To the Editor:

Bob Kiser, our Municipal Engineer, will soon retire from his post. He deserves thanks for the extraordinary work that he has done for our community. The grace, decency, and professional skill that he has brought to his job have allowed him to stand in the thick of controversy and calmly find the route to a fair and reasonable resolution. The results of Bob’s good judgment appear in the physical reality of Princeton, in projects large and small — from the beautiful stonework of the dams and retaining walls at Mountain Lakes, to the modest Guyot stream path that preserves a sinuous swath of nature running through my own neighborhood. Bob has always listened to the concerns of all parties with open-minded respect, and his attention to the people of the community he served has made our town a better place.

Ronald Berlin, A.I.A.

Jefferson Road

To the Editor:

The Princeton Council has launched an initiative to address the spate of teardowns and out-of-scale, out-of-place new construction occurring in many neighborhoods throughout town. As members of the Planning Board subcommittee tasked with spearheading this comprehensive review and revision of our residential zoning, we would like to update the community on the effort and provide an overview of the process. The initiative will depend on robust public engagement and citizen input, and as we move deeper into the process we will be setting up a website to keep the community informed and engaged. We will also be seeking input from residents through neighborhood meetings and town-wide meetings.

In May we retained the consulting firm RBA Group to help guide us through the process, and on May 18th we held our first organizing meeting to set the schedule and next steps. The Council decided to hire an outside consultant because the option of having our planning staff overhaul the zoning regulations was not feasible except as a long term project, and the growing pace of change in our neighborhoods requires an expedited response. After interviewing several consultants, we chose the RBA Group because they will be able to bring perspective and sensitivity to our challenges through their experience in working with other communities, as well as their depth of expertise in analyzing the economic and environmental impact of changing regulations that will help to inform our deliberations.

The consultants will be documenting neighborhood characteristics and outcomes of recent residential development and identifying areas of Princeton’s neighborhoods that share common characteristics and attributes. Based on the analysis they will recommend short term and long-term policy and regulatory actions. The recommendations may include additions or changes to zoning ordinances, site plan review ordinances, enforcement standards, and the master plan.

We are striving for as much public input as possible from residents, our most important stakeholders. We will also be seeking input from developers, real estate agents, and others with a stake in the process. We feel including everyone will result in the best outcome.

In addition to the more structured avenues for communication, we welcome residents to contact us directly with questions and concerns by email at llempert@princetonnj.gov and jcrumiller@princetonnj.gov.

We are hopeful that this initiative will result in land use controls that contribute to the enhancement of our tree-lined, walkable streets, and developments that honors existing neighborhood contexts, and we look forward to the work ahead.

Liz Lempert

Mayor

Jenny Crumiller

Councilwoman

To the Editor:

With the arrival of summer 2016, I must comment that last summer, some of Princeton’s downtown retail shops seemed to be trying to air-condition the universe. Walking along our town’s streets on hot days, too often one felt chilled air blasting from storefront doors propped wide open. This seemed to be an attempt to lure in those shoppers who might never otherwise have guessed that a modern emporium would have a temperature-controlled interior.

Even if an individual business can afford this incredible waste of energy, our warming planet cannot. (A law against this practice was recently passed in New York City.) Let us appreciate the fine local stores that show respect for both our intelligence and our environment, by keeping their doors closed when their air-conditioning is running. Those are the doors that we will be happy to enter.

Caroline Hancock

Laurel Road

To the Editor:

I came across a pro-Trump message that a supporter had fingered in the wet cement at the Princeton Shopping Center. Being an avowed Democrat and a Trump critic, my first inclination was to walk over to Ace Hardware, purchase some paint and a brush and add a preceding epithet to the Trump logo. I refrained knowing that I’d sully my brand or the brand of the candidate I support by doing so.

And ironically, letting the name stand or rather sit in the cement actually speaks more to why voters should not vote for Trump than anything I could add to his name. Whoever chose to finger his name in the cement was hewing to the Trump mindset of contempt and disdain for legal and social norms. Norms that are already perilously weakened as showcased daily in the media — social and otherwise.

All mock seriousness and snark aside, I’m really frightened by the current political state of affairs in our country as well as globally. I hope that the inherent sanity and goodness I believe exists in most people in America will prevail in November.

