Three candidates are running for two seats in the Democratic primary (June 2) for Maplewood Township Committee: Bike Bus founder Martin Ceperley; current Mayor Vic De Luca, running for his 10th term on the Township Committee; and Planning Board and Hilton Neighborhood Association member John T. Sullivan. Read Village Green’s election guidelines here. Read our election coverage here.
Hi Maplewood, I’m Nick Fox – probably not a name you know, but please keep reading! My spouse and I got married at the Maplewood Municipal Courthouse 10 years ago and we’ve been here ever since, first renting in South Orange, and now raising our daughter in Maplewood. Like many of us in town, we work long hours in the city and have very limited free time – which is why writing a candidate support letter isn’t usually how I would spend a free evening.
Martin Ceperley is why I’m making an exception.
Like me, Martin is just a guy from town – he’s a dad of three, a 15-year resident, and a neighbor you might see riding his bike or sitting outside Village Coffee. What sets him apart is that when he sees things in Maplewood that could be better, he goes out and does something about it. He founded the SOMa Bike Bus, where kids, parents, and safety sponsors ride to school together – as I ride to the train station on Friday mornings, I love seeing them on their bikes waiting to join up, excited to go to school. He fought for Maplewood’s first bike lanes down Parker Avenue, which were installed last year. He pushed for more town support of electric vehicles (and as an EV driver myself, I appreciated that a lot!). He even set up a shuttle bus (the “Swamp Trolley”) for the recent Baker Street Spring Flea, transporting over 200 residents and showing how our town centers could be connected in a fun and useful way.
Martin is already out there doing for our community. That default-to-action spirit is contagious – and it’s what inspired me to write this letter.
His campaign is grounded in things most of us already agree on. We all want to see our main street districts on Maplewood Ave, Springfield Ave, and Boyden Ave/Newark Way thrive – local businesses doing well, sidewalks and safe streets that make you want to walk around, grab some freshly made pasta at Porta Rosa, or have drinks with friends at Coda after being stuck on NJTransit for hours. Martin gets that a walkable, bikeable town isn’t just good for public safety – it’s good for the local economy, community building, and the character of our different neighborhoods across town.
Martin’s also serious about affordable housing – and has framed it plainly as both a legal and moral obligation. This one affects me personally: my retired mom would love to be close to her first and only granddaughter here in Maplewood, but there’s nothing she can afford on a fixed income, so instead she makes a three-hour drive each way from Delaware to visit. She’s not an edge case. She’s every retired parent priced out of being near their kids, every young family who can’t make the numbers work, and every first-time homebuyer who falls in love with our town but ends up buying in West Orange or Bloomfield instead. Bringing in more young families and first-time buyers isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for Maplewood. New neighbors bring new energy, new kids to our schools, and new regulars to our local businesses. A town that makes room for people at different stages of life and income levels is a richer, more resilient town. Martin gets that, and he’s the candidate I believe would work hardest to make it happen.
If you strongly support Martin like I do, consider casting just one vote – for him! – on June 2nd. With three candidates competing for two seats on the township committee, every vote you give to a second candidate directly helps that person compete against Martin. Keep your second vote in your pocket and Martin’s total stands on its own. It’s not a wasted vote – it’s a smarter one. Some may say this is not the right way to vote. They are wrong. Using one vote instead of two is completely legal, it’s your right as a voter, and in a three-way race for two seats, it’s the smartest thing a Martin supporter can do at the ballot box.
Vote Martin Ceperley on June 2nd. I hope you’ll join us.
Nick Fox, PhD
Maplewood NJ
