December 19, 2012

At its final official meeting, Township Committee honored employees and volunteers for their help during this last year, and for their years of cumulated service.

Recognizing employees first, Mayor Chad Goerner observed that it had been a “challenging” year for them. “They underwent a certain amount of stress, and they stepped up to the challenge,” he said, referring to the unusual demands posed by the consolidation process.

Princeton University was also among the awardees on Monday evening, as Mayor Goerner presented Director of Community and Regional Affairs Kristen Appleget with a “special proclamation” that recognized the University’s role in helping to supply emergency services during Hurricane Sandy. The proclamation also noted the University’s willingness to open Jadwin Gym to voters from seven districts on Election Day, when other polling places became unavailable due to the storm. The University was cited for providing “critically needed assistance that helped return normalcy to the Princeton community.”

Members of the Consolidation Commission and the Transition Task Force were also honored for their contributions. Reviewing the history of consolidation efforts in Princeton, Mr. Goerner said that a report prepared by the League of Women Voters in 1952 anticipated much of the language used in the most recent С and ultimately successful С effort. The 1952 report described how the Borough and the Township were no longer distinctly urban versus suburban communities, and how consolidation would achieve “first rate municipal services.”

Both Consolidation Commission Chair Anton Lahnston and Mayor-elect Liz Lempert thanked Mr. Goerner for his early and sustained support for consolidation.

Making a point of saying that they were not paid for with taxpayer dollars, Mr. Goerner presented gifts to each member of Township Committee.

Township Committee will gather once more on Thursday, December 27, at 10 a.m. to do some “housekeeping.”

May 23, 2012

At a joint meeting on Monday evening, members of Borough Council and Township Committee didn’t argue about the shape of the negotiating table, but they were at odds with each other over several recommendations for implementing consolidation made by Transition Task Force subcommittees.

A particular example was the Personnel Subcommittee’s recommendation that a facilitator work with the Selection Committee to ensure what Task Force member Dorothea Berkhout described as “a fair and defensible” process in the naming (and, necessarily, letting go) of municipal employees. Although the Task Force itself had already approved the recommendation, Township Mayor Chad Goerner and others suggested that the selection of a facilitator would encumber an already unwieldy process, and that members of both governing bodies were already experienced in hiring people.

Ms. Berkhout responded by pointing out that the Personnel Subcommittee felt strongly about the position of a facilitator, whose responsibilities would include the training of those participating in the selection process. “It would give the Selection Committee more comfort to know that they are doing the best that they possibly can to be as neutral as possible,” she suggested. Task Force Chair Mark Freda agreed, saying that a facilitator would foster an “air of credibility” and be “well worth your time.”

“This is a unique moment in history,” said Borough Councilwoman Jo Butler. The process involves “not hiring people” as well as hiring others, she added. “Make the process the best it can be.”

Ultimately, Borough Council voted unanimously for a facilitator, while Township Committee was split in a vote that endorsed the use of a facilitator contingent upon approval of the person filling that role. Although the Personnel Subcommittee has identified Barbara A. Lee, a former Rutgers University Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations, as a potential volunteer, it was agreed that it was too early in the process to vote on her on Monday evening.

Another sticking point was whether senior positions in the municipality should be chosen by by a five- or six-member Selection Committee as suggested by the Personnel Subcommittee, or by all twelve members of both governing bodies. Ms. Butler and Councilwomen Barbara Trelstad and Jenny Crumiller were in favor of the latter. “We can’t agree on what chocolate we all like,” countered Township Committeeman Lance Liverman, suggesting that it would be “more precise” to have a Personnel Committee that “can really discuss the senior positions.” Mr. Goerner agreed, expressing surprise at the suggestion of using all 12 elected officials, which he described as “bad organizational management.”

In the wake of Councilwoman Heather Howard’s reminder that the Task Force had “spent a lot of time thinking about it,” and a suggestion that the public would like to see them “working together,” the two governing bodies agreed on a committee that would be comprised of two representatives from Township Committee (since three would constitute a quorum), and three from Borough Council. Decisions will be brought before both bodies if the Selection Committee fails to come to “unanimous consent” on a candidate.

