Candidates | Adams Cripe 2024

Nancy Adams

Nancy Adams has served on the Township Committee since 2016, as Deputy Mayor from 2016-18 and as Mayor in 2024. She moved to Maplewood in 1989 where she raised five children and was a proud and active member of the PTA. Nancy has a 34-year history of community service to Maplewood including co-founding of the Springfield Avenue Partnership, co-founding of the College Hill Neighborhood Association and as a Planning Board member since 2009.

Ms. Adams is certified by the National Main Street Center in Downtown Management with a 28-year career in downtown revitalization and redevelopment. She is a Board member of Downtown New Jersey, a professional and advocacy organization known statewide in the industry.

Nancy is a member of the League of Women Voters and served as a Democratic District Leader from 1992-2000. She provided key support to former Township Committeeman Mickey Stern to successfully launch the Maplewood Jitney Service in the early-1990s.

Nancy has served as Chair of the Engineering, Public Works & Planning, Economic Development, Finance and Code Committees. She has continued service on those committees along with the Planning Board as the Township Committee representative. Ms. Adams has served as liaison on the Environmental Advisory Committee, Historic Preservation Commission, Open Space Trust Fund, Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy and the Maplewood Village Alliance.

Ms. Adams believes in common-sense and pragmatic governing looking carefully at all sides of issues before deciding on her position on issues from public safety to the municipal budget.

Additional Accomplishments & Priorities

Currently serving as Mayor of Maplewood,
Working on current effort to create NJ’s first Stormwater Management Utility in Maplewood ensuring reliable annual funding needed for infrastructure work,
Currently working to make Dehart fields fully playable, with $100K planning and design grant applied for,
Stopped use of Gas Leaf Blowers seasonally; banned year-round as of 1/1/23,
Revamped recycling to dual-stream saving over $100K in first year alone,
Eliminated the retail use of single-use plastics: bags, straws, condiment packages and utensils,
Established use of green infrastructure in road projects,
Doubled annual trees planted to 300 street trees plus 200 in the parks,
Established historic preservation practices in repairs to township buildings,
Preserved town’s residential charm by limiting lot coverage residential lots,
Uses common sense, cost-effective approach to pedestrian safety projects,
Created annual recognition of Women’s History Month in SOMA.

Jamaine Cripe

Jamaine Cripe has served on on the Township Committee since 2022. She is a 21-year resident of Maplewood and has a long history of community service, including on the Seth Boyden PTA (2010-13), as co-chair of the CHS HSA’s Cougar Cares Committee (2022-23) which provides regular support to our families struggling with food insecurity and lack of other essentials, as Assistant coach for the CHS Cougar Football Cheerleading team (2019-20), and on the Springfield Avenue Public Arts Initiative, raising money for art on the avenue.

Professionally, Jamaine serves on the Lifespan Ministry Team at the historic Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, a progressive award-winning church that welcomes people of all lifestyles and ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds. She holds a NJ certificate in Elementary Education.

On the Township Committee, Jamaine serves as Chair of the Public Safety and Health & Community Services committees, as well as on the Board of School Estimate. She is liaison to YouthNet and the Senior Advisory and Recreation Advisory committees.

Accomplishments and Current Priorities:

Currently serving as Deputy Mayor of Maplewood
Uses common sense, cost-effective approach to pedestrian safety project
Initiated and now coordinating the formation of the Athletic Fields Advisory and All-Access Advisory Committees. The All-Access effort is intended to ensure inclusiveness for all residents, including the neuro-diverse and differently-abled, ADA compliance in all buildings and at all events, and translation of key township materials into other languages to support our immigrant residents
Strong supporter of current effort to make DeHart fields fully playable
Key voice in the expansion of needs-based pool memberships with budgeted increase in 2025 and free access to pool on heat advisory days
Championed the Inclusive Playground, with anticipated ground-breaking in 2025
Supports expansion of environmental sustainability efforts.
Maintains continuous sustained outreach to those segments of the community not typically part of the conversation.