Why West Windsor Needs Change — No Kings, Just Accountability, by Khurram Waheed

For too long, West Windsor has been run like a kingdom, not a community. Under Mayor Hemant Marathe’s “strong mayor” rule for the past 8 years, power has been concentrated to one office — one voice, one agenda, one man deciding what’s best for everyone else. But this town doesn’t need a king. It needs a government that listens.

We’ve seen what happens when power goes unchecked: zoning changes quietly passed during COVID when no one was looking, public comments shut down during BP8 hearings, and multiple warehouse approvals pushed through using outdated 1999 flood maps. Not a single Town Council member stood up to challenge him. When residents, including children, hand-delivered letters asking for accountability, begging him to spare us this egregious industrialization, the mayor threw them in the trash. This is not leadership. It’s arrogance.

In West Windsor today, if Marathe decides a warehouse is right for the town, it becomes reality. One developer continues to profit in millions, growing exponentially as a direct result of Marathe’s generosity in sacrificing our quality of life for those profits. Why?

He decided that none of the 40 permissible uses would serve that land or this community, even though the residents were very happy with many of those other uses. Housing was never an approved use for that land. He threw out 40 really great options without a second thought and came up with Bridge Point 8, a massive warehouse industrial complex, the largest of its kind in New Jersey! A reliable source confirmed Bridge Point 8 was HIS idea.

He personally concluded that affordable housing is “bad,” and began to fear monger around that idea. Despite the surge of overdevelopment, there is no review, no oversight, no accountability and not enough of this new housing will count towards the affordable units we are responsible for. This will lead to more gross overdevelopment in the near future.

Meanwhile, residents are left with broken roads, worsening floods, and a frightening pattern of warehouse growth that threatens our health, safety, quality of life and property values. Instead of investing tax dollars into safety, sustainability, and infrastructure, Marathe has used them to defend billionaire developers in court when he could have listened to his residents’ outcries.

This election isn’t about party lines; it’s about ending one-man rule and restoring power to the people. West Windsor deserves transparency in taxes, accountability in zoning, and leadership that serves — not reigns.

No more backroom deals. No more silenced residents.

Because in West Windsor, we don’t need a kingdom, we need a community

Note: If you already voted and wish to change your vote, it may not be too late.

Contact the County Clerk’s Office at 609-989-6494. 

Tell them you realized you made an error and wish to cure your ballot. No need to elaborate. It is personal.