The following remarks were presented by Malia Herman after she was sworn into office at the annual Maplewood Township Committee Reorganization meeting on January 1, 2025. Herman was also elected by the TC as Deputy Mayor for 2025.
Newly elected Township Committee Member Malia Herman, selected as deputy mayor, is sworn into office on New Year’s Day, surrounded by family. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Good afternoon, Maplewood! Happy Reorganization Day. Happy New Year’s Day. Happy last night of Hanukkah, and Happy last night of Kwanza.
I am so honored and humbled to be standing up here before you today as the newest member of the Maplewood Township Committee.
I am especially honored to stand before you today as, I believe, the first Latina and person of Native American heritage elected to the Township Committee. That’s important to note because representation matters.
I am also a mom, a recovering political reporter who spent nearly a decade covering the White House and Congress in Washington, D.C., and, here in Maplewood, I was an active community volunteer who has fought for common sense gun safety protections and special needs families.
I want to thank my parents, who are here today, for teaching me the value of community service – and of public service. It was through my parents that I was first introduced to campaigns. My dad was campaign manager for his law partner, a man whose last name included the word “bee,” so us kids used to dress up as bumblebees at campaign events.
Yes. My first introduction to campaigning was from the inside of a bumblebee costume.
Thankfully, no costumes were required for my Township Committee race, in which my tag line was “Malia for Maplewood.” It’s pretty simple. Malia. That’s me. And Maplewood, this wonderful place that we are so fortunate call our home.
And then, there’s that little word in the middle – “for.” That’s why I ran for office, and it’s also how I plan to center my service to you as your elected representative. I didn’t come to this job with any particular agenda or ideology other than working as hard as I can for Maplewood, to find practical, reasonable solutions to the challenges we face.
That is my pledge to you, to the residents of Maplewood.
I am so grateful for the trust and faith that you have placed in me. I promise that I will work hard to earn it. I promise that I will listen, ask questions, and do everything I can to make sure that our wonderful town not only remains the special place that it is, but evolves so that it continues to be a vibrant community committed to inclusiveness, diversity, and sustainability.
That was my first thank you, to the voters of Maplewood. Now, buckle up because I have a long list!First, I want to thank my biggest cheerleader my unofficial campaign manager and lawyer, and the person who kept reminding me to focus on the big things and let go of the little things – my husband Dave Herman. Thank you, my love, for wearing my campaign T-shirt everywhere, even on a Barstool Pizza video, and for always having my back. (My mother-in-law is also here. Thank you, Enid. Thank you, Pop.)
I also want to think my biggest assets – and critics – my kids. Thank you, Henry, for campaigning with me, even if that meant picking up trash in the Rahway River or standing on a street corner on a rainy day. I also want to thank my daughter, Alexa, for challenging me to think about issues important to high schoolers in town.
Fighting for the next generation is so important. That’s why I’m so excited to serve on the Youth Advisory Committee, and why I’m focused on making sure our roads are safe, especially around schools. Having a child who walks to and from Columbia High School every day, as well as to the Village and other places in town, gives me a unique insight into the importance of safe and complete streets, and the need for bike lanes and other modes of transportation for our youth.
I will note that I’m also really excited to serve on the Seniors Advisory Committee because like I said earlier, I am for Maplewood, from the young to the young at heart.
I also want to thank my campaign co-chairs former Township Committeeman Greg Lembrich and former Mayor Frank McGehee. I am so grateful for your support, encouragement, insight, and guidance. Thank you also to Alex Carter and Marie McGehee, for your advice, support, and most of all, your friendship.
I want to thank my campaign treasurer George Forbes for your patience and help in getting my campaign set up. And thank you to George’s amazing husband, the former mayor and my new colleague, Township Committeeman Dean Dafis, for your tireless support and mentorship.
I want to thank my dear friend and new colleague, Township Committeeperson Deborah Engel, who in a way got all this started when she asked me to be her co-campaign manager two years ago. (No bumblebee costumes involved in that race either, thank goodness!)
Ms. Engel, I am so excited to work together on the Communications Committee and Public Safety Committee on some of our shared priorities, such as improving Township communication and making our town roads safer and more bike friendly.
