Fozia Januja, a Pakistani American, was chosen as Mount Laurel’s mayor during the council reorganization meeting on January 3 in South Jersey.
The first Sikh and Indian American woman mayor in the state was appointed last week, and her name is Neena Singh. She is the new mayor of Montgomery Township, New Jersey. The members of the Township Committee unanimously decided to elect the former deputy mayor and township committeewoman to the position of mayor.
Singh called the day of her swearing-in on January 4th “a historic moment for our community and our entire state” during her speech. She said she appreciated the support from her committee colleagues. “I am also immensely proud of our township for once again shattering stereotypes and serving as an example of inclusive, open, and progressive governance in our state.”
She claimed that she had the same goals and aspirations for the United States as its founding fathers did. “I am grateful that my family and I have made Montgomery Township, a town that embodies the American Dream, our home. It provides every individual with the chance to live better, more fulfilling lives.”
In the meantime, at the council reorganisation meeting on January 3, South Jersey’s Pakistani American Fozia Januja was chosen to serve as Mount Laurel’s mayor. She is the first Muslim and South Asian woman to lead the township. She “touted the township’s past accomplishments, mentioned her anticipation of future achievements, and praised the municipality’s diversity since she first assumed a council seat in 2021,” according to Tap into Mount Laurel, in her speech to the crowd following her swearing-in.
Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman administered the oath of office to Singh, Committeewoman Patricia Taylor Todd, and Deputy Mayor Vincent Barragan. Singh “embodies commitment to public service and has made her life’s work fighting for social justice, economic opportunity, and human rights for all,” according to a press release from Coleman.
Along with Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Assembly Members Roy Freiman and Sadaf Jaffer—a former mayor of Montgomery Township—and State Senator Andrew Zwicker were also present. According to mycentraljersey.com, state Senator Vin Gopal and Senator Cory Booker both sent Singh video messages expressing their congratulations. “Every young South Asian girl growing up in Montgomery and throughout New Jersey will have a true role model to look up to,” Gopal was quoted in the report as saying.
The mayor “presides at meetings of the township committee and has the power to appoint subcommittees with the consent of the township committee,” according to the Montgomery News. Additionally, the mayor also has the power “to make proclamations concerning holidays and events of interest in the township and to exercise the ceremonial power of the township.”
Singh, who has lived in Montgomery for 25 years, was appointed to the Montgomery Township Committee in 2021 to fill the unexpired term of Committeewoman Catherine Gural (D). In her career, she is a senior partner at Belle Mead’s Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty. She graduated from Kurukshetra University in India with a bachelor’s degree in political science and English literature. Paramjit Singh, her spouse, owns and operates a life sciences consulting business. Three adult children of the couple exist.
Before this, from January 3, 2019, to December 31, 2020, Jaffer served as Montgomery’s leader for two one-year terms. She was elected as the nation’s first female mayor of Pakistani American descent and the first woman of South Asian descent in New Jersey. She was elected to the New Jersey Legislature last year, along with Shama Haider, the former chair of the Democratic Party in Tenafly. After winning the 16th district election, Jaffer decided not to run for office again to concentrate on her work in higher education and spend more time with her family. She teaches courses on South Asian, Islamic, and Asian-American studies at Princeton University, where she works as a postdoctoral research associate in South Asian studies.
Janjua was chosen as deputy mayor last year and has been a member of the council since 2021. She was raised in San Francisco and is one of the co-founders of Community SJP, a nonprofit that gives away blankets to hospitals and shelters, buys school supplies, and prepares meals for the underprivileged. Janjua is a married woman with four sons. She teaches first grade at Westfield Friends School in Cinnaminson at the moment.
