Meet Sam Raval, Running To Represent Colonia On The Woodbridge Council

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Nov. 4 will be an election for Woodbridge town Council, and in-person early voting starts Oct. 25.

All six current Woodbridge Council members, all Democrats and part of the Mayor McCormac team, ask voters to re-elect them this November. They are challenged by six Republicans.

In Ward 5, Colonia, Sam Raval is the Republican challenging longtime Councilwoman Debbie Meehan, who is also the publisher of the Colonia Corner newspaper. (Meet Debbie Meehan)

Patch asked all the candidates a set of questions, and all 12 got back to us. We are publishing their answers now; Meehan's answers will be published Thursday.

Your name, age and office you are running for.

Sam Raval, 52, running for Council, Ward 5.

What is your occupation?

A chemical engineer, working as a regional sales manager.

Have you ever run for elected office before? Please list all races and their outcomes, and now long you held past elected office.

I ran for County commissioner in 2022, got 5,300 votes. Ran for Assembly, District 19, got 10,300 votes.

What are your accomplishments that would make you a good Woodbridge Council representative?

I’ve built a strong connection with our residents by being on the ground — talking to people directly at their doors, listening to their concerns and motivating them to vote for real change. Through TV commercials, community meetings and door-to-door outreach, I’ve been able to wake people up to the importance of their voice and their vote. I’m running not as a career politician, but as a community member who’s already been serving and standing up for the people of Colonia.

Why should voters vote for you?

As a resident and a common man who drives these same streets and pays the same bills as everyone else, I see firsthand where the current Council has fallen short. First, our property taxes keep going up, yet residents don’t always see real improvements. We still have traffic lights and streetlights that don’t work or are missing in key areas of Colonia — making intersections unsafe, especially at night.

Some neighborhoods deal with water back-up and street flooding every time it rains. That’s because our infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with all the new development. We keep building more, but our roads, drains and sewers can’t handle the extra load.

Please give 1-2 examples of how you think the current Woodbridge Council has failed residents.

1) The huge crack that opened in Smith Street/Route 440, shutting down a major roadway.

2) Colonia homes are getting sewage backups, drainage is failing and water isn’t exiting streets and yards properly.

What's your favorite part about living in Woodbridge?

(Did not answer.)

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