In the 1970's and 80's, Maplewood had an all Republican township committee. Today, we have zero, with the last Republican losing their seat in 1994. Where did all of the conservatives in our community go? Was it the mass influx on new residents from Brooklyn and New York City? Or, did people's political opinions begin to shift naturally within our town? I remember Mike Summersgill launching a campaign a decade ago but it never really reached much traction. Is the Maplewood Republican Committee still active? I know current president Mary Devon O’Brien has an elected role in the Essex County GOP faction, but I am not sure about the local level. Does the group still meet, and if so where and when?
I moved to Maplewood in 1987 and even though I am a registered Democrat and always have been I did vote for Robert Grasmere for TC. I think what changed is the Republican party unfortunately not the "mass influx" of "new residents from Brooklyn and New York City". By the way Brooklyn is one of the 5 boroughs of NYC. So maybe you you mean Brooklyn and Manhattan. I am from Queens by the way.
In the 1970's and 80's, Maplewood had an all Republican township committee. Today, we have zero, with the last Republican losing their seat in 1994. Where did all of the conservatives in our community go?
When we moved here in the early 2000's (I'm from another diverse town in NJ, and prior to that, from the Bronx), the bidding wars were starting up. We overheard a realtor mentioning how all the people who sold their homes during the 'white-flight' period in the 1990's were now missing out on the rapid increase in the prices of SOMSD properties.
It's possible that the 'white-flight' period resulted in a substantial proportion of Republicans leaving, and a substantial proportion of Democrats moving in. The marketing of SOMSD from that point forward as 'diverse' (currently a verboten word under Trump) may have continued the trend of attracting mostly Democrats.
When we moved here in the early 2000's (I'm from another diverse town in NJ, and prior to that, from the Bronx), the bidding wars were starting up. We overheard a realtor mentioning how all the people who sold their homes during the 'white-flight' period in the 1990's were now missing out on the rapid increase in the prices of SOMSD properties.
It's possible that the 'white-flight' period resulted in a substantial proportion of Republicans leaving, and a substantial proportion of Democrats moving in. The marketing of SOMSD from that point forward as 'diverse' (currently a verboten word under Trump) may have continued the trend of attracting mostly Democrats.
most people here are too intelligent to be MAGA. Continuing to buy the GOP talking points means throwing knowledge, reasoning, intellectual consistency, and logic out the window.
Not saying all Republican voters are like that but clearly anyone who votes that way has to be willing to ignore the irrationality of what passes for Republican arguments in the Trump era.
I agree that the ideological and cultural shift has definitely deterred traditional Republican Maplewood residents from voting red in local, state, and national elections, as well as dissuaded new generations of voters from following traditional Republican tea party ideals. At the same time however, I do not think it is correct to assume that the relocation of people from Brooklyn (specifically) had no impact on the shift in party allegiance within Maplewood. Speaking about NYC as a whole, Staten Island is one of the 5 boroughs, and has only voted for a Democrat in a national election 4 times since 1960. My point is, people from Brooklyn (a Democrat stronghold since forever) have moved to Maplewood at considerably higher rates than people from Staten Island for example, bringing their lasting Democratic allegiance and surely that has an effect on the voting scene beyond just the internal shift of the Republican Party.
I moved to Maplewood in 1987 and even though I am a registered Democrat and always have been I did vote for Robert Grasmere for TC. I think what changed is the Republican party unfortunately not the "mass influx" of "new residents from Brooklyn and New York City". By the way Brooklyn is one of the 5 boroughs of NYC. So maybe you you mean Brooklyn and Manhattan. I am from Queens by the way.
When we moved here in the early 2000's (I'm from another diverse town in NJ, and prior to that, from the Bronx), the bidding wars were starting up. We overheard a realtor mentioning how all the people who sold their homes during the 'white-flight' period in the 1990's were now missing out on the rapid increase in the prices of SOMSD properties.
