To the Editor:

Serving on Princeton Council as an elected official is not easy. Many times, you are asked to make decisions that personally affect your constituents. In this latest Council decision to eliminate the Human Services Commission, Affordable Housing Board, and the Civil Rights Commission, it appears this Council does not want to listen to their constituents.

I served for 15 years as a Councilperson in the town of Princeton. I have served many years on the Human Services Commission, Affordable Housing Board, and Civil Rights Commission. These boards serve and protect the residents that are the most vulnerable in our town. The decision to eliminate them and condense them into a single Community Services Advisory Committee is a true mistake. Just the elimination of the names will decrease residents’ awareness of where to go when confronted with any of these issues.

I continue to live in Princeton because of the love, caring, and respect we give all of our  different communities. My dedication and support of the residents of Princeton is totally unconditional. My hope is that Princeton mayor and Council will withdraw this ordinance to eliminate the Human Services Commission, Affordable Housing Board, and Civil Rights Commission. If this is not done and we eliminate them, then we need to focus on why our elected officials have refused to listen to the residents of this community. If you care about the folks that don’t have a voice and rely on these boards to protect them, then please attend the January 22 Council meeting at the Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon Street, at 7 p.m.  and voice your concerns.

Lance Liverman
Former Council President
Witherspoon Street

This letter was written by Liverman as a resident of Princeton (not as a member of the Affordable Housing Board).