It was agreed that money spent on severance packages for individuals being terminated were a one-time expense that would not compromise the annual savings promised by consolidation. “We need to act now,” said Task Force Vice Chair Scott Sillars.

 


February 29, 2012

To the Editor:

As mayor, I have received numerous letters for and against the proposed housing development for the Institute for Advanced Study. As many may know, the Battle of Princeton was not just a battle at what is today’s Princeton Battlefield park. It was a battle that moved through a number of sites all the way to Nassau Hall. It is clear to me that the most value in interpreting many revolutionary era battles, as they typically spanned large areas of ground and consisted of various skirmishes, is to do so through interpretive signage, archaeology, historical tours, and of course, preserved land.

To that end, I agree with the two esteemed historians, Jim McPherson and David Hackett Fischer, in their proposed compromise regarding this development. They have put forth a compromise that would allow for the housing project to move forward with the ability to preserve a large area of the overall site from development through a permanent conservation easement. The size of the land preserved would be about double the footprint of the Institute’s housing project.

In addition, the Institute will provide for archeological work on site before and during construction, access to a path through the preserved land and public interpretive signage upon completion of the project, and potential coordination with historical agencies for historical tours, thereby enabling the public to learn more about the Battle of Princeton.

Compromises inevitably leave both sides with perceived gains and losses. However, in this case I believe the right balance presents itself. We will enable many generations to more fully understand the Battle of Princeton and its importance through interpretive signage, historical tours, archaeology, and preserved land. We will also see to the housing needs met for the talented and creative faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Chad Goerner

Mayor, Princeton Township

January 25, 2012

At its Monday evening meeting, Township Committee modified and then approved a resolution establishing a Transition Task Force. Other Township news this week includes Mayor Chad Goerner’s recent announcement that he will not seek election as mayor of the consolidated Princetons in 2013.

“Having served for almost six years, I have achieved everything that I set out to accomplish when I first ran for office in 2006,” said Mr. Goerner, who is 36 years old. “I will instead serve the remainder of my term as mayor and guide the town through a smooth transition without any political distraction.”

Mr. Goerner commented that he really had two full-time jobs: one as a vice-president of the Swiss global finances services company, UBS, and the other as Township mayor.

This balancing act, along with a potential interest in starting a new business led him to “step back a bit” and “take a hiatus.” He did not preclude the possibility of returning to politics, however.

“I never had a plan to be mayor for decades,” Mr. Goener observed. “When I first ran for Township Committee in 2006, I had set a goal of consolidation, increased transparency, and fiscal responsibility. We’ve accomplished all of those things and more.”

Mr. Goerner’s current assignments include membership on the Library Board of Trustees, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Tax/Finance Committee, The Consolidation Commission, the Transition Task Force, and the Transit Force.

Consolidation was probably the number one goal on Mr. Goerner’s to-do list, and he expressed satisfaction at having participated in efforts that lead to the municipalities’ willingness to become one entity. These included, he said, writing op-ed pieces on consolidation and developing the proposal to study it under the Local Option Municipal Consolidation Act. Acceptance of the proposal led the way to the creation of the Joint Shared Services and Consolidation Commission.

As a member of the Commission, Mr. Goerner chaired the finance subcommittee “and campaigned tirelessly for consolidation once it was placed on the ballot.”

“The towns approved consolidation by a significant margin and we established a repeatable process for other towns,” he added. “Princeton will serve as a model for towns across the state.”

His goal now is to “seek a smooth transition to a single governing body in 2013.” After that, he said, it would probably be a good idea to have “new people come forward” to serve on the new governing body.

Mr. Goerner described the current governing body on which he has served as “a fantastic group of colleagues and municipal staff. I have been proud of what I have accomplished and it has been an honor to serve my community.”

Consolidation was on the minds of Township Committee members at its Monday evening meeting, when they approved an amended version of a resolution establishing the Transition Task Force. The first meeting of the task force will be held on Tuesday, January 31, at 7 p.m. in Township Hall.

While Township representatives to the team had already been approved, the committee fine-tuned the wording of several sentences in the resolution.

