This year, for the first time in many, the Maplewood Democratic Committee was fortunate to have the opportunity to choose from eight candidates who expressed an interest in seeking the endorsement of the Committee for the June 2, 2015 Primary Election for Township Committee.
All of those seeking the endorsement were talented and politically engaged. In the end, the Committee chose to endorse the two most engaged, and most involved in and knowledgeable about our community, Nancy Adams and Jerry Ryan. I urge all Democratic Voters to vote for them in the June 2 Primary Election.
I was fortunate to meet both Nancy and Jerry when I first moved to Maplewood 19 years ago. Nancy lived around the corner from me, and as a local community organizer and activist who founded the College Hill Neighborhood Association AND the Springfield Avenue Partnership the year we moved here, she made her presence known almost immediately after my wife and I moved here.
Nancy’s passion, advocacy and talents soon led to her starting a career in downtown redevelopment, and those talents have been put to good use in Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Red Bank and Long Branch. A thoughtful and vocal member of the Maplewood Planning Board, she continues to be a leader in our community, and in our schools, which the youngest of her five children still attends.
Soon after my moving here, Jerry Ryan became one of the then youngest mayors in the State of New Jersey. Jerry served as Mayor for three years, and is in his second decade of service as a member of the Township Committee. His knowledge of Maplewood comes not only through his experience as a member of the Township Committee, the Planning Board, the Community Coalition on Race, the Strollers, and many other local organizations and boards, but through his ability to listen to, analyze, and process complex information in solving problems.
When I first began my term on the Township Committee, Jerry was the one who was always there to help “the new guy,” and was a tremendous source of support and encouragement to someone who was just learning the ropes. Jerry is the father/step father to six children, one of whom is still attending middle school here.
Maplewood will be well served by these two humble and dedicated public servants, whose commitment to Maplewood has been apparent in everything they have done in the community for many years. Please join me in voting for Nancy Adams and Jerry Ryan for Township Committee in the Primary Election on June 2.
Thank you,
Ian R. Grodman
Chair, Maplewood Democratic Committee