I want to congratulate and thank my General Election running mate, Mayor Nancy Adams. Thank you for your graciousness in coming together to campaign this Fall. I have enjoyed getting to know you as we went door to door – my favorite being the canvassing we did while also shopping the Porch Purge!
Thank you to former mayor and my new colleague, Township Committeeman Vic De Luca for welcoming me to the committee, being available for all my questions and for showing me by example what it’s like to really know and understand a community and work hard to make it better – important lessons as I center my service on being for Maplewood.
I also want to thank former Deputy Mayor Jamaine Cripe for your service and for your grace toward me these past few months. I’m not saying goodbye, because I know you will continue to be involved in our community.
Whew. I’ve only scratched the surface of all the people I need to thank!
Thank you to everyone who worked on my campaign, from hosting events to writing endorsement letters to standing with me on the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Baker Street, going door to door, tabling at Mayfest, and waking up early to hand out palm cards at the train station. Thank you to those who met with me one-on-one, put up signs and signed my petition.
I especially want to thank my youngest campaign volunteers, Annabelle and Caleb.
I have a few people I need to name:
Kerstin Diehn, my friend and graphic designing genius. Whitney Kidder, who took my photos. Former Mayor Fred Profeta, Lynne Daley, Rebecca Scheer, Brad and Rachel Goldman, Carol Fardin, Hannah Zollman, Reshma Ketkar, Dave Amerikaner, Ilana Bryant, Erin Scherzer, Erin Siders.
For the General Election, I want to thank Maplewood Democratic Committee Chairman Ian Grodman for stepping in to help Mayor Adams and I run our joint campaign, as well as executive committee members Kathy Leventhal and Michele Alonso, state Assemblywoman Garnet Hall and the many district leaders who helped pass out our literature at events.
Finally, I want to thank today’s speakers, performers, and participants. Thank you, Troop 5 for presenting the colors. Thank you, Rabbi Cohen, for setting the tone for today’s events with your invocation. Thank you, Kari Capone, for your beautiful voice and Bruno Lee for your moving notes on the trumpet. Thank you, Marianna Daley, Leila Springer, and Marlo Goodrich, for that stunning rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
On good days, I like to think of Maplewood as that place. But there is still work to do. And so, I thank Allison Posner, for the gorgeous performance of “Keep Marching” from the musical “Suffs.” I am in love with that song and it’s message: “Progress is possible, not guaranteed. It will only be made if we keep marching.”
So let’s do that, let’s keep marching for Maplewood.
Here are some of the ways I will keep marching for Maplewood:
- I will stand up for accessibility and inclusion at all town events. I look forward to getting the All-Access Committee up and running and working with the Maplewood Pool Advisory and Recreation Advisory committees to find ways to include more residents in our programming as well.
- I will focus on public safety, especially on our roads. There have been too many near misses in the last few months. We need a mobility and circulation plan that reduces speeding, especially in areas of high pedestrian traffic, and addresses the transportation needs of all residents, including a commitment to dedicated bike lanes.
- I will continue to fight for lower rates at the Maplewood Community Pool and ways to enable more kids and adults to access swim lessons, just as I will continue to advocate for reliable playing fields for our youth athletes.
- All of this should be done with an eye on fiscal accountability, making sure that we are spending tax-payer dollars, your dollars, in the most efficient way possible, with an eye to any cost-savings we can achieve through shared services with neighboring towns.
- Finally, I believe strongly in community engagement. The public needs to know what we are doing and why and have the opportunity to be a part of the conversation. I will be working on ways to do this, such as holding regular office hours and sharing information before and after our regular meeting.
In closing, I want to reiterate a sentiment shared by Mr. McGehee when he first took office, in 2017. It had to do with the outcome of the national election, which was the same then as it is now. He said: It’s important to remember that true change happens at the local level. He’s right.
Washington is not going to make sure our town events and programming are accessible, teach our kids and most vulnerable residents to swim, or encourage transparency in government and promote community engagement… All of that is up to us.
It’s up to us to ensure that our roads are safe for kids walking to and from school, to be fiscally responsible with your taxpayer dollars, and to ensure that we maintain the best quality of life possible FOR all residents of Maplewood.
We can do this. We are a strong community that agrees more than we disagree. Let’s focus on the big things and let go of the little things.
Thank you. May God Bless Maplewood and May God Bless the United States of America.