Citing the potential for “structural problems,” Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert questioned the resolution’s directive for one person from each municipality to serve as co-chairs of subcommittees. Successful subcommittees on the Consolidation Commission, it was noted, had a chair and a vice-chair, rather than co-chairs. It was suggested that the wording of the current resolution be changed so that the task force itself will decide on the model they want to use. Another proposed change to the resolution is the addition of words that will provide for additional meetings if needed. Borough Council will be asked to concur with these changes.

Princeton Township representatives to the Transition Team include residents Dorothea Berkhout, executive director for administration at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University; Linda Mather, president of Beacon Consulting Associates and League of Women Voters moderator; and Scott Sillars, president of Isles E4 and chair of the Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee for Princeton Township. Miller Investment Management senior executive Gary Patterson will serve as an alternate member.

Elected officials from the Township include Mayor Chad Goerner and Committeeman Bernie Miller. Both served on the Consolidation Commission as well and are expected to provide a liaison between the two groups.

Other business at Monday night’s meeting included approval of an ordinance to appropriate $2,550,000 for the rehabilitation of the Township sewer system. Township engineer Bob Kiser reported that Grover Avenue, Battle Road, and Roper Road are among the streets scheduled for work. The public hearing for this ordinance will be on Monday, February 27.

Taxi drivers in the Township will be asked to provide background checks and have insurance that is in compliance with a new state law if an ordinance introduction approved on Monday evening is approved at a public hearing on Monday, February 6.

Sue Nemeth announced that the Sewer Operating Committee had elected a new chair, former Borough Councilman David Goldfarb. Ms. Nemeth will serve as vice-chair. She also reported that pool renovations are “moving along at a brisk pace,” and that bricks with family names to be placed at the site are for sale.

January 11, 2012

Four applicants with backgrounds in academia, business, social services, and politics were recently selected by Princeton Township to serve on the consolidation transition team. The Borough has not yet announced its choices.

The transition team has been charged by the Consolidation Commission with implementing its recommendations for consolidation, which will take effect in January 2013. Both municipalities were asked to select four residents; three transition team members and one alternate. Two elected officials from both the Borough and Township will also serve, along with administrators Jim Pascale and Bob Bruschi. The Consolidation Commission, which is a separate entity, will continue to function in an advisory role.

Township choices included Dorothea Berkhout, executive director for administration at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University;К

Linda Mather, president of Beacon Consulting Associates and a regular League of Women Voters moderator who also served on the 1991 consolidation committee; and Scott Sillars, president of Isles E4 and chair of the Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee for Princeton Township since 2007. Gary O. Patterson, a senior executive with Miller Investment Management, was selected as an alternate.

“Scott, Thea, Linda and Gary are all extremely well qualified and each brings different, complementary skills to the table,” said Township Committee member (and new Deputy Mayor) Liz Lempert, who, along with then-Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth, interviewed the candidates.

Applicants who were not chosen may still be asked by the transition team to serve on subcommittees. “We had many qualified applicants and want to take advantage of the great pool of talent that came forward,” noted Township Mayor Chad Goerner.

All interviews for Township members of the transition team were conducted in December by Ms. Lempert and Ms. Nemeth. “We reviewed their work in late December and met in closed session to discuss how we could put a team together with various strengths,” Mr. Goerner said.

In response to recent comments complaining that the selection process did not take place at public meetings, Ms. Nemeth observed that “interviews were conducted in a manner that allowed for candid and thorough discussion of each individual’s expertise, interests, and time availability. A public interview process would not have afforded us enough time or provide enough privacy to adequately weigh the commitment of serving.”

Ms. Lempert similarly commented that ‘Interviewing in private allows for a more open and relaxed dialog, and helps us to better evaluate candidates. This was the same process we used to select the Consolidation Commission members, as well as other committees.”

“The public should know that we recommended the very best team selected from among a highly qualified pool of candidates and hope many who were not selected will serve on subcommittees formed by the Task Force,” Ms. Nemeth added.

“We are anxious to move this process forward as soon as possible and hope that the Borough is able to make their appointments soon,” noted Mr. Goerner.

Borough Council members were scheduled to meet in a closed session last night (January 10) to discuss the appointments, before their scheduled public meeting.

