A PETITION TO END PARTISAN ELECTIONS IN WESTAMPTON TOWNSHIP

We the signatories of this PETITION are tired of the nasty partisanship we have witnessed in town. New Jersey Municipalities have a large variety of choices regarding local government administration. Our local leaders should explore changing our local charter to find a form that is compatible with the current needs of our residents.

We believe the citizens of Westampton should be able to choose elected representatives whose sole goal is to serve our community, not divide it with partisanship. A "People Over Politics" and "Westampton First" philosophy of governing. This PETITION calls on the Westampton Township Committee to change our charter, from the present partisan model to one that is nonpartisan.

This PETITION does not seek to end or diminish the legitimate and constructive role of political parties in a fair and competitive election system rooted in respect for the rights of every voter. Political parties will always play a role in assisting their members in navigating the complex waters of pursuing elected office. We have no issue with that. Our concern is when candidates become more indebted to their political parties than to the residents of their communities. You know, the ones who voted them into office in the first place!

It has been proven that nonpartisan elections at the local level encourage and promote the following etiquette when candidates are presenting their campaigns before their neighbors:

• No Partisan Attacks
• No Personal Attacks
• Substantiate Claims

The advantages to a nonpartisan election are many:

• It helps eliminate the extreme candidates from the process. Those types of politicians thrive in a partisan primary, where they appeal to the diehard voters of their party and ascend to the general election.
• Candidates are more free in nonpartisan elections to state their true beliefs, rather than pandering to their party and framing their stance on issues to appeal to the more extreme voters who tend to turn out for partisan primaries. In partisan elections, candidates sometimes have one set of beliefs for the primary, then tweak them for the more moderate voters in a general election. So, what exactly do they stand for again? Oh yeah, they stand for doing what it takes to win an election.
• Nonpartisan elections reduce the gamesmanship that goes on in party politics. We've seen this time and time again in Westampton: politicians become more concerned about making the other party look bad heading into elections than they are about finding compromise and doing something that actually benefits the township.
• It eliminates blind, straight-ticket voting where uninformed voters simply bow to their party ideals regardless of the merits of the individual candidates.
• But, more than anything, this is an alternative to the current system, which is broken. People are fed up with the partisanship of our elected leaders. How refreshing would it be if politicians were beholden to their constituents and not the party that got them elected?

We believe that nonpartisan elections at the local level will ensure that Westampton's local concerns are addressed without the distraction of regional and or national partisan political issues of the day ("Westampton First"). The two-party system has served the country well for a long time. But in today’s divisive political climate, we the signers of this petition are open to something other than “politics as usual".

I sign this PETITION in support of Deputy Mayor Abraham Lopez and Committeewoman Maureen Smith-Hartman's call to end local partisan elections in Westampton. It is my expectation that this petition will serve as a motivation to the Township Committee confirming that our citizens want candidates who will be beholden to the people and not their political party; candidates who will embrace bipartisanship, be fair, and impartial.

Now is the time to "End Partisan Elections in Westampton"!