Andy Epstein 

Longview Drive

To the Editor:

Last month Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) held its first annual Links to Youth Golf Outing at Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg, N.J. The event raised more than $20,000 for PBC, and more specifically our Summer Bridge Program, which addresses the “summer learning gap” for at-risk youth.

More than 40 golfers participated in the event with several others joining for dinner and cocktails. The winning foursome included Mike Dawson, from New Brunswick; Varnell Johnson, from East Brunswick; Antoine Johnson, from New Brunswick; and Derek Simpkins, from Ringoes. Our longest drive winner was Scott Stogner, from Westfield and the closest to the pin competition winner was Al Gomez from Somerset.

PBC seeks to transform the lives of vulnerable young people through integrated experiential and adventure-based programming in schools and at our outdoor campus. We collaborate with schools, university partners, and community-based agencies to develop in youth, a deepened self-awareness, responsible decision-making, teamwork, and leadership skills. Our volunteers strive for a future in which young people exhibit personal resilience and compassion, embrace expanded possibilities for their lives, and enact positive change within their communities and the world.

We received all positive feedback from the day of the event. It was great to have so many generous new people come out in support of the work we do for vulnerable youth.

Thanks to our sponsors: Agricola Eatery; Christina Bailey; Brother’s Pizza; Brown & Brown/Sobel Affiliates; Susan Danielson; Dick’s Sporting Goods; Tim Downs; ESPN; Fox Hollow Golf Club; Gennett, Kallman, Antin & Robinson; Irish American Trading Company; McCarter Theatre; Metro North; Bruce Petersen; Pinneo Construction; Princeton Corkscrew; Princeton University Dining Services; Don Seitz; Trenton Country Club; Trenton Thunder; Triumph Brewing Co.; and Chris Van Buren.

Also thanks to PBC’s Board Chair, Sarah Tantillo and Board Treasurer, Tim Downs, who were our golf co-chairs, and Meredith Murray, director of development, for all their hard work and leadership surrounding the very successful event.

Pam Gregory

President and CEO

To the Editor:

April was Parkinson’s Awareness Month and the Princeton community displayed their strong support with donations and efforts to raise awareness of this disease. The Parkinson Alliance is grateful to area merchants for two events that raised awareness of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and funds for much needed research.

For the seventh straight year, McCaffrey’s offered their customers the option of donating to The Parkinson Alliance when they checked out at all four of their stores. As a result, over $5,500 was raised for research.

The following restaurants participated in the 7th Annual Princeton Dines Out for Parkinson’s Disease Research, Blue Point Grill, Despana, Eno Terra, Gennaroís, Mediterra, PJ’s Pancake House, Teresa Caffe, The Peacock Inn, Trattoria Procaccini, and Witherspoon Grill. When diners enjoyed a meal at any of these restaurants from April 22 through April 28, a percentage of the proceeds were donated to The Parkinson Alliance.

Our organization raises funds for the most promising PD research that will improve the quality of life for those living with PD and ultimately, help find a cure. While we fund research nationally, The Parkinson Alliance is a resource in our local area for those living with PD. We thank the community for its generous support.

Carol Walton

Chief Executive Officer

Helaine Isaacs

Event Director, The Parkinson Alliance

To the Editor:

Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP) hosted a fundraiser reception for Matthew Desmond, author of the best-selling book Evicted, immediately following his talk at Labyrinth Books last month. Desmond’s heartbreaking book is considered a landmark work of scholarship that looks closely at the issue of poverty in our country by telling compelling stories of real people (mostly women) trying to find a decent place to live for themselves and their children.

The event was a wonderful success. Thank you to all who attended. We also want to thank those in the community who came together to help make it happen: Chambers Properties allowed us to use the vacant storefront at 20 Nassau as our venue, Jammin’ Crepes provided the delicious hors d’oeuvres, and Kelly Mitchell curated the wines provided by Cool Vines.

Partnering with Labyrinth Books was a sheer pleasure, and I hope HIP can work with them again to bring to Princeton important writers who can help inform all of us about the issues that our clients at HIP, and too many others, face.

And a huge thank-you to Matthew Desmond for making the journey from Boston and sharing his thoughts and, importantly, his feelings about the people he writes about. We all learned a great deal.