It's possible that the 'white-flight' period resulted in a substantial proportion of Republicans leaving, and a substantial proportion of Democrats moving in. The marketing of SOMSD from that point forward as 'diverse' (currently a verboten word under Trump) may have continued the trend of attracting mostly Democrats.
Interesting and logical. I’m not sure what you are referring to as the “white-flight” of the 90’s. I’m familiar with the “white-flight” of the 60’s after the Newark Race Riots, but my understanding was that some of those white people “fleeing” Newark ended up in Maplewood. Wouldn’t they retain their traditional Republican identity the same way they maintained their Italian, Irish, and Jewish identity? But that’s the 60’s and may be incorrect, I’m curious to what the 90’s “white-flight” refers to.
I agree that the ideological and cultural shift has definitely deterred traditional Republican Maplewood residents from voting red in local, state, and national elections, as well as dissuaded new generations of voters from following traditional Republican tea party ideals. At the same time however, I do not think it is correct to assume that the relocation of people from Brooklyn (specifically) had no impact on the shift in party allegiance within Maplewood. Speaking about NYC as a whole, Staten Island is one of the 5 boroughs, and has only voted for a Democrat in a national election 4 times since 1960. My point is, people from Brooklyn (a Democrat stronghold since forever) have moved to Maplewood at considerably higher rates than people from Staten Island for example, bringing their lasting Democratic allegiance and surely that has an effect on the voting scene beyond just the internal shift of the Republican Party.
I moved to Maplewood in 1987 and even though I am a registered Democrat and always have been I did vote for Robert Grasmere for TC. I think what changed is the Republican party unfortunately not the "mass influx" of "new residents from Brooklyn and New York City". By the way Brooklyn is one of the 5 boroughs of NYC. So maybe you you mean Brooklyn and Manhattan. I am from Queens by the way.
However you define the "shift" by 1994, it happened before Midtown Direct (Kearny Connection - Wikipedia, for those unfamiliar with that history) and, consequently, any "incentive" to consider Maplewood a next step from Brooklyn. Similarly, any marketing which might have taken place to encourage that also came later.
Some may think that "It's Brooklyn" is an explanation, but there's probably not data to really support that.
However you define the "shift" by 1994, it happened before Midtown Direct (Kearny Connection - Wikipedia, for those unfamiliar with that history) and, consequently, any "incentive" to consider Maplewood a next step from Brooklyn. Similarly, any marketing which might have taken place to encourage that also came later.
Some may think that "It's Brooklyn" is an explanation, but there's probably not data to really support that.
I knew a republican who bought a house up in the Wyoming area, within three years he sold. Moved to millburn.
It is in fact interesting to see the difference in voting patterns between Essex and Morris County. Just at the political parties switched voting bases in the South in the 60's, Morris County used to vote blue while Essex was a red stalwart. Now people of similar economic means vote the opposite way.
They’re all dying out…. And the young ones who realized that they bought into the wrong zip code are moving further west…
I think another interesting thing to note is how the few Republicans in Maplewood treat SOMSD. I think (and this is just speculation not fact) that those Maplewood adults who identify as Republican choose to educate their kids at local private (often parochial) elementary schools (think St. Rose of Lima and OLS) and then allow them to matriculate to private high schools (think Seton Hall Prep, Oratory, Golda Och, and Newark Academy). Most of the people I know in Maplewood who are Republicans chose this route for their children, some even sending their children to expensive Northeast boarding schools. Perhaps it's because a lot of Republicans in Maplewood might identify as Catholic and want their kids to get a Catholic education, or perhaps it is for some other reason that I'm not privy to.
If children inherit their own political beliefs from their parents (which something north of 85% of children do according to Pew), and their parents choose to send them to private schools, it makes sense why there is no Conservative Society at CHS, and is a disservice to all children of Maplewood (both R & D) for not being exposed to different thought. Maybe I'm just rambling..
Inner ring suburbs all over the country have been trending Democratic for decades, not just in Maplewood.
Educated people in diverse towns near cities are not voting Republican any more.
