Editing West Windsor, New Jersey (section)

=== Local government ===
[[File:West Windsor Township, NJ municipal building, Dec. 2024.jpg|thumb|right|West Windsor Township municipal building]]
West Windsor is governed under the [[Faulkner Act]] (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) within the [[Faulkner Act (mayor–council)|mayor-council]] form of New Jersey municipal government (Plan 6), implemented based on the recommendations of a [[Charter Study Commission]] as of July 1, 1993.<ref name=DataBook>''2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University – Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 70.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=10 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 10. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref>[http://www.dudley-2010.com/Faulkner%20Act%2046pages.pdf The Faulkner Act: New Jersey's Optional Municipal Charter Law], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], July 2007. Accessed December 2, 2013.</ref> The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> From the time of its formation in 1797, until 1993, the township was governed by a [[Township (New Jersey)|township committee]], which combined both executive and legislative authority. In May 1993, West Windsor residents voted to change their form of government to a Faulkner Act form of government.

[[File:West Windsor - First Township Meeting - April 8 1797.jpg|alt=First township minutes from April 8, 1797.|left|thumb|First township minutes from April 8, 1797. At this meeting, the original township officers were elected. Followed the township's February 9, 1797 formation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Government|url=https://www.westwindsorhistory.com/government.html|access-date=2020-09-29|website=The Schenck Farmstead|language=en}}</ref>]]
The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. Under the township's mayor-council form of government, the mayor and council function as independent branches of government. The mayor is the chief executive of the township and heads its administration. The mayor is elected in a [[non-partisan democracy|non-partisan]] election and serves for a four-year term. The mayor may attend council meetings but is not obligated to do so. The council is the legislative branch. The five members of the township council are elected on a non-partisan basis for four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two seats (and the mayoral seat) or three seats up for vote in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. At the annual organizational meeting held during the first week of January of each year, the Council elects a president and vice president to serve for one-year terms. The council president chairs the meetings of the governing body.<ref>[http://www.westwindsornj.org/council_history-organization.html Township Government – History and Organization], West Windsor Township. Accessed December 2, 2019. "West Windsor Township was established by an Act of the N.J. legislature on Feb. 9, 1797, and the Township was governed by a Township Committee, which had both executive and legislative authority until 1993. In May of 1993 West Windsor residents voted to change their form of government from a Township Committee to a Mayor Council form. The new government was initiated on July 1, 1993."</ref><ref>[https://www.westwindsornj.org/mayor-council/council Township Council], West Windsor Township. Accessed June 14, 2022. "The Township Council is the legislative branch of the government. The five Council members are representatives of the people and are elected by the entire township regardless of neighborhood or election district. The Township Council members are elected on a non-partisan basis for four-year, staggered terms."</ref> Starting in 2011, the township's elections were shifted from May to November as part of an effort to lower costs of running standalone municipal elections and as part of an effort to increase voter participation.<ref>Costa, Samantha. [http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/11/one_week_after_election_west_w.html "Close race in West Windsor shows every vote counts"], ''[[The Times (Trenton)|The Times]]'', November 16, 2011. Accessed April 26, 2015. "Township officials sought to save money by switching their election from May to November this year; what they got was an extremely tight race."</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, the mayor of West Windsor is Hemant Marathe, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025;<ref name=Mayor>[https://www.westwindsornj.org/mayor-council/mayor Office of the Mayor], West Windsor Township. Accessed June 14, 2022.</ref> Marathe is the first Indian-American to serve as the township's mayor.<ref>Sohrabji, Sunita. [http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/electrical-engineer-hemant-marathe-elected-first-indian-american-mayor-of/article_1da74350-c643-11e7-ba04-b7be6dc25ee7.html "Electrical Engineer Hemant Marathe Elected First Indian American Mayor of West Windsor, New Jersey"], ''IndiaWest'', November 10, 2017. Accessed January 1, 2018. "Electrical engineer Hemant Marathe won West Windsor, New Jersey's mayoral race Nov. 7, becoming the first Indian American mayor of the small town.Marathe took 3,327 votes, or 48 percent, beating out fellow Indian American Kamal Khanna, who came in second place with 31 percent of the votes; and Yan Mei Wang, who captured 20 percent."</ref> Members of the West Windsor Township Council are Council President Andrea Sue Mandel (2023), Council Vice President Michael Ray Stevens (2023), Sonia Gawas (2023), Linda Geevers (2023) and Martin Whitfield (2025).<ref>[https://www.westwindsornj.org/council-members Township Council Members], West Windsor Township. Accessed June 8, 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.westwindsornj.org/images/finance/2023-Introduced-Budget.pdf], West Windsor Township. Accessed June 8, 2023.</ref><ref name=MercerOfficials>[https://www.mercercounty.org/home/showpublisheddocument/19807/637462972595470000 Mercer County Elected Officials], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], as of January 6, 2021. Accessed April 28, 2022.</ref><ref name=Mercer2021>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/111513/web.278093/#/summary General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated November 20, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Mercer2019>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/98876/Web02.236009/#/ General Election November 2019 Official Results (Amended November 25, 2019)], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated December 9, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

In June 2017, council president Peter Mendonez resigned from office. Council vice president Allison Miller was chosen to serve as acting council president and Jyotika Bahree was appointed to fill the vacant seat left by Miller expiring in December 2019.<ref>Muchhal, Siddharth. [https://communitynews.org/2017/07/11/west-windsor-council-selects-jyotika-bahree-fill-vacancy/ "West Windsor Council selects Jyotika Bahree to fill vacancy"], ''Community News'', July 11, 2017. Accessed January 1, 2018. "West Windsor Township Council June 26 selected Jyotika Bahree to fill the vacancy created by the sudden and still-unexplained resignation of former council president Peter Mendonez.... Also, the council opted not to select a new council president, and Miller, as vice president, will act as council’s presiding officer through the end of the year, according to township clerk Sharon Young."</ref> In the November 2018 general election, Yingchao "YZ" Zhang was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Mercer2018>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/92451/Web02.221448/#/ General Election November 6, 2018 Official Results], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated November 13, 2018. Accessed January 1, 2019.</ref>

In June 2015, the township council selected Hemant Marathe to fill the vacant seat expiring December 2015 of Kristina Samonte, who had resigned from office in the previous month as she was relocating out of the township.<ref>Xu, Vincent. [http://www.wwpinfo.com/index.php/component/us1more/?key=6-12-15-ww-news "Council Appoints Marathe, Revisits Affordable Housing"], ''West Windsor & Plainsboro News'', June 12, 2015. Accessed July 3, 2015. "Council sided with familiarity and experience, unanimously selecting former School Board president to serve the final half-year of Kristina Samonte's council term. Samonte resigned her position last month because her family is moving out of town."</ref>