracting new businesses to our community helps our residents in two ways. First, it allows many busy families (like mine!) to stay close to home when they need to go shopping. Attracting a mix of different types of businesses allows residents to reduce their travel and save both time and fuel costs.

Additionally, attracting new businesses increases our Township’s ratables, allowing us to keep the municipal tax rate as low as possible for residents.

3. Keeping our tax rate as low as possible without sacrificing the quality of our public services

During this campaign, our team of Mayor Janice Mironov, Deputy Mayor Marc Lippman, John Zoller and I have walked many evenings and weekends door to door in our community to meet our residents. The one thing we hear the most is that residents truly appreciate the quality of our municipal services. Whether it is our public works department with garbage collection, leaf and brush pickup and snow removal, or our police, fire department or rescue squads, our residents have come to expect efficient and effective municipal services.

An aggressive campaign by our Mayor and Council for federal, state and county grants to help maintain our roadways allows us to dedicate resources to other vital services. Going out to bid for products and services (even when state law does not require it because it does not meet a certain financial threshold) also helps keeps our taxes low through competitive pricing.  Shared services with other communities and smart fiscal budgeting and planning also help keep costs down. All these steps allow us to maintain both the quality and quantity of services East Windsor provides to our residents while keeping the municipal portion of our tax rate the lowest in Mercer County.

Why should residents vote for you?

 Our team will work hard and fight for the right policies and programs here in East Windsor.  I think I also represent the perspective of many of the young families here in East Windsor who want our community to thrive and grow while keeping our taxes as low as possible.

My volunteer work in East Windsor (whether it be from my experience on the Planning Board, serving on East Windsor Green Space, or coaching soccer at the EWPAL), my professional work experience with a variety of levels of government and my education has allowed me to hit the ground running after being appointed to the Council in March and I will continue to bring that knowledge and skills should I be elected to a full term.

Finally, I believe in public service and will represent our Township with energy, enthusiasm, pride and honor at all times.  I ask the residents of East Windsor to support our entire team: Mayor Janice Mironov, Deputy Mayor Marc Lippman, John Zoller and myself on November 8th.