Warren Committee General Election 2022: Ashok Rakhit

WARREN, NJ — Warren's general election on Nov. 8 has two candidates running for one open seat on the Township Committee.

Democrat Ashok Rakhit is running against Republican Lisa Lontai for the one seat.

Both candidates are running for the one, three-year seats on the township committee.

Are you running for office in Warren? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at [email protected] for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Warren Patch.

Ashok Rakhit

Age: 69

Town of Residence: Warren

Position Sought: Township Committee member

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married with three adult children

Education: BS (Pharmacy); MS; PhD (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

Occupation: Retired Corporate Executive; Community Pharmacy Owner; Entrepreneur and currently President and Co-Founder of TeleHealth Startup

Previous Elected or Appointed Office: Current 1 st Alternate Member of Somerset County Planning Board

Campaign Website: rakhitforwarren.com

Why are you seeking to run for Township Committee?

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan described America as “a Shining City on the Hill.” Twenty-two years ago, my wife and I decided to raise our family in Warren because it reminded us of a true ‘shining city on a hill’- a hilltop town close to New York City with beautiful homes, excellent schools, and green, open fields and woods with a rural feeling. Much of that seems to have changed in the last few years. Due to poor decision making by our town committee, a part of the town-owned Wagner Farm property will now house a sewage treatment facility along with seven buildings on a field overlooking the Wagner Farm Arboretum Community Gardens. Recently another reckless decision by a town committee member resulted in a lawsuit against our town because a developer wanted to build an Amazon distribution warehouse on the previous Chubb site. We will ultimately lose this lawsuit and be at the mercy of these developers with no opportunity to provide input on land use.

An audit, which most Town Committee members tried to prevent, discovered $207,000 of uncollected funds from developers. Some Town Committee members even suggested that they may not bother seeking overdue payments from delinquent developers. These as well as other poor decisions reflect a lack of transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility from our present town committee. I believe my background and experience give me the opportunity to support residents’ involvement in major development and policy decisions.

Transparency and accountability are an essential part of my professional success. Overseeing large budgets and building small businesses from the ground up also give me the experience needed to assure our community is relevant and desirable now and in the future.

I have no self-serving agenda except to listen to the needs of Warren residents. I am not obligated to any politicians or developers in town. I take pride in the ethical leadership I have shown in the past.

Do you feel overdevelopment is an issue in town? How would you like to address it?

Yes, it is not unusual for this Town Committee to announce final plans for a development without previous adequate discussions or explanations to residents. Decisions are made that are irreversible by the time the community learns about major building plans. To eliminate this information gap, I would like to share any major development plans in the conceptual stage by providing details on the town website and seeking residents’ opinions before finalizing any plans. I would create genuine Ad Hoc Committees, consisting of a cross-section of the community rather than hand-picked partisan cohorts Also, I would provide residents a detailed rationale for my votes on ordinances related to new development; therefore, assuring citizens of transparency behind each decision.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in town?

We need to commit to a long-term development plan (5-15 years) that includes gradual conversion to Green Energy in township buildings; provide more electric vehicle charging stations; make infrastructure investments (improve stormwater management and avoid flooding with improved stormwater management system where needed); revitalize downtown with easier access, more retail and restaurants; invest in more playing fields and parks to meet the needs of sports’ programs and various neighborhoods. Presently many local sports teams must travel to other towns to play a “home” game because no fields are available in Warren.

In looking to the future, we also need to retain the deep-rooted history of the town. Preserving historical structures, acknowledging our role in local and state history, and honoring those who came before us shows our pride in the creation of the Warren we know today.

In summary, I want to create smart and thoughtful development of public space while preserving green space as much as possible. My long-term goal is to make Warren a desirable town so the next generation chooses Warren as the place to raise their children, just like we did!

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

My opponent has been hand-picked to represent the status quo of the current stagnant administration. I acknowledge her role as a health care professional; however, she lacks experience in business finance, planning and development areas I am familiar with in my career. As a successful entrepreneur, I am always looking for better ways to manage resources with a vision of the future. I have no self-serving agenda except to listen to the needs of the Warren residents. I am not obligated to any politicians or corporate interest in town. I take pride in the ethical leadership I have shown in the past and intend to bring my business acumen to move our town forward with a vision.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I am an immigrant who practices basic American values of hard work, endless opportunity, and fairness for all. I believe our township management needs a shakeup for a positive change and fresh ideas. We need greater transparency, accountability, and increased citizens’ involvement in planning and development for the future. My vision is similar to that of the many people I have met while canvassing during my campaign: to make Warren a desirable town in this area with a rural look while offering the highest quality of infrastructure parks, playing fields, and a thriving downtown which will make our community a place where young people settle to raise their families just as we did.

The question for voters is simple: Do you want more of the same or do you feel a need to challenge the status quo of 20-plus years of the same leaders? I have spent all of my adult years in my new homeland and understand our need for long-term, smart development. Our town needs to stay desirable and relevant now and in the future. I will provide positive change for a brighter future.