Jackie Hendy Launches West Orange Town Council Bid: 2026 Election

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Jackie Hendy is ready to hit the ground running.

Hendy is among the candidates running for a seat on the West Orange Town Council in November. She held a kickoff event on Sunday to launch her campaign.

Learn more about her background and platform here.

According to her campaign website, Hendy – a longtime West Orange resident – is a local real estate business owner who has “helped families buy and sell homes across nearly every neighborhood in town.” Her career background also includes contract and legal document work for major international law firms.

Hendy has experience as a community organizer and parent advocate, including navigating IEPs and special services. During the COVID pandemic, she organized a virtual drama program for local students, coordinating with other parents in the creative arts to give kids connection and community when both were in short supply. She also volunteers with local organizations that support neighbors facing food insecurity.

Hendy has laid out a detailed plan to address several local hot-button issues in West Orange. The list includes:

• Township Contracts – “No contract comes before council without final documentation locked 72 hours in advance. No late additions. No last-minute amendments… Every professional service contract must include mandatory disclosure of political contributions attached to the contract, visible to every resident before the vote.”
• Mayoral Oversight – “Introduce a formal requirement for monthly or quarterly public reports from the administration to the full council delivered in advance, on the record.”
• Showing The ‘Full Bill’ – “Every major agreement must show the full cost over the life of the deal, who benefits financially, and what happens if things go wrong.”
• Rockslide Prevention – “Push to strengthen West Orange's steep slope and tree ordinances so the standards are clear, specific, and hard to waive, while advocating for consistent enforcement.”

Hendy is also pitching a proposed local law that she’s calling the “Executive Accountability and Fiscal Transparency Ordinance.”

According to her campaign team, the proposed legislation aims to put a stop to “hostage situation” voting, where the town council is “handed the bill for deals already finalized by the executive branch under threat of legal liability.”

The proposal would create guardrails such as:

• Executive Compensation – “Requiring a public cost analysis and 14-day notice for any salary changes for employees earning over $100,000.”
• Contract Review – “Implementing a mandatory 21-day public review and certified cost analysis for any contract over $25,000 before a funding vote occurs.”
  
• Litigation Reform – “Removing ‘litigation-as-leverage’ by requiring council authorization for mayoral lawsuits against the township, and ensuring compensation packages can no longer be quietly slipped into legal settlements”

>> Are you a local candidate running for office in West Orange? Send campaign updates and news releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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