Carol Golden

Interim Chair,  Housing Initiatives of Princeton, 

Mercer Street

To the Editor:

Since being elected mayor in 2012, I have worked together with the Princeton Council, staff, and community to make consolidation a success, and to focus our newly unified government around the progressive values of openness, sustainability, and inclusion. I am writing to ask voters for your support in next week’s Democratic primary to continue these efforts.

Princeton’s historic consolidation has been a massive undertaking. We achieved the financial savings targets set by the Consolidation Commission and Transition Task Force, significantly reduced the size of the staff while enhancing services, and obtained a AAA bond rating.

We have focused on issues that impact the quality of daily life within our community. This has included working to tighten restrictions on home sizes and starting a comprehensive rezoning effort aimed at preserving neighborhood character. I have supported other quality of life initiatives such as tour bus controls and limits on overnight operating hours of businesses next to homes in residential districts.

Environmental sustainability has been another top priority during my term in office.  We developed a stewardship plan for the Princeton Ridge, and were successful in permanently preserving 40 acres of land purchased largely through outside funding. Last year work began on developing a solar farm on top of the old landfill. The town is creating a comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan and is launching a joint bike share program with Princeton University, paid for through a grant.

I have been honored to serve as your mayor, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together. I recognize that there is still much to do, and I look forward to meeting that challenge together. Please remember to vote on Tuesday, June 7.

Liz Lempert

Meadowbrook Drive

To the Editor:

I write in support of re-electing Jenny Crumiller to Princeton Council in the Democratic Primary on June 7.

Whatever the endeavor, Jenny provides a breath of fresh air and an open mind. Not one to take the status quo as a given, Jenny is always asking, how can we do things better? And how can we get more people involved and included?

This has been true throughout the 25 years that I’ve known and collaborated with Jenny. It began with neighborhood preservation efforts in the 1990s. In the next decade, she motivated the production of an antiwar TV ad featuring dozens of local people, and then spearheaded efforts to open up and democratize the local Democratic Party. She brought a level of professionalism and organization that made the Princeton Democratic headquarters in 2004 and 2008 a regional hub for campaign volunteers.

Others have written about her dedicated service in public office as a Councilwoman. Now she is one of four candidates seeking the two seats up for election this year. The fact that we have a robust field of candidates, competing openly, is thanks in large part to the challenge Jenny made to a then-closed party process over a decade ago. At the time, it wasn’t the popular thing to do, but it was obviously the right thing to do.

While Jenny has already accomplished a lot, it’s clear to me that she’s just getting started! Please join me in supporting her for another term on Council.

Dan Preston 

Moore Street

To the Editor:

I am writing to support Jenny Crumiller’s candidacy for re-election to Princeton Council. As an elected official, Jenny has been a forceful advocate for the preservation of our neighborhoods, our environment, and our identity as a progressive and inclusive community. She understands the complexities of the issues that face Princeton and can be counted on to continue a record of smart and thoughtful service to her constituents.

Jenny’s interest in preserving Princeton as an affordable community with excellent public schools and a small town atmosphere started shortly after she moved here. I first met her in 1992 when she helped lead a grueling neighborhood struggle to save the residential character of Harris Road. The experience led Jenny to municipal politics where she has worked consistently to inform citizens of proposals that will affect them, intelligently vet development projects, and spend taxpayer dollars wisely.

Thanks to Jenny’s willingness to examine financial details, Princeton received a payment of $85,000 for its easement to the Post Office building instead of the zero dollars offered by the developer. Thanks to her leadership, Princeton is about to open a much-needed group home for the developmentally disabled. And, thanks to her persistence, Planning Board hearings are now televised. These are just a few of her accomplishments, many behind the scenes and unsung, during her term on the Princeton Council.

If Jenny has a weakness in electoral politics, it lies in her aversion to self-promotion. She would rather get the job done than worry about who gets credit for it. Her extensive community service and involvement with local nonprofit groups includes more than a decade of active service on the board of the Princeton Committee of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a creative effort to bring media attention to opposition to the 2003 Iraq war, and extensive collaborative work to help promote progressive policies and candidates.

