Two candidates are vying for one nomination in the Democratic primary for Maplewood Township Committee on June 10 (early voting June 3-8), 2025: Jane Collins-Colding and Max Kravitz. The following candidate profile was submitted by the Max Kravitz campaign. Follow Village Green election coverage here.
Max Kravitz is running for the Maplewood Township Committee to bring fresh energy, new ideas, and a new generation’s perspective to local leadership.
Max is a third-generation Maplewood resident and product of the South Orange-Maplewood School District. His family runs Performers Theatre Workshop, the longest-running performing arts school in Essex County. He grew up working there, gaining firsthand experience in managing competing priorities, working through challenges as part of a team, and making decisions that balance vision with real-world needs. Max comes from a mixed faith household, and his family is deeply rooted in Maplewood and South Orange’s spiritual communities. He is a member of and was confirmed at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, and also attends St. George’s Church in Maplewood. This interfaith experience has shaped Max’s inclusive values and deepened his commitment to building a community that reflects and respects all its residents.
When Max attended Columbia High School, he identified gaps in the arts program and spearheaded Beatfest, the only student-led music festival in New Jersey. This festival created performance opportunities for kids who fell through the cracks of the chorus, ensemble, and performing arts programs, engaging otherwise left-behind students.
Max Kravitz
Max is currently serving on the Maplewood Arts Council where he works to create public art projects in Maplewood and promote cultural programming/community engagement. With the council, he is also working on the space utilization audit, an initiative to identify gaps in arts & culture programming and understand which demographics are not engaging with arts & culture in Maplewood.
Max actively volunteers with organizations throughout Maplewood. He offers his time to the Achieve Foundation and Maplewoodstock, worked with the Maplewood Democratic Committee on youth voter registration and informational livestreams, and produced the 2025 Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Forum video with SOMA Action. This volunteer work embodies his drive to build community, reinforce local institutions, and inform neighbors. Max has also been a part of multiple political campaigns including Frank McGehee for Assembly (2023) and Garnet Hall for Assembly (2025).
Max’s priorities include:
Increasing pedestrian and road safety
“Every few weeks I hear a new story about one of our neighbors getting into a traffic accident that was entirely preventable. To me, bike lanes are a no-brainer. They have a proven track record of calming traffic, reducing emissions, and preventing needless injury. We need to prioritize implementing bike lanes on our most dangerous roads that experience the highest biker traffic. Beyond bike lanes, we must listen to the experts who dedicate their careers to safety. I will take a vision zero approach to make sure our roads are safe for all residents regardless of if they walk, bike, or drive to get around town.”
Strengthening the arts in Maplewood
“Maplewood needs stronger municipal planning in the arts. We are home to some of the most creatively talented musicians, performers, filmmakers, and entertainment professionals in the world, but fall short when it comes to how we engage with them on a municipal level. We need a streamlined and accessible framework for local artists, organizations, and businesses to work with the township to produce arts & culture programming for our community. We need a comprehensive plan to increase revenue generated by the facilities that we collectively own.”
Creating 21st century digital information infrastructure
“With local news declining, too many Maplewood residents rely on social media and information scattered over multiple township websites to stay informed about what’s happening around town– but it doesn’t have to be this way. The township needs to create a simple, accessible platform where neighbors can get reliable updates on government decisions, recreation programs, and arts & culture events. No algorithms, no data harvesting, just straightforward community information.”
Making housing work for everyone
“Housing is a human right, and Maplewood needs more affordable, middle-income, and senior housing options. As home prices rise and development increasingly caters to high-end markets, we must ensure that new housing is accessible to residents across income levels. This issue is also personal to me—my grandparents built their life in Maplewood, but when they retired and lived on a fixed income, it became financially unfeasible for them to stay in their home. They were fortunate to find an apartment here, but many aren’t as lucky. We need to expand senior housing so our longtime neighbors can remain active in the community they helped build. As we add housing, we must also strengthen our transportation infrastructure like public transit, walkability, and bike access, to support sustainable growth. And as part of ensuring housing is truly accessible, we need to modernize our rent leveling ordinance from 2005 to reflect the Maplewood of 2025.”
To learn more, visit Max’s website at https://maxformaplewood.com/ and listen to Max’s appearance on ‘The Lee and Ian Show’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5sP4tmP3b0. You can contact Max at maxformaplewood@gmail.com.
On June 10th, vote Max Kravitz for Maplewood Township Committee! (1D)
