Meet Wayne Council-At-Large Candidate Francine Ritter

WAYNE, NJ — With Election Day approaching, Patch is putting together a series of candidate profiles so readers can learn more about who’s on their ballot.

Francine Ritter is a Wayne councilwoman for the fifth ward who is running for reelection this year.

Wayne Patch asked candidates to share some information about themselves, and asked identical questions to all candidates.

See Ritter's responses below:

• Full name: Francine “Fran” Ritter
• Age: 60
• Town of residence: Wayne Township, NJ.
• Position sought: Council-at-Large.
• Party affiliation: Democrat (Row A-Working for Wayne).
• Family: Proud mother of two; Max (21) and Jordyn (20); graduates of Wayne Hills High School.

• Education: J.D., Suffolk University Law School; B.S., NYU Stern School of Business, cum laude

• Occupation: Financial-services regulatory attorney; current Wayne Township Councilwoman (5th Ward)

• Current or previous elected/appointed office: Councilwoman, Wayne 5th Ward, (2020–present); President & Trustee of Brittany Chase Condominium Association (2018–2024).

1. Why are you running for this position?

I’m running because Wayne deserves leadership that looks to the future, that tells the truth, and puts residents first. Too much major decision-making about development, budgets, and public safety safety takes place without sufficient public discussion or full transparency.

As the 5th Ward Councilwoman, I have worked consistently to represent my neighbors with honesty and accountability. Now I want to bring that same level of representation to all of Wayne to ensure that each resident has the same responsiveness, transparency, and fairness that I’ve always worked to achieve.

I am known for posing the hard questions and for asking simple ones ahead of any vote: What will this cost? Who benefits? Have we already planned for the long term? Responsible leadership means being okay asking those questions and avoiding the blame game when things don’t go according to plan. The Row A Working for Wayne team including Don Pavlak for Mayor, myself, Dylan Orren-King, and Dr. Corey McKinney for Council-at-Large stand for exactly that: working locally, not for profiteering outsiders, and restoring balance and accountability to local government.

2. What do you believe to be the most pressing issue in the community, and what do you intend to do about it if elected?

The most pressing issue for Wayne is market-rate residential overdevelopment because it is not a legal requirement for meeting state-related housing obligations, and it is costing Wayne taxpayers big while compromising our quality of life. Wayne’s taxpayers have been told big market-rate projects are the only way to meet state affordable-housing requirements but that is not the case at all. Other
strategies used all over New Jersey and throughout the tri-state area include adaptive reuse of vacant commercial or office properties, developing mixed-income developments, and partnering with nonprofit housing groups capable of meeting the state’s minimum standards.

We can respect and adhere to state law and safeguard Wayne’s quality of life without building 5 market-rate homes for every one affordable unit required by law. Wayne needs a comprehensive plan that ties housing along with infrastructure and economic development. I will continue to promote full transparency so residents are able to understand every option before decisions are made.

3. What qualifications and qualities do you possess that make you best suited for the position?

I am a financial-services regulatory attorney with over 25 years experience overseeing supervision, compliance, and governance matters at global financial institutions. I also served as Senior Counsel fighting securities fraud on behalf of the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

I have applied the same fact-based approach necessary for my law practice to my public service to Wayne. I helped recover $1.1 million in HOA restitution, securing $15 million in federal funding for Valley Road safety, and regularly called for fiscal due diligence before any major project was carried out.

4. Overdevelopment has been a growing concern throughout NJ. How do you intend to address it in your community?

Overdevelopment and overcrowding are eroding what makes Wayne special. We can meet state-related housing obligations without inundating the town with high-density market-rate construction that, for all intents and purposes, will make private developers (and potentially other insiders) rich while putting a significant strain on Wayne’s infrastructure. I would keep pushing for adaptive reuse, transforming vacant commercial or industrial sites with existing footprints into affordable or mixed-income housing, and for a real economic-development strategy that brings jobs and business ratables to offset Wayne’s mounting municipal property tax burden.

Growth has to be planned, transparent, and community-driven, not developer-driven or hidden from public view. And that’s what actually Working for Wayne is really like.

5. If you are an incumbent, what areas, if any, do you think you could improve upon in terms of public service?

Transparency is always a work in progress. The ability to clearly articulate to taxpayers the organization’s policies, resources, and priorities is paramount to the success of every administration. I would like to have the budget process more transparent, easier to digest, be able to make financial summaries available, and report the full truth for residents and Council before any vote.

I’ll also keep trying to foster respectful, open discussion on the Council dais, because good government is not about pointing fingers; it’s about accountability and planning and getting results. That is the cornerstone of Working for Wayne.

6. In a few words, what is your favorite thing about your community?

It's Wayne’s people and its tradition of volunteerism well-rooted in Wayne’s foundation. From our first responders and coaches to PTO parents and neighborhood advocates, this town runs on people who take pride in and deeply care about where they live. It is that sense of service and community pride that makes Wayne so special and why I’m so proud to keep Working for Wayne.

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Election Day is Nov. 4.

If you are running in Wayne’s council-at-large race and did not receive a candidate profile request email, please reach out to jack.slocum@patch.com.