Jane Collins-Colding has won a three-year term on the Maplewood Township Committee. After winning the primary over opponent Max Kravitz in June, Collins-Colding ran unopposed in the general election. On January 1, 2026, she will be sworn in and join the other four members of the Township Committee.
“Maplewood, thank you for your votes last night!” Collins-Colding wrote in a statement sent to Village Green. “Thank you for showing up and speaking out. Your energy and belief in the right way forward in Maplewood and in our great state of New Jersey continue to inspire us all.”
She continued:
“A heartfelt thank you to our incredible team and to the Maplewood Democratic Committee for their tireless dedication and unwavering support of me and of our next governor, Mikie Sherrill.
“As we move forward, not backward, we do so with courage and strength. Let us remember Ecclesiastes 9:11: ‘The race is not to the swift.’ And, as the African proverb says, ‘A child who will not let his mother sleep will also have no peace.’
“So, while here in New Jersey we’ve had some sleepless nights, rest assured there are many sleepless nights in Washington, D.C., too. This is just the beginning of a long road ahead. We’ve worked hard but our walking boots are far from worn out. So wake up, my fellow New Jerseyans, we’ve got work to do!!!”
“With gratitude and determination, — Jane”
Collins-Colding is an 18-year resident of Maplewood, an entrepreneur, community volunteer, mother of five and foster mom to more than 20 children. Read more about Collins-Colding here:
Maplewood Township Committee Candidate Profile: Jane Collins-Colding
Jane Collins-Colding
Collins-Colding’s future peers on the Township Committee, all fellow Democrats, were quick to welcome her.
“I congratulate Jane on her election victory yesterday,” Mayor Nancy Adams told Village Green. “Jane has been deeply involved in the MAPSO community for years as a parent, foster parent, business owner, and advocate. She brings real heart and experience to the table and I’m excited to welcome her to the Committee and to work together to keep Maplewood the vibrant, inclusive town we all love.”
“I want to congratulate my friend Jane Collins-Colding on being elected to the Maplewood Township Committee,” said Deputy Mayor Malia Herman. “I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jane over the last year and a half, and I am confident that the more Maplewood gets to know her, the more they will enjoy and benefit from having her as a leader on the Township Committee. Jane’s election means that we will have not one, but two, immigrants on our governing body, bringing a different perspective to our leadership that, especially in these times, is sorely needed. So, I want to extend a warm welcome to Jane. I look forward to working with her next year.”
“I’m thrilled that our very own Jane Collins-Colding is part of the blue wave of Democrats that swept through NJ on Election Day yesterday up and down the ballot led by Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, our great Congresswoman,” said former Mayor and TC member Dean Dafis. “I look forward to serving with Jane on the Township Committee and wish her success and fulfillment. I can already tell by her personality, that we’re going to have fun with her!”
“I am excited that Jane will be joining the Township Committee. She will bring a burst of enthusiasm and energy to the TC,” Victor De Luca told Village Green. De Luca is the longest-serving member of the TC and a former Mayor of Maplewood.
“As a Black, immigrant woman, Jane will bring life experiences that we don’t now have” on the TC, said De Luca. “Her perspective will help us in our decision-making. I also am very happy that the TC will again better reflect the community’s diversity.”
