Five women serving as elected officials in Mercer County – from the municipal level to the state level – joined East Windsor Township Mayor Janice S. Mironov in recognizing the strides women have made in politics.
Mayor Mironov issued a proclamation recognizing March as Women’s History Month, while also encouraging more women to get involved in politics, at the Township Council’s March 5 meeting.
“The contributions made by women to our civic, political and cultural life throughout the history of the United States, the State of New Jersey and the Township of East Windsor are noteworthy and have benefited all of us,” according to the Mayoral Proclamation.
Women have made important changes in areas including social reform, women’s equality, health care reform, education reform, business, politics, archaeology and anthropology, the proclamation stated.
Mayor Mironov pointed to five women elected officials – East Windsor Township Council member Denise Daniels, state Senator Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer Middlesex), state Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer Hunterdon), Mercer County Freeholder Ann Cannon and West Windsor Township Council President Alison Miller – as role models for young women who would like to serve.
Daniels has served on the East Windsor Township Council since 2016, and served on the East Windsor Township Planning Board.
Greenstein got her start in politics when she was elected to the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Board of Education in 1992. She served on the Plainsboro Township Committee from 1995 to 2000, and in the state Assembly from 2000 to 2010. She was elected to the state Senate in 2010.
Reynolds-Jackson served on the Trenton City Council from 2010 to 2018, when she made the jump to the state Assembly.
Cannon served on the East Windsor Township Council from 1990 to 1994, and was elected to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1995.
Miller has served several non-consecutive terms on the West Windsor Township Council – from 1993 to 1999; 2001 to 2005; and from 2015 to the present.
Mayor Mironov noted the contributions made by the five women elected officials “who have themselves been great examples and role models of women who have helped make a difference and lead the way for other women who are interested in public service.”
“As we see in the news and political life today, more and more women are participating and succeeding, which is a terrific thing,” Mayor Mironov said.
“There are a lot of outstanding and quality women who are going forth with their voices, contributions and accomplishments in public life,” Mayor Mironov said.
“It is important that we continue to recognize women who have been there before and have done a great job, while encouraging others to become involved as well,” she said.
Women have made progress over the years, but there is still a long way to go when one considers the percentage of women in the population and the percentage of positions – including elected officials – that are held by women, Mayor Mironov said.
“The numbers aren’t quite there yet. So it is important to promote more women getting involved, with the hope that we can all continue to make a difference in our community, our state and our country in a more inclusive and caring way,” Mayor Mironov said.
Women’s History Month began when President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the week of March 8, 1980 as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987, “Women’s History Week” expanded so that March became “Women’s History Month.”