Virginia Kerr

Jefferson Road

To the Editor:

When deciding to vote for a candidate for any office, I make an assessment of their demonstrated values and the positions that they have actively taken over time on issues that concern me, my neighborhood, my town, my country. I am not impressed by the freshness of faces that ascend to simply present change or a symbolic gesture. I tend to go on what is a known quantity based on a candidate’s engagement, knowledge, substance, and consistency. I support Anne Neumann. She is that candidate.

Anne Neumann’s candidacy is borne out of her extensive understanding of and longtime contributions to a wide range of community and neighborhood-specific issues. I admire her dogged persistence, as in her observations and recommendations during the budgeting process. She was the only candidate to come forth with a clear understanding of the budget and that it should be guided by more than just escalation goals. In our interest as taxpayers, she challenged the current Council to probe and aggressively consider reductions — and they did. I want a Council person who delves deeply and takes a stand that we can do better on many levels.

Anne exhibits a real intelligence and vigor, does her homework, and can convey her thoughts with clarity and wit, just as we would expect her to as a former professor!  She researches issues beyond the limits of local experiences and looks “outside the box” to identify solutions to issues.  For example, on the matter of property abandonment, she identified the practice of Washington, DC to assess fees for extended vacancies in order to address quality of life issues in some of our neighborhoods. She always consults stakeholders and professionals, but to fully understand community and neighborhood perspectives, she brings her years of active involvement in numerous organizations, committees, neighborhood associations, and efforts for the greater good of our environment, economy, and humanity.

Anne has been effective in engaging many citizens in understanding the details of our taxation policies during the revaluation process. She knows that it is naive to think that land use, zoning, and taxation policies are non-litigious in nature.  She knows that these policies are a municipality’s major tools and sources of revenue for the operations of services to all. As such, Anne is not intimidated and holds no conflicts with Princeton University as an employer or as a beneficiary of its discretionary contributions. The relationship between a town and gown has to be based on trust.  Anne would not place false limitations on serving us as taxpayers, and indeed, by any means necessary to ensure that we are not subsidizing the municipal services of the largest landowner, resident population, and employer.

I will be going to the polls on June 7 to vote for Anne Neumann as the best Princeton Council candidate in the best interest of our community. I ask that you do the same.

Yina Moore

Former Mayor, Borough of Princeton

Green Street

To the Editor:

Two seats are open on the Princeton Council. Of the four candidates vying for your vote, we feel strongly that Leticia Fraga is the best choice.

Leticia built her career in government working at the municipal, county and federal levels. In Seattle, throughout Washington State and overseas, she developed the kinds of expertise in civil rights enforcement, police-community relations, fair housing, and human service provision that Princeton sorely needs.

As chair of various commissions and boards, from the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund to the YWCA, Princeton Community Housing, Send Hunger Packing Princeton, and the Civil Rights Committee of Human Services, Leticia has impressed colleagues with her willingness to work hard, listen carefully, ask tough questions, reflect honestly, and speak with candor.

Don’t let her wide smile and warm demeanor fool you: Leticia can be tenacious, and she is a woman of action. She is responsible for the return of the Mercer County ID program to town. Since being introduced in Princeton in 2011, community IDs have been embraced by cities from New York to Philadelphia as a means of fostering inclusion among residents. Now, thanks to Leticia, each week a team of volunteers from Princeton High School, Princeton University and the wider community issue IDs to qualified residents out of a space in our wonderful Public Library.

A native speaker of Spanish, Leticia has led “Know Your Rights” trainings for various at-risk groups in town. She has also done outreach to and advocated on behalf of more than 20 unaccompanied minor refugees who fled violence in their home nations and now attend Princeton Public Schools.

As Vice Chair of Princeton’s municipal Human Services Commission, Leticia has spearheaded the movement to revive an independent Civil Rights Commission. Created in the late 1960s to mediate allegations of discrimination in housing, employment, education, and access to services, that Commission lost its independent stature in the 1990s. Leticia understands that an independent Civil Rights Commission fosters community trust and saves taxpayers money by avoiding costly lawsuits.

Our country stands at a crossroads. Bigotry is on the march.  We have the opportunity to make history. In a town that talks a lot about diversity, Leticia will be the first person of Latino/a heritage on Princeton Council.

Leticia understands that our town thrives on opportunity, affordability, transparency and inclusion.  We support her because we admire her talents, appreciate her values, and trust her instincts. At the end of the day, what else is there?