And it should be clear to anyone why. A party that is anti-science, anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, anti-diversity is going to be poison to the overwhelming majority of voters in these towns.
It's disingenuous to feign puzzlement over why there's no GOP in Maplewood
If children inherit their own political beliefs from their parents (which something north of 85% of children do according to Pew), and their parents choose to send them to private schools, it makes sense why there is no Conservative Society at CHS, and is a disservice to all children of Maplewood (both R & D) for not being exposed to different thought. Maybe I'm just rambling..
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
I think this has turned into a Politics discussion, imho.
However you define the "shift" by 1994, it happened before Midtown Direct (Kearny Connection - Wikipedia, for those unfamiliar with that history) and, consequently, any "incentive" to consider Maplewood a next step from Brooklyn. Similarly, any marketing which might have taken place to encourage that also came later.
Some may think that "It's Brooklyn" is an explanation, but there's probably not data to really support that.
I don't think those are necessarily inconsistent points. I agree that Maplewood's movement away from the GOP began before Midtown Direct. But the fact that the initial trend predates 1996 doesn't mean later migration from Brooklyn wasn't a major factor in accelerating and cementing Maplewood's political identity.
The "Brooklynification" of Maplewood is well documented, particularly from the mid-2000s onward, as rising housing costs in neighborhoods like Park Slope and Williamsburg pushed families to commuter suburbs with strong schools and direct rail access. Numerous real estate reports, local discussions, and media coverage identify Maplewood and South Orange as premier destinations for these movers.
So I wouldn't argue that Brooklyn migration explains why Maplewood first became competitive for Democrats in the early 1990s. I'd argue that it helps explain why Maplewood became one of the most Democratic towns in New Jersey over the following two decades. Those are different questions.
On the data point, I actually think there is data that could test the hypothesis. IRS county-to-county migration files and Census ACS migration tables can show how many residents moved from Kings County to Essex County (and, where available, to Maplewood) over time. If those inflows increased substantially during the same period that Maplewood's Democratic margins widened, that would at least provide empirical support for the argument, even if it doesn't prove causation by itself. In other words, I don't think the right question is "Did Brooklyn create Democratic Maplewood?" It's "To what extent did the influx of New York City professionals, particularly from Brooklyn, accelerate and reinforce an existing political trend?" That's a much more testable proposition and I wish I had the time to check it out. I did mislead you though in the original message in the thread, I should have fleshed out my thought process better.
I think this has turned into a Politics discussion, imho.
Yes, not my intention at all. Just interested in local political history. Don't care about how people vote now or why they do. Just trying to learn more about a Maplewood's past and understand the wonderful community we have today.
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
This isn't the refutation you probably think it is.
Interesting and logical. I’m not sure what you are referring to as the “white-flight” of the 90’s. I’m familiar with the “white-flight” of the 60’s after the Newark Race Riots, but my understanding was that some of those white people “fleeing” Newark ended up in Maplewood. Wouldn’t they retain their traditional Republican identity the same way they maintained their Italian, Irish, and Jewish identity? But that’s the 60’s and may be incorrect, I’m curious to what the 90’s “white-flight” refers to.
In my early years here, I went to an estate sale, and the owner said he was moving "...because of the schools". This may have reflected some of the reasoning behind 'white-flight' in the 1990's: The SOMSD schools at that time, especially Seth Boyden, Clinton, and CHS, had increasing enrollments of Black students and decreasing enrollments of White students.
My kids attend(ed) all 3 of those schools, and my oldest is currently a top scholar at an 'elite' college. So, I don't believe things like curriculum or academic rigor were the issue.
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
This isn't the refutation you probably think it is.
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
This isn't the refutation you probably think it is.
In my early years here, I went to an estate sale, and the owner said he was moving "...because of the schools". This may have reflected some of the reasoning behind 'white-flight' in the 1990's: The SOMSD schools at that time, especially Seth Boyden, Clinton, and CHS, had increasing enrollments of Black students and decreasing enrollments of White students.
