Wards are different parts of a town or city. Since 1871, New Brunswick has had six wards. Each ward in New Brunswick has about 8,000 residents.
The ward campaign is an effort to change the way our City Council is elected here in New Brunswick so that each ward gets a representative in government.
This new system, which is common in most medium-sized and large cities in New Jersey, will empower residents to elect their own leaders from their communities.
On November 3rd, New Brunswick residents will have the chance to vote for the ward system. Our community coalition is encouraging residents to support this powerful change by voting YES on the ballot question for wards.
Wards work best in places like New Brunswick.
Ward-based elections are necessary in towns and cities that have a diverse population and clearly different neighborhoods with unique problems, needs, and issues. The larger and more diverse a town or city is, the more likely they are to use wards to ensure every community is represented in government. Under the current at-large system, minority interests can be overwhelmed by a narrow majority of the city and get no representation in government.
Wards will guarantee that someone who knows the ins and outs of each ward will be on the City Council.
We all love our city, but we can admit that their are many problems that need to be addressed in our communities. The best people to take on these challenges are the people who live in the neighborhoods and understand the problems their communities face. Under a ward-based system, the most qualified and trusted resident of each part of the city would serve on the City Council. This will make our City Council more effective and in touch with the community, as well as guarantee that every neighborhood has a voice in government.
Wards will create cheaper and more competitive elections.
In a ward-based election, it is possible for a grassroots candidate to knock on every door in their ward and win the election based on their reputation and ideas. However, it is almost impossible to knock on every door in the city, especially for ordinary people with jobs and families. Under the current at-large elections, City Council candidates must spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to pay for mass mailings, robot phone calls, television and radio ads, and billboards to get votes from all over town. All of these expensive investments might earn the candidate votes, but do not provide face-to-face contact or personal interaction with their neighbors like a ward election does.
Wards will make for a more diverse City Council.
Ward-based elections have consistently been proven to empower minorities to have a voice in local government. With wards, our City Council will represent a diversity of viewpoints and interests and provide for debate and discussion. Under the current at-large system, candidates usually run as a team and the end result is one team winning all of the seats. So, it does not matter how many people are on the Council because, in the end, the members all think, act, and vote the same way on every issue.
Wards will make our representatives accountable to their neighbors.
Because only the residents of each ward can vote in ward elections, the people they elect will actually be held accountable to the residents of their ward. These representatives will be absolutely sure to protect the interests of their ward, because they will not get re-elected in they fail to serve and protect their community. Under the current at-large system, candidates can and do win their elections without the support of their neighbors because their votes come from elsewhere in the city |
