Residents Raise Ethics, Transparency Concerns at Township Committee Meeting

Nicholas Mistretta

Montgomery Township – May 28, 2025

Tensions were high during the public comment portion at Montgomery’s May 28 special Township Committee meeting, as residents criticized what they described as a troubling pattern of exclusion, political retaliation, and potential conflicts of interest among township leaders.

Sadaf Jaffer, resident and former Montgomery Mayor, took direct aim at Deputy Mayor Vincent Barragan, challenging his public claims of promoting a culture of inclusivity in local government.

“Inclusive is not the word I would use to describe his leadership,” Jaffer said. “He has repeatedly asked me to discourage people in our circles from speaking during public comment. I declined—because I believe everyone has an equal right to be heard.”

She also alleged Barragan coordinated with Mayor Neena Singh to remove former Mayor Devra Keenan from her Planning Board appointment after policy disagreements.

Devra Keenan herself took the microphone raising an ethics concern related to Resolution 25-5-191, which pertains to the outdoor assembly request for Princeton Farm and Preserves. Keenan requested that Committeeman Ahn and Mayor Singh recuse themselves from voting, citing campaign contributions both had received from the property owners.

“ELEC reports show Ahn received a $1,000 contribution from Maulesh Patel the representative/owner of that property. Perhaps more troubling in her ELEC report Singh shows she received $5,000 from Patel and another $5,000.00 from an individual who appears to be his business partner. Both listed Somerset Hospitalities as employers,” she said.

Turning briefly to police contracts, Keenan supported earlier remarks from the PBA, noting that when she was mayor, she worked with township leadership to improve hiring practices and reevaluate officer compensation.

“At the time, we had over 50% of our department eligible for retirement. We opened the hiring pool and committed to getting our officers into the top third of local pay scales. I hope you take that into account now.”

Following public comment, Township Attorney Wendy Rubinstein Quiroga addressed the concerns raised about Resolution 25-5-191, which pertained to the Princeton Farm and Reserves property. She advised the Township Committee that members Neena Singh and Dennis Ahn were not required to recuse themselves from the vote, as all relevant township departments had reviewed and signed off on the application, and the committee’s role was limited to affirming or denying those findings—leaving no legal conflict. However, she added, “If you are comfortable, out of an abundance of caution, I would recommend you may want to abstain from this vote so as not to be questioned on this further.” Both Singh and Ahn ultimately chose to abstain. The resolution passed by a 3-0-2 vote, with Committee members  Martin, Todd, and Barragan voting in favor, and Singh and Ahn abstaining.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com