Election Profile: Jesal Amin For Mayor, East Brunswick

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Newcomer Jesal Amin is challenging incumbent East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen for a four-year term Mayoral seat.

An East Brunswick resident for the past 24 years, Amin is a self-employed businessman, who promises not to raise taxes for town residents. Amin believes that the fast-paced redevelopment projects in town will over-crowd the school system and raise property taxes.

Amin cites his own experience as a small business owner, as a qualification to handle the job and bring much-needed respite to business owners hit hard by the pandemic.

Read below to learn more about Amin and his platform for the upcoming elections in East Brunswick.

Name - Jesal Amin

Age (on election day)- 54

Position sought - Mayor

Party Affiliation - Republican

Family - Bela Amin (wife), Karan Amin (son), Jay Amin (son)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? - No

Education - Masters in Management Informations Systems

Occupation - Self-employed for 28 years.

Previous or Current or Appointed Office - Never held office before.

Campaign website - https://aminforeastbrunswick.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

I decided to run for Mayor to give back to East Brunswick, a town that allowed my family to achieve the American Dream. East Brunswick is a great place to live and raise a family, but a strong Mayor with a business background could improve our township greatly. As Mayor, I plan to use the prestige and influence that comes with the office to be a tireless advocate for East Brunswick’s businesses and families. I have built successful businesses, hired employees and I know the issues facing East Brunswick business and families.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue facing East Brunswick is redevelopment. Mayor Cohen likes to talk the talk on redevelopment, but the fact is we have not yet broken ground. Instead of implementing his redevelopment plan and attracting businesses to East Brunswick, the Mayor has attracted lawsuits. And it’s the residents of East Brunswick who will ultimately pay the cost for the Mayor’s incompetence in this area in three ways, (1.) the legal fees the township must pay to deal the lawsuits, (2.) the higher property taxes, since the Mayor’s failure at redevelopment means revenue shortfalls get passed on to taxpayers and (3.) in property values for homeowners as the blighted portion of Rt.18 makes East Brunswick less desirable. My plan will keep the character of East Brunswick, that we have all grown to know and love; one of single-family homes and tree lined streets. No one moved to East Brunswick to live in the inner city, and the high rise and mixed-use developments proposed by the Mayor will ruin East Brunswick and overburden our schools. East Brunswick loves its school system and adding large amounts of new students will only serve to overcrowd the schools and make or students pay the price.

Instead, I want to focus on office and industrial parks, retail, and dining to make East Brunswick attractive to visitors and businesses without greatly increasing the population and keeping our towns character. For residential development, I would prioritize single family homes and stand up to the ghettoization of East Brunswick. The Mayor wants to put all the affordable housing units together in high-density developments away from the rest of the population. The last thing East Brunswick needs is segregated and stigmatized developments. As Mayor I would work to integrate affordable housing residents into our existing communities and make them part of the East Brunswick Family.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

What separates myself from Mayor Cohen is my business background. As the public health crisis makes way for an economic crisis, it is becoming more apparent that a successful businessman is needed to bring East Brunswick’s economy back. Governor Murphy and Mayor Cohen have moved too slowly in reopening New Jersey and East Brunswick and small business owners are suffering.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency).

Mayor Cohen has failed East Brunswick because he is beholden to Governor Murphy and the Trenton Democrats who are responsible for many of the problems facing East Brunswick, namely our high property taxes. From the toll increases on the Turnpike to tax increases, when Mayor Cohen has to choose between standing up for the residents of East Brunswick or kowtowing to his political bosses, he will always choose the latter. I am not beholden to Trenton Democrats and will use my position as Mayor to speak out for East Brunswick residents.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My platform also revolves around reducing property taxes while maintaining East Brunswick top-notch level of services. My goal is to make East Brunswick an affordable destination for families and businesses alike, and the top town in Central Jersey. As Mayor, I pledge to never raise property taxes on homeowners, and will run a top to bottom audit of municipal government to identify and eliminate wasteful spending. My plan to expedite redevelopment, will bring in new revenue streams to the township that will reduce the reliance on property taxes from single family homes. And as Mayor, I will never entertain the idea of a PILOT program, as they simply pass the costs on from politically connected developers to homeowners. Not raising taxes, does not require cutting services. As Mayor, I will ensure roads are plowed when it snows, garbage is collected, and our police department works to build relationships with the community. I will also ensure East Brunswick has good quality drinking water and keep the money raised with the water and sewer dedicated to the water and sewer. Combining Township services with local organizations will increase the safety afforded to the most vulnerable among us. I support working with churches to expand food banks and so that residents, many of them seniors, never get caught in an emergency looking for food. I will also prioritize the health of East Brunswick residents by supporting the first aid squad and working to relieve stress on the healthcare system.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have managed a variety of small businesses in the last 30 years. I also manage payroll for a large number of employees. Since I am able to manage such a large set of employees and manage to successfully keep open several businesses of mine, I believe I would be qualified to handle this position.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it" - Ronald Reagan

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will manage your money, just the way I manage my money. I am here to reduce the burden in all of our wallets and preserve the community we know. We have had enough tax increases, so I pledge to have a 0 percent tax increase in year 2021. I will redevelop the blighted properties in East Brunswick and bring it back to its true glory, and I ensure it will come back to life as I have developed multiple small businesses of my own.

In anticipation of the upcoming election, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns. We will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

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