We hope you will join us in electing Fraga for Council on Tuesday, June 7th.

Anastasia Mann, Tommy Parker, 

Janice Fine, Carol Golden, 

Patricia Fernandez-Kelly,  

Dorothea von Moltke

To the Editor:

I write in support of Tim Quinn for Princeton Council. I first met Tim when I served as chair of the Friends of the Princeton Public Library. In addition to his considerable skills as a communicator, it became obvious that he is a natural leader as well. We collaborated on many fund-raising projects for the Friends. His suggestions and solutions to questions were always thoughtful and in the best interests of everyone involved.

Tim’s leadership was apparent when he led the successful and difficult effort to keep the library open after Superstorm Sandy. With the library director out of state, Tim spear-headed this huge task and kept our library open and running. For days after the storm, he was there around the clock making sure we had a warm safe place to shelter and stay connected to the outside world. He won a national award for that work. It came as no surprise to me. I had seen his leadership skills for years.

He will make a splendid member of Princeton Council.

Claire Jacobus

Cleveland Lane

To the Editor:

The Town of Princeton is proposing that the property tax be increased by nearly 50 percent for the next 20 years for all properties on “historic” Bank Street in downtown Princeton in addition to the recent tax increase.  After nearly 40 years of meetings, discussions and false starts, the Town is planning to replace the rotting infrastructure, improve the street surface and streetscape in this unique historic district after letting it literally fall apart for the past 40 years. The historic commission has been powerless to do anything except make people jump through hoops if they want to improve their property while the public domain falls apart.  The real issue is the overhead electric, cable and telephone lines by PSEG, Verizon, Comcast and Suneyes, which continue to hang even more lines without removing the unused ones or needing approval to hang new ones.  To place these lines underground will cost, the companies say, $1,940,000, or $ 6,000 to $8,000 per linear foot plus a $5,000 hook up fee for each structure.  The 28 structures along the street must cover the entire cost, so says the NJ Board of Public Utilities.  The alternative is to leave the poles and the gaggle of wires with the radiation from EMF’s literally feet in front of people’s bedroom windows and forever devalue the street.

There is no other street like it in Princeton and it could be a real architectural and historic gem that could enhance the character and quality of downtown and increase revenues from taxes from potential improvements.  If the owners of the majority of the properties along the street do not agree to this massive increase in property taxes to place the wires underground, the Town  is proposing an unimaginative, vanilla improvements with concrete curbs and sidewalks- no granite, no cobble stone, no historic lighting, no bollards, no traffic calming  just a standard asphalt suburban streetscape with new sewer and water lines.

Is this what Bank Street deserves after paying high taxes with few services for over forty years, to be just another old narrow ghetto street with gaggles of overhead wiring while paying extraordinary amount of taxes for all these years with few, spotty municipal services and no resident parking.  If it is to remain as this “ghetto” street, then perhaps the Township can accommodate at least one request- have it removed from an historic district and take the historic restrictions away. Perhaps that will be a way to pay for the undergrounding if a large developer purchased many properties and redeveloped it.  We were told that the University paid the utility companies their price for undergrounding the Arts and Transit district, and conceded to the demands of the Board of Public Utilities mandate.

What is happening and has happened to Bank Street is shameful. Even in Princeton, every owner cannot write out a check for $75,000.00 or be taxed for greater value than the house will appraise.

Tony Nelessen

Owner of 13 Bank Street for 38 years

Professor of Urban Planning and Design

To the Editor:

The question of whether or not Communiversity ArtsFest should be a ticketed event has recently been in the spotlight. Given that the Arts Council of Princeton has been the prime organizer of the annual event for more than 40 years — with the support of the town, the University, merchants, and houses of worship — we would like to weigh in.

Communiversity is a very special day in Princeton each year, both for local residents and the greater Princeton community. In addition to providing a rich array of food and entertainment, it provides an important platform for local arts, nonprofit groups and merchants to promote their offerings to an audience of tens of thousands. The fact that exhibitors come back each year, and pay for space, underscores the value of the event. Meanwhile, it is true the event has gotten so popular that the crowds have created some challenges.

