Roosevelt, New Jersey


Roosevelt is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 882, reflecting a decline of 51 from the 933 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 49 from the 884 counted in the 1990 Census.
The borough was established as Jersey Homesteads by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township. The name was changed to Roosevelt as of November 9, 1945, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier, in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on April 12, 1945.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Roosevelt as its 12th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History

Roosevelt was originally called Jersey Homesteads, and was created during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal, its main purpose being to resettle Jewish garment workers. The town was conceived as an integrated cooperative project, with farming, manufacturing, and retail all on a cooperative basis. The project fell under the discretion of the Resettlement Administration, but was conceived and largely planned out by Benjamin Brown.
Farmland in Central Jersey was purchased by Jersey Homesteads, Inc., a corporation owned by the federal government but under control of a board of directors selected by Brown. Construction started around 1936. Soon after there were 200 homes and various public facilities in place. The economy of the town consisted of a garment factory and a farm. Objectives of the community were to help residents escape poverty, to show that cooperative management can work, and as an experiment in government intervention.
Albert Einstein gave the town his political and moral support. Artist Ben Shahn lived in the town and painted a fresco mural viewable in the current Roosevelt Public School. The three panels show the history of the Jersey Homesteads, starting with the eastern European origins of its Jewish residents, their passage through Ellis Island and making plans for the community in Roosevelt.
David Dubinsky and the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union opposed the project, arguing that the factory town would cause unions to lose their power over wages. Political opposition came from those who thought too much money was being spent on the project, as well as those opposed to the New Deal in general.
The Jersey Homesteads cooperative didn't last through World War II. It failed for a number of reasons.
Roosevelt is a historic landmark and is the subject of the 1983 documentary, . The Jersey Homesteads Historic District was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, including "all that area within the corporate boundaries of the Borough of Roosevelt".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.920 square miles, including 1.910 square miles of land and 0.010 square miles of water.
The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of Millstone Township on the north and east and Upper Freehold Township on the southwest.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $81,000 and the median family income was $86,406. Males had a median income of $48,571 versus $40,909 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,863. About 4.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 933 people, 337 households, and 258 families residing in the borough. The population density was 477.0 people per square mile. There were 351 housing units at an average density of 179.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 88.96% White, 2.57% African American, 2.04% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.25% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.50% of the population.
There were 337 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $61,979, and the median income for a family was $67,019. Males had a median income of $50,417 versus $38,229 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,892. About 3.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Roosevelt is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 of 565 municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a Mayor and a Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by Roosevelt is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.
, the Mayor of Roosevelt is Democrat Peggy Malkin, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. The members of the Roosevelt Borough Council are Council President Michael B. Hamilton, Steven Bowen, Luke D. Dermody, Louis Esakoff, Joseph E. Trammell and Chad Vroman.
On August 14, 2017, Mayor Jeff Ellentuck, Council President Stacey Bonna and Councilwoman Jill Lipoti all resigned, citing conflicts between factions of the Democratic Party in the borough. Councilmember Michael L. Ticktin, who had been elected to serve an unexpired term of office expring in 2018, presented his resignation as Councilmember on August 19, leaving the three remaining councilmembers without the quorum needed to conduct official business. As in all such cases where there is an insufficient number of elected officials, Governor Chris Christie will have 30 days to appoint replacements to fill the vacancies.
Citing infighting on the council, Mayor Jeff Ellentuck, and councimembers Stacey Bonna and Jill Lipoti resigned in August 2017 and when councilmember Michael Ticktin resigned less than a week later, the governing body was left without a quorum. As specified by state law in such circumstances, Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie selected registered Democrats Robin Middleman Filepp, Nicholas Murray and Maureen S. Parrott to fill the vacant seats, from applications submitted by borough residents. In the November 2017 general election, Peggy Malkin was elected to serve the two years remaining on the mayoral term and Robin Filepp and Deirdre Sheean were elected to one-year vacancies on the borough council.
In February 2015, the Borough Council selected Jill Lipoti to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2017 of Michelle Hermelee, who had resigned earlier that month due to work demands.
In 2006, more than 80% of Roosevelt voters supported the recall of Neil Marko, the Borough's mayor, by a vote of 282–68, in an effort initiated by the Committee to Recall Marko. Voters chose Beth Battel, then the Borough Council's president, to replace Marko as mayor. The recall election was part of a larger controversy regarding a local yeshiva, a school for Jewish boys, that had been permitted to operate in a local synagogue by Mayor Marko, who was also the congregation's president. While supporters of the yeshiva, including Mayor Marko, described the opposition as "thinly veiled prejudice", a local historian described the recall as reflecting "not so much anti-Semitism as anti-Orthodox feelings".

Federal, state and county representation

Roosevelt is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Roosevelt had been in the 30th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 608 registered voters in Roosevelt, of which 351 were registered as Democrats, 60 were registered as Republicans and 195 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered to other parties.
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 74.3% of the vote, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 23.9%, and other candidates with 1.8%, among the 458 ballots cast by the borough's 626 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 69.3% of the vote, ahead of Republican John McCain with 26.8% and other candidates with 2.2%, among the 511 ballots cast by the borough's 649 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 68.4% of the vote, outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 29.4% and other candidates with 1.4%, among the 500 ballots cast by the borough's 635 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 78.7.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 59.7% of the vote, ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 37.7%, and other candidates with 2.6%, among the 312 ballots cast by the borough's 632 registered voters, for a turnout of 49.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 58.0% of the vote, ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 34.0%, Independent Chris Daggett with 5.9% and other candidates with 1.1%, among the 371 ballots cast by the borough's 625 registered voters, yielding a 59.4% turnout.

Education

The Roosevelt Public School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade at Roosevelt Public School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 83 students and 9.5 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 8.7:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Roosevelt had the 6th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 88 students.
For sixth through twelfth grades, public school students attend the East Windsor Regional School District, which serves students from East Windsor Township and Hightstown Borough, with students from Roosevelt attending as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the East Windsor district attended by Roosevelt students are
Melvin H. Kreps Middle School with 1,230 students in grades 6 - 8 and
Hightstown High School with 1,676 students in grades 9 - 12.
From 2005 to 2010, a Jewish secondary and post-secondary religious school, Yeshiva Me'on Hatorah, was located in a local synagogue, Congregation Anshei Roosevelt. Due to unresolvable zoning issues for its dormitory and dining facilities, and local opposition to its presence, the yeshiva relocated to Monsey, New York after the yeshiva brought and lost several actions against the borough and certain individual borough officials in state and Federal courts.

Transportation

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Monmouth County.
The only major road that passes through is County Route 571, which traverses the center of the borough.
Interstate 195 is accessible in both of its neighboring towns and Interstate 95 is also nearby.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Roosevelt include: