To the Editor:

My name is Maya Wahrman, and I am currently a Masters of Social Work student at Rutgers University, working full time at Interfaith-RISE in refugee resettlement and serving families and individuals living in Princeton, Trenton, and across central and south Jersey. I moved to Princeton nine years ago as an undergraduate at the University, and after graduating I worked for two years at the University’s Office of Religious Life in interfaith programming, focusing on immigration justice.

I came to know the town of Princeton as a community that I wanted to contribute to and see flourish. I volunteered at Princeton High School mentoring unaccompanied minors in the ELL class and with local refugee families. I moved into direct client service and worked for a year at the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Trenton (LALDEF) as a bilingual client advocate and case manager in partnership with a Trenton middle school. As an active member of Princeton Mutual Aid and a social worker I see the immense possibilities in Princeton and Mercer County for support of our vulnerable neighbors and the growing immigrant and Latino communities in our town.

I have had the great fortune of knowing Eve Niedergang my whole life, as our families have been close friends since before I was born. When I moved to Princeton Eve always hosted me graciously for dinner, drove me to appointments, and helped me with whatever I needed. I saw Eve’s commitment to Princeton, her knowledge and care toward all the different layers of our community. She has always showed me and everyone in my circle immense generosity and kindness of spirit, paired with a nuanced thoughtful approach to politics, from her own neighborhood to the federal level and beyond.

Watching Eve grow as a Councilwoman over the past three years has been inspiring. I see her taking seriously every topic that comes before her, recognizing that strengthening and improving our community happens in all issues (no matter how local or small) that her constituents hold dear, taking time to learn them and formulate policies and positions that best reflect her values and that of our town. The care with which she treats her friends and the critical mind with which she approaches all topics of importance are both evident in how she educates herself on all of the important issues we face together. Her work at the Watershed has increased her knowledge and commitment to sustainability and environmental justice, and she has educated herself on racial justice and every other issue that someone brings to her attention as important. I was particularly impressed by her commitment to affordable housing to ensure our town grows equitably and responsibly. She does not shy away from exploring or taking on the issues that her constituents find important.

There are few people I trust in Princeton to take our issues and our community more seriously, treating every person she meets and represents with the empathy and full respect they deserve.

Maya Wahrman
South Stanworth Drive