To clear up any misconceptions, Communiversity ArtsFest is not a major fundraiser for the Arts Council. We raise about $70,000 per year from exhibitors and sponsors, which exceeds our hard costs. But when considering the hundreds of staff and volunteers hours involved with orchestrating the event, Communiversity is much more a service we love to provide to the community than a fundraiser for the Arts Council. We presume the University and town have similar motivations in dedicating significant resources. Their in-kind and hard costs are critical to the success of this community day.

There is a strong argument to keep the event free. So many of the cultural activities in Princeton and throughout the nation these days are expensive and out of reach for many members of the community. Communiversity, by definition, is an inclusive event and welcomes everyone, making it one of largest and most diverse events every year. Whether a nominal fee would keep people away, or reduce the number of attendees or cars, is hard to say. Common sense suggests that the people who would choose not to attend based on price are those who have the lowest incomes, so adding a mandatory fee might make it a less inclusive cultural festival.

Is it possible to raise more funds to offset both town and Arts Council costs? Logistically it wouldn’t be easy. Communiversity is not a “gated” event. It would be impossible, or very costly, to control and ticket every one who enters the event area, which can be accessed via several streets. But certain options — such as selling wristbands, which entitle the bearer to discounts or extra benefits — are worth exploring.

We also recommend that a fiscal impact study be conducted so that we can understand the true value, and expense, of the event. Is the town’s $30,000 expenditure a solid investment? Let’s more closely assess its full value to our community to help the town determine if it wishes to support and invest in this annual cultural festival.

Armed with such information, we are ready and willing to explore ideas that help both the town and the Arts Council recoup more of our costs. We encourage gathering this information and discussing all options — but are committed to keeping this community treasure as accessible and inclusive as possible.

Ted Deutsch 

President, Board of Trustees 

Jeff Nathanson

Executive Director

To the Editor:

To those interested in the future of Communiversity and whether to impose a fee on those attending, here’s some advice: go back to the event’s original purpose, keep it simple, and keep it free.

Communiversity was conceived as a celebration of University/community relations, fueled in particular by an appreciation of the arts and the spirit of non-profit community enterprises.

Today, it’s increasingly becoming a marketing tool for car dealers, banks, and realtors, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to downtown Princeton, threatening to turn a special local day into merely another regional commercial platform.

While Council candidates might consider charging an attendance fee to offset Communiversity’s cost to local taxpayers, such a fee will lead to more government regulation and expense and continue to drive away local participation and eclipse of the underlying purpose of the event.

Charging visitors to Communiversity is not only impractical; it would speed the unfortunate commercial tilt that the event has taken.

It would be wiser to simply pare down the effort to something closer to its earlier conception — a celebration of the arts and non-profits — and keep it free.

Roger Martindell

Patton Avenue

To the Editor:

We support Tim Quinn for Princeton Council because of his exceptional public service to Princeton in several critical areas. In addition to his service with distinction on the Board of Education for nearly seven years, Tim has been serving on the Planning Board for the last three years. Because of his work ethic and consensus building leadership abilities, he has become chair of the Planning Board’s Zoning Amendment Review Committee as well as being appointed to the newly formed Neighborhood Study Zoning Group. As a member of the Planning Board’s Subdivision Committee, Tim pushed for greater public transparency and better notification to neighbors of changes that will affect them.

One of Tim’s issues of concern is housing “teardowns” and the type of replacement housing which can substantially change the character of neighborhoods and could ultimately price out current and future residents of moderate income. In these roles, Tim has demonstrated a firm commitment to manage change while preserving neighborhood character to keep middle class residents at the forefront of his decisions. His work will help to determine the future of Princeton’s housing, demographics, and character for decades.

Tim was selected for these positions for his good judgment, community values, good listening skills, and the ability to work well with a variety of people and organizations with different viewpoints to build consensus, which is no small thing in our current world.

Tim got his early political experience working for George McGovern as a 14-year-old canvassing in the mill towns outside Philadelphia. He has shown through his public service to this community that he is an outstanding candidate to represent and work hard for all in Princeton.

We support Tim Quinn for Princeton Council and urge others to do likewise when they vote on June 7, or earlier by absentee ballot.

