Balvir Singh is a teacher and Democratic politician from Burlington Township, New Jersey who has served on the Burlington County Board of County Commissioners since 2018.Levinsky, David
"Burlington County Democrats gain ground with election wins"
''

Burlington County Times The ''Burlington County Times'' is a daily newspaper located in Westampton, New Jersey, U.S. The paper, which is part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, covers municipal and county issues in Burlington County, New Jersey as well as local and pr ...

'', November 8, 2017. Accessed December 2, 2017. Singh is the first Asian American to win a countywide election in Burlington County and the first

Sikh American American Sikhs number nearly 500,000 people and account for 0.1% of the United States population as of 2021, forming the country's seventh-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California, especially in t ...

to win a countywide election in New Jersey.

Burlington Township Board of Education

In 2014, Singh was elected to the board of education of the

Burlington Township School District The Burlington Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Burlington Township, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 202 ...

, coming in third place of the five candidates seeking three open seats. As a board member, Singh served as Chair of the school district's finance committee. Over the three years Singh served in that role, taxes and overall spending increases were contained within the school district's budgets each year.

Commissioner election

Singh announced his intention to run for Burlington County Board of County Commissioners in March 2017 with running mate Tom Pullion. During the course of the campaign, Singh criticized the all-Republican Burlington County Board for focusing on bringing warehouse jobs to the region, stating that these types of businesses attract unskilled laborers and create traffic in local communities. Singh was criticized by his Republican opponents for his support of tax increases while on the Burlington Township Board of Education and for his support of gubernatorial candidate

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

. The Republicans also ran social media ads claiming that Singh would harbor criminal immigrants and support sanctuary city policies if elected.Cagnassola, Mary Ellen
"Rookie Balvir Singh takes on freeholder role as first Sikh to hold county office in NJ"
''The Sun Newspapers'', January 26, 2018. Accessed March 24, 2022. "But on Jan. 3, Singh, with his wife and two children by his side, was sworn into his hard-fought seat, becoming the first Sikh person to assume a countywide role in New Jersey and the first Asian American to sit on the BCBCF." Singh stated after the election that such immigration policies fall out his jurisdiction as a Freeholder, and therefore were irrelevant points to be made. In October 2017, it was revealed by the ''

'' that the Burlington County Democratic Committee sent more funds outside of the county to assist New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney than they spent within the county to support Singh and Pullion's election. On election day, Singh and Pullion were declared the victors by a narrow margin in an election where voter turnout was at a record low.

Commissioner

Singh was sworn in to the Burlington County Board of County Commissioners on January 3, 2018. The oath of office was administered by Central

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

politician Vin Gopal, who was then Senator-Elect for New Jersey's 11th Legislative District. Gopal is the first

Indian-American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

to be elected to New Jersey's State Senate, Singh voted in favor of the 2018 County budget, which resulted in a reduction in property taxes. The budget also called for a cut in the amount of money going into the Burlington County farmland preservation and open space fund since only two farms had applied for the program during the 2018 fiscal year, and neither accepted the county's offer. At the March 19, 2018 Board meeting, Republican Commissioner introduced a resolution to expand the Burlington County Women's Advisory Council's size from 15 to 20 members. Singh and Pullion expressed concern that current members were being dismissed and that new members were being chosen without a public advertisement of the vacancies. The resolution passed along a party-line vote. On June 13, 2018, Singh and Pullion cast dissenting votes on a motion to grant an $89,500 contract for architectural services for security studies within the schools of Burlington County. During the meeting, a resident addressed the Board and alleged that the firm had donated to Republican campaigns in the past. Singh and Pullion cited the firm that was granted the contract, alleging that the appointment was made for political reasons. In January 2019, Singh joined with fellow Democrats on the Board to rescind the county's so-called "double dipper ban," which would prohibit Burlington County from employing any individual already collecting a taxpayer-funded pension unless they agreed to freeze their pension payments. Singh argued that the ban prevented hiring experienced individuals for publicly funded jobs within the county.

Personal life

Balvir Singh was born in India, and immigrated to US during childhood with his family. He grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Burlington City. Singh has been married to his wife, Sandeep Kaur, since 2010. The couple have four children: son Gaganjeet Singh, daughter Gurleen Kaur, son Avijeet Singh, and daughter Avleen Kaur.

Burlington Township Board of Education

Commissioner election

Commissioner

Personal life

References

See also