The issue was first discussed at a private, unannounced meeting in late December of Council members Jo Butler, Kevin Wilkes, Jenny Crumiller, Mayor-elect Yina Moore and Councilwoman-elect Heather Howard. Eight candidates were selected from a list of applicants interested in representing the Borough. They were interviewed, in an open session, on January 3.

Councilman Roger Martindell took exception to the implication that Council was going to select from that group in a closed session. At press time, he said he intended to ask at the January 10 meeting that the appointments be discussed instead at an open session.

“The selection of persons to interview for the transition task force should be by publicly acknowledged criteria following public interviews of candidates,” he said. “Since we have not, as of the January 10 meeting, accomplished those goals, then I think it’s important to hold the process open and continuing so that we might select the persons in the most open and rational way possible. I look forward to doing so in the next few days ahead.”

Ms. Crumiller said in an email that meetings by governing bodies to discuss personnel matters, including appointments, are always done in closed session, “for a good reason.

“It would a disservice to volunteer applicants to discuss their relative merits in public,” she said. “Given that the Township Committee had chosen its Task Force members weeks ago, the Council felt a sense of urgency in moving the transition process forward and catching up to the Township Committee.”

“Frankly, it’s frustrating that people who agreed to that process are now raising issues about it,” she added. “There was not a peep of dissent over the plan until a few days ago. I hope we can move forward and name the task force — we have remarkable citizen applicants and we need to let these volunteers get to work. We’re anticipating that those volunteers who are not chosen for the task force will be considered for a subcommittee, where we expect most of the work to take place.”


Chad Goerner was reelected Mayor and Liz Lempert took Sue Nemeth’s place as Deputy Mayor at Township Committee’s reorganization last week.

In her nomination, Ms. Lempert observed that, given how much was accomplished in recent months, it was hard to believe that Mr. Goerner has been mayor for only one year. She described him as a “great colleague,” “inclusive” in his work and a “great communicator”

Ms. Nemeth, who hopes to run for a seat on the Mercer County Board of Freeholders later this year, nominated Ms. Lempert. Ms. Nemeth spoke of Ms. Lempert’s history of engagement in preservation efforts; her work with the citizens finance advisory committee; her role as an advocate for the Human Services Department; and her influence in the recruitment of bilingual volunteers Township offices.

Describing her as “an excellent leader” over the past year, Mr. Goerner noted that Ms. Nemeth has his full support as she looks ahead to working at the county level.

Mr. Goerner, who sported a blue bow tie that evening, was sworn in by former governor Jim Florio. “I worked on his campaign while in I was in college and his ability to stand by his principles and make difficult decisions–but the right decisions–even when they weren’t always the most popular, inspired me to become involved in politics,” said Mr. Goerner in thanking Mr. Florio.

Ms. Lempert was sworn in by attorney and former School Board member Walter Bliss.

Both Ms. Nemeth and Bernie Miller, who were returned to Township Committee in the November election, were sworn in as well at the Tuesday evening meeting. Ms. Nemeth was sworn in by Township Attorney Ed Schmierer. Noting that he had done this a number of times before, Simon Miller did the honors for his father, whom he thanked for the “lesson he’s given me and my children: the value of public service.” Mr. Miller announced that he would not run for office in 20012.

Congressman Rush Holt (D-12); Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes; and former Township May Michelle-Tuck Ponder were among the dignitaries present for the Township’s last reorganization meeting as a separate entity.

Dog Tax

With that in mind, Mr. Goerner said, he and Deputy Clerk, Kathy Brzezynski paid a visit to the Township’s archives that morning. Princeton was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, and the hand-written budget for that year, Mr. Goerner reported, included $500 for the repair of roads; $500 to support the poor; $50 for bridge repairs; and $400 for schools. Incoming revenue included a $1 tax on every dog. “From our humble beginnings to a budget today of approximately $36 million ($61m if we include Princeton Borough), we have grown into a vibrant, diverse and desirable community,” observed Mr. Goerner. “Reunited once again, the future for our community looks very bright.”

At last year’s reorganization meeting, Mr. Goerner reminded the audience, he paraphrased David Bowie, observing that “we won’t always know where we’re going, but I promise you it won’t be boring.” This time he channelled the Moody Blues as he promised that “we will ‘keep as cool as we can and face piles of trials with smiles.’”