Grace, Frank Sinden

Ridgeview Circle

To the Editor:

I am excited to support Leticia Fraga in the Democratic primary for Princeton Council. I have known Leticia for years, since our two sets of twins went to pre-school together. For over 15 years, Leticia has immersed herself in bettering our Princeton community, in all neighborhoods, on all levels. She has dedicated her time to tackling critical issues facing us today — affordable housing, child hunger and educational opportunity, and public safety, to name a few.

Leticia has gained a deep knowledge of the needs of all Princetonians through her service to both municipal and non-profit organizations, including Send Hunger Packing, the YWCA, Princeton Community Housing, and the Princeton Human Services Commission. Her ability to build bridges across communities, and her practical approach to problem solving, would be an invaluable, and unique, asset to the Princeton Council. I admire and respect Leticia and her contributions to our town, and I urge you to vote for her on June 7.

Kathy Taylor

Jefferson Road

To the Editor:

Water supply and safety issues are in the news more and more frequently. As members of the Princeton Environmental Commission, we are concerned about the quality and quantity of safe water available to the citizens of Princeton.

The Water Supply Management Act was passed in 1981 to ensure that New Jersey could cope with all foreseeable water needs and droughts. It requires that a Statewide Water Supply Plan be released every five years. The last such plan to be released was in 1996 and it included data that gave cause for concern about the state’s long-term ability to meet the growing water demand due to population growth. We are now 20 years overdue for a plan that would give us information about New Jersey’s levels of surface and ground water supplies.

The Princeton Environmental Commission passed a resolution calling for the release of a new Statewide Water Supply Plan at our April meeting and Princeton Council will be considering a similar resolution later this month. Citizens can support our efforts by contacting the office of Governor Christie at www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/.

Heidi Fichtenbaum

Chair, Princeton Environmental Commission, 

Carnahan Place

Sophie Glovier

Vice Chair, Princeton Environmental Commission, Drakes Corner Road

To the Editor:

I’m surprised by all the commotion over the municipal budget this year. Sure, I don’t like a tax increase any more than anyone else. However, I have to give our Town Councilors and staff a lot of credit for keeping 2016 expenses to a 1.2 percent increase. Meanwhile school taxes will be up 2.8 percent for the 2016-17 school year, according to the district’s website.

My 2015 tax bill indicates that municipal taxes including library and sewer charges were only 22.2 percent of the total. School taxes were 47.4 percent, and Mercer County 28.3 percent. Open space accounted for the other 2.0 percent.

Looking back at older bills, I see that the municipal tax rate for 2015, including the library, was up just 0.2 percent from 2010/2011, the first tax year after property revaluations. The school tax rate was up 11.2 percent, and the County was up 11.8 percent. I live in the former Borough so these percent changes may not be the same as for former Township residents — who since consolidation have received free garbage pickup that they did not have before.

Both jurisdictions held municipal tax rates flat for the last few years before consolidation. In 2013 and 2014, consolidation resulted in lower municipal taxes versus 2012.

The point is — since at least 2010, apples to apples, municipal taxes have increased much less than school and County taxes.

As in Lake Woebegone, our “children are all above average.” We love them and want them to get a great education. But let’s focus on the drivers that have the most impact on our tax bills — school and County budgets.

Rather than a process which uses percentage increases from last year, I would like to see a “zero based budget” similar to that used by the most successful corporations and non-profit groups. What services are truly necessary? Which positions result from this analysis, and which positions may no longer be necessary? Are we purchasing goods and services as efficiently as possible? When was the last time large budget items like insurance, maintenance, technology, supplies, and major outsourced services were put out for bid?

Let’s give credit to our Town administration and Council who have done the best job keeping our taxes in check.

John Heilner

Library Place

To the Editor:

As a candidate for Princeton Council, let me answer T. J. Elliott [“Asking Candidates How They Would Change System of Variances Favoring Developers,” Mailbox, May 18]. Stopping Princeton’s current pattern of teardowns and disproportionate McMansions is a plank in my platform.

But can we stop this pattern thoughtfully? And can we stop it quickly? Residents of Princeton’s affected neighborhoods want something done now before those neighborhoods are irrevocably changed.

Thanks to Governor Christie, applications for development in New Jersey are governed by ordinances in effect when they’re filed, not when they’re decided on. It might take Council and the consultant they’ve hired several years to develop a neighborhood-specific McMansion ordinance using form-based zoning, which codifies a new home’s appearance — or form — to reflect nearby homes. Meanwhile, builders will build.

