With 21 of 21 districts counted, Jane Collins-Colding has won the Democratic primary for Maplewood Township Committee.
Collins-Colding is now widely expected to win election in November. No candidates ran in the Republican primary.
Collins-Colding — an entrepreneur, community organizer, mother of five, and foster mother to 20 — bested Maxwell Jacob Kravitz, a 20-year-old Columbia High School graduate and community volunteer.
The Essex County Clerk’s website tallied 3,541 votes (63.45%) for Collins-Colding and 2,040 (36.55%) for Kravitz.
“I am honored to have been selected as the Democratic nominee for Township Committee, and I am excited to appear on the ballot with other Democrats in the crucial general election this November,” said Collins-Colding in a statement to the media. “I thank all those who have supported my campaign, in big ways and small, over these past few months, and thank the thousands of voters who have entrusted me with this responsibility. To those who did not vote for me, I hope to earn your trust. Congratulations to Max Kravitz for running a strong race. I wish him well. I vow to serve all residents of Maplewood, and I look forward to collaborating with the other members of the Township Committee to keep Maplewood affordable, safe, and strong.”
Read more about Collins-Colding from her candidate profile:
Local leader and small-business owner Jane Collins-Colding has dedicated her life to service and to improving her community. She has fostered about twenty children and fed hundreds more here in Maplewood. She’s now running for Maplewood Township Committee to improve affordability, make our roads safer, and prepare us against federal attacks on our values.
Jane has lived in SOMA for 18 years. Her and her husband’s children and foster children have attended every school in the South Orange–Maplewood School District, and Jane has been an active parent at both Tuscan and Montrose Elementary Schools, as well as Maplewood Middle. Their two youngest, Samantha and Thomas, currently attend Maplewood Middle School and Tuscan.
Guided by her faith, Jane has dedicated her life to serving those in need, here in Maplewood and elsewhere in Essex County. After Hurricane Sandy, Jane coordinated with Morrow United Methodist Church to provide food to seniors and others. Jane founded a charity that fights hunger both locally and abroad called Feed 2000. She’s organized food donations for Irvington’s Transitional Housing Program; for Turning Point, a shelter in Irvington that supports women on their journey to independence and stability; and Isaiah House, a shelter and pantry for the unhoused in East Orange. She has also organized toy donations at St. Barnabas Hospital. Jane has also worked to provide for people living in Africa, where she built a school that educates students to this day. Working with Milk Money and families in Maplewood, Jane has sent uniforms and school supplies to students for years.
Jane Collins-Colding
In addition to her charitable work, Jane is active in local civic organizations. She serves as a District Leader on the Maplewood Democratic Committee and is a member of both the Maplewood Senior Advisory Committee and the Hilton Neighborhood Association. Jane is the Co-Founder and Chair of the New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition (NJBEC), an organization that seeks to empower, educate, and advocate for residents of New Jersey and to advance racial justice. Through NJBEC, Jane is working with the Governor’s office to expand voting rights for young people, and to reform policy around technical parole violations to help reduce recidivism. Additionally, Jane sits on the Steering Committee of the We The People coalition and on the Governance Committee of EQUIP NJ—two New Jersey organizations that work to strengthen democracy and advance social and racial justice in the state. In 2024, Jane helped fundraise and get out the vote for Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates.
If elected, Jane will bring an ethic of service to her role as a member of the Township Committee. As she explained at the Hilton Neighborhood Association candidate forum, on the issues that can divide our community—be they development, the old movie theater site, or bike lanes—Jane will engage with residents, listen seriously to their concerns, and work to forge practical compromises.
Affordability is a major concern for Maplewood residents. Jane knows firsthand what it means to pay ever-higher tax and utility bills, to make mortgage and rent payments, and to put food on the table. Jane will work to make sure that Maplewood maintains a stock of housing that people can afford to live in, and will focus in particular on seniors and others on fixed incomes who, unfortunately, are often priced out of Maplewood.
Jane will also focus on safety. She believes that the Township must invest in making our streets safe for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians—and in particular for children on their way to school—through traffic calming and other measures. Jane will also work to ensure that the Township does everything it can to protect the immigrant community and LGBTQ+ Maplewoodians from attacks by the federal government.
The year 2025 has proven to be a precarious time, particularly for diverse and inclusive places like Maplewood. The Township will likely see significant cuts in funding from federal programs, as well as threats to our values from the current Administration. Jane has experience leading people and navigating difficult political waters. She will seek to expand shared services and partnerships to save money in the Maplewood budget, use her experience to increase the number of grants the Township receives, and ensure that every dollar in the budget goes to good use. Jane is also ready to stand up for progressive values, as she has done throughout her career.
Jane believes that her experience makes her the right person to serve on the Township Committee in this moment. While the federal government plans significant cuts to municipal budgets, Jane has raised over $1 million in grants for non-profits, and has years of experience managing budgets for both her family and the organizations she leads. While our values are being threatened, Jane has a history of standing up and organizing people—registering and empowering voters, and working with the Governor’s office on parole reform. Most of all, Jane has a track record of action, whether that is building a school, providing food and toy donations to those in need, or raising over twenty children.