My kids attend(ed) all 3 of those schools, and my oldest is currently a top scholar at an 'elite' college. So, I don't believe things like curriculum or academic rigor were the issue.
Interesting. Here is a good article from the NYT about racial incidences in SOMA from the mid 1980's, but it was whites targeting blacks. It would help explain a "black-flight" from SOMA, but not sure the logical reasoning behind people fleeing due to diversity. Different times I guess.
In 1993, when I moved to Maplewood, there was a low-key white flight happening. People like myself in our mid-20s were looking westward for buying their first homes. The neighborhood to the south of Springfield Avenue over to Boyden was considered very undesirable. My in-laws who had resided in Maplewood for decades encouraged us not to buy a house here. I talked to a lot of people and there was a thinly disguised fear about the growing black population. People pointed at Orange and East Orange and said that Maplewood was eventually going to be “like that”.
Midtown Express was a game changer. I would also say that the forced integration of Marshall and Jefferson Elementary Schools was also instrumental.
As far as the fading of Republicans, I think that was heavily related to the departure of more racist white people. Also the rise of the Tea Party and Fox News turned off a lot of people around here from the party.
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
This isn't the refutation you probably think it is.
LOL! They just are not able to help themselves, are they?
I hadn't considered the division between the parties to be centered around racial issues. I thought a strong dividing point had been a woman's right to choose. And I am one of those people who moved from Manhattan in the mid 90s. To be fair, my dream party is Green but it has never had a strong following.
I hadn't considered the division between the parties to be centered around racial issues. I thought a strong dividing point had been a woman's right to choose. And I am one of those people who moved from Manhattan in the mid 90s. To be fair, my dream party is Green but it has never had a strong following.
It’s a lot of things, and yeah reproductive freedom is a big one.
In my personal opinion, Republicans in general are much less comfortable living in close proximity to anyone who isn’t white.
In my early years here, I went to an estate sale, and the owner said he was moving "...because of the schools". This may have reflected some of the reasoning behind 'white-flight' in the 1990's: The SOMSD schools at that time, especially Seth Boyden, Clinton, and CHS, had increasing enrollments of Black students and decreasing enrollments of White students.
My kids attend(ed) all 3 of those schools, and my oldest is currently a top scholar at an 'elite' college. So, I don't believe things like curriculum or academic rigor were the issue.
Interesting. Here is a good article from the NYT about racial incidences in SOMA from the mid 1980's, but it was whites targeting blacks. It would help explain a "black-flight" from SOMA, but not sure the logical reasoning behind people fleeing due to diversity. Different times I guess.
The decennial census proves the white flight theory in the 1990s. In 1990 Maplewood's population was 21,652 and 82% of those people were White Non-Hispanic while 12% were Black, Non-Hispanic. By 2000 Maplewood's population had increased to 23,868(10%) but the White Non-Hispanic population had decreased to 56% of the population( a 25% decrease) while the Black Non-Hispanic population had increased to 32% of the population (a 20% increase).
anti ILLEGAL immigration and the only anti science I see is dudes inverting their peckers and calling themselves girls. maybe you should nominate more Communist rapists for Senate, and then lecture us on morality.
And we dont send our kids to your schools bc we dont want them indoctrinated with your retarded leftist ****.
You forgot the "sarcasm" emoji. Still, good one. I got a chuckle out'a it.
In the 1970's and 80's, Maplewood had an all Republican township committee. Today, we have zero, with the last Republican losing their seat in 1994. Where did all of the conservatives in our community go? Was it the mass influx on new residents from Brooklyn and New York City? Or, did people's political opinions begin to shift naturally within our town? I remember Mike Summersgill launching a campaign a decade ago but it never really reached much traction. Is the Maplewood Republican Committee still active? I know current president Mary Devon O’Brien has an elected role in the Essex County GOP faction, but I am not sure about the local level. Does the group still meet, and if so where and when?