A moratorium sounds tempting. But moratoriums on new construction are illegal in New Jersey except in emergencies. Two weeks after the fire at AvalonBay’s Edgewater apartments, a bill was introduced to stop light frame construction for multiple dwellings until its safety was studied. The bill died in committee.

A quick solution — which both T. J. Elliott and, in a May 11 letter, Jon Drezner call for — would be sliding fees for construction permits: the more builders exceed the house they tore down, the more they must pay. Council should consider what fee would be a sufficient disincentive.

I myself favor a quick-to-pass mathematical zoning ordinance based on bulk requirements rather than form. For example, Austin, Texas, limits new homes in central neighborhoods to the greater of either 2,300 square feet or a 0.4 Floor-to-Area-Ratio (FAR). That is, no new Austin home may have usable floor space on all floors larger than 40 percent of lot size.

The option I prefer would vary the new FAR from neighborhood to neighborhood. The limit could be a block’s average FAR plus one standard deviation plus a small percentage. This would allow new homes at the upper end of average for each neighborhood but prevent any existing McMansions from influencing the average unduly.

I trust my support for such solutions will win Mr. Elliott’s vote in the June 7 Democratic primary.

ANNE WALDRON NEUMANN

Alexander Street

To the Editor:

In response to residents’ urging and the near universal dismay at teardowns, the Planning Board has formed a task force to determine and protect the defining characteristics of Princeton’s various neighborhoods. Urban planner Mark Keener has been hired to work with the task force and “existing neighborhood groups” to establish criteria for post-consolidation rewriting of zoning ordinances. We can be glad that the governing body is finally addressing these issues.

We note two points: the task force itself includes the mayor and standing members of the Planning Board and Council, but no other residents. And the stakeholders listed at the first meeting by staff Planner Lee Solow and Administrator Marc Dashield included only realtors, builders, and developers, no residents.

Roman Barsky, the builder of so many big new houses, once told me that Mt. Lucas Road between Jefferson and Ewing is “underdeveloped.”

Lee Solow himself has called Princeton’s smaller homes “obsolete,” adding that families now want bigger houses. Yet realtors report that young families cannot buy in Princeton because the stock of smaller houses is disappearing. What kind of housing will be “affordable” here?

Wanda Gunning, chair of the Planning Board and a member of the task force, stated at a public meeting I attended that ever since consolidation, the board has been “too busy” to review architectural drawings from builders who appear before them requesting permits. The result is that no town official, including those responsible for granting variances, or exceptions to existing zoning ordinances, knows quite what a new house will look like, how it will compare with existing houses or affect the streetscape. Will it block the light to its neighbors? Will windows look into a neighbor’s bath or bedroom? Will two garage doors face the street? Will there be no windows on the street side?

No ordinance can prevent all problems, but previously a neighbor could see the drawings, assess details, and get the builder to address them. Without this kind of detail, such questions are not asked.

I live here because I want to live in a town with a sense of community, varied architecture, lots of trees, and an enlightened citizenry. How about you? Keener, the consultant, suggested that his first step might be to interview residents. Let’s hope that will happen before the town slips out from under us.

Mary Clurman

Harris Road

To the Editor:

I am writing to endorse Jenny Crumiller for re-election to the Princeton Town Council. In the past few years there has been significant development in my neighborhood that concerns me. Being new to an understanding of Princeton politics, I asked my neighbors for advice. They all told me that I should contact Jenny Crumiller as she would be able to offer me practical advice on how to respond. When I reached out to Jenny, I found her responsive and helpful in addressing my concerns. Going forward, I believe Princeton has serious issues we need to address. One of these that we see all around us is the ubiquitous teardowns of small houses with replacement mansions that are changing the charming small town feel of Princeton. Others that concern me are the increasing traffic with its impact on walkability, and the ever increasing property taxes and reduced affordability of houses. I know there aren’t easy solutions to these problems, but with Jenny’s record on the Town Council I am confident that we have a candidate with the experience to address them. If you believe in maintaining the quality of life in Princeton that makes this a great place to live, vote for Jenny Crumiller in the upcoming Democratic Primary on June 7.

Bill Hare

Jefferson Road