Bike Bus dad and community activist Martin Ceperley has announced his candidacy for the Maplewood Township Committee, joining current Mayor Vic De Luca and fellow community volunteer John Sullivan in a contested Democratic primary. Former Mayor Dean Dafis has announced that he will not seek reelection. Two seats on the five-person Township Committee are up for election this year. Terms are for three years. Deadline to file to run in the primary is March 23, close of business. Primary day is June 2.
Read Ceperley’s campaign announcement here:
It’s Time to Move Maplewood Forward
I’m Martin, a dad of three, a 15-year resident of Maplewood, a community organizer, a safe streets advocate, a former member of the Maplewood Democratic Committee, and I’m running for Township Committee.
Every Friday as I ride to Seth Boyden with my children through glowing smiles and joyful hollers, I am reminded that by making our streets brighter and safer, we strengthen the fabric of our community. The ride is part of the SOMa Bike Bus, a community I helped to establish that brings families together at 5 of our 6 district elementary schools.
The Bike Bus is just one of the many ways I have advocated for safer streets in our community. After years of seeing too many crashes in my Parker Ave neighborhood I knew I had to do something and I jumped into action. I fought for years for the Parker Ave Bike Lanes and was part of the Maplewood Green Team that pushed for electric vehicle infrastructure in town.
This work has given me a window into how the Township Council operates – and just how opaque it is. Subcommittee meetings are held at times that prevent parents of school-aged kids from joining. Meetings are held without published agendas. Recordings of meetings are intentionally hidden from the public. Proven safety plans meant to keep our kids safe are modified and watered down behind closed doors.
Martin Ceperley
I know we can do better.
We must make our township government more transparent and inclusive for all of our residents. It’s a time for new ideas and fresh perspectives on the Township Committee so that Maplewood can adapt and evolve while remaining a safe, progressive community to live in and raise a family.
I love Maplewood – the joy, the diversity, the openness, the care we have for our neighbors and the shared neighborhoods which we care so deeply about – and we deserve a town government that reflects who we are.
If you vote for me to serve on the township committee, I will:
Nurture the thriving areas of Maplewood like Newark Way & Boyden Ave to foster growth and increase our tax base. This area is becoming a world-class food destination, and the town should be aiding its development rather than hindering it with restrictive zoning. I will encourage adaptive reuse of industrial spaces, rather than punish it.
Make our commercial area more vibrant destinations by centering them around pedestrians. They should be places to linger and the heart of our community life. I know with a supportive Township Committee they can become places where we gather to see art and listen to music, with pedestrian plazas where we can connect with neighbors, and feature expanded outdoor dining options that help our local restaurants thrive.
Partner with the Essex Reform Democrats to usher the NJ Democratic Party into an age of transparency and inclusion. I believe in the power of grassroots organizing, not the top-down politicking and back room dealings that have characterized our local governments.
Continue my work to make Maplewood a safer town to get around. We need a bike lane network to our schools. We need to expand our Jitney bus service beyond rush-hour commuter service, to provide options for youth and residents of all ages to navigate our various districts. We need to partner with South Orange to provide a bus between our two towns. We need to keep improving our pedestrian infrastructure so that walking doesn’t feel so perilous.
I am running for Township Committee because I believe voters in Maplewood deserve leadership that reflects their values. I believe we deserve a choice on our ballots, and that uncontested elections hurt all of us. I am running because I believe your voice matters.
If you see me riding my bike around town, please wave and say hello. Tell me what you want Maplewood to be, and share your ideas for how we can get there. I’m running for Township Committee because I believe we will all benefit from new ideas and new approaches; new perspectives and new voices.
Let’s Move Maplewood Forward, together.
About the candidate
Martin Ceperley is a community organizer and safe streets advocate, co-founder of SOMa Bike Bus, a husband, a dad of three, and a 15-year resident of Maplewood. He’s 42 and has had a career spanning from photojournalism, to founding startups, to software engineering at small and large companies in NYC. He has a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MPS from NYU.
Martin was a district leader in the Maplewood Democratic Committee from 2018 to 2024. He was a member of Maplewood’s Green Team, and assisted the town’s support for Electric Vehicles. Martin’s wife Kelly Quirk is a community organizer, founder of SOMa Action, and a prior chair of the Community Coalition on Race.
After seeing too many crashes on Parker Ave where he lives, Martin began advocating and organizing for safer streets in Maplewood. Students going to Columbia High School were getting hit regularly by drivers while walking and riding their bikes to school. After years of advocacy, the township installed bike lanes on Parker Ave in 2025.
In 2024 Martin organized a group of families riding bikes to school together at Seth Boyden Elementary, and co-founded SOMa Bike Bus with local parents throughout the district. Bike Bus is a fun and healthy way for kids and parents to school together, build community, and get more people outside biking in unsafe road conditions.
The Bike Bus rides to 5 of 6 SOMSD elementary schools, and has been running weekly, weather permitting, for two years with over 400 district families. The Bike Bus serves as a community hub, hosting social rides for families and grown-ups, charity rides, and bike swaps to get more kids on bikes in our community.
Campaign Instagram
@martinformaplewood
