Peter Crowley | Town Topics

Six Local Mayors Focus on Regional Issues

Six Mercer County mayors met for breakfast last Thursday morning at the Hyatt Regency Princeton to discuss regional issues with each other, with representatives of local businesses, and with members of the public.

In addition to Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, the town’s first post-consolidation mayor, the panel comprised Mayors Janice Mirnov from East Windsor, Paul Anzano from Hopewell Borough, Vanessa Sandom from Hopewell Township, Anthony Persichilli from Pennington, and Shing-Fu Hsueh from West Windsor.

The mayors answered questions put to them by moderator Frank Lucchesi, of PSE&G, which sponsored the event hosted by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting was held to promote regional thinking and cooperation on such problems as traffic and transportation, residential development, economic growth, emergency preparedness, among others.

“The challenges faced by our municipalities are not unique and the collective impact is felt by all of us,” said Peter Crowley, president and CEO of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We believe that solutions are reached earlier, answers more easily resolved and outcomes implemented more quickly when we work together.”

PSE&G has organized similar events in the past in other counties, said Mr. Lucchesi, and found the discussions to be successful in providing an opportunity for mayors to talk about issues affecting all of their municipalities. “The roundtable is a forum for mayors to work on a regional basis and for members of the public and the business community to learn the distinct nature of each municipality.”

Mr. Lucchesi asked the mayors to describe the greatest challenges facing their towns and the region.

The first response came from East Windsor Mayor Janice Mirnov, who unhesitatingly launched into a description of New Jersey’s “onerous property tax system.” “The tax burden is our primary challenge,” she said, noting that more people were leaving New Jersey than any other state probably because of the property taxes. She also described the “dramatic effect” of the expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike on her town.

Hopewell Borough Mayor Anzano concurred with Ms. Mirnov on the tax issue, as did all other mayors on the panel, and added that affordable housing was a problem for first time homeowners and for seniors wishing to remain in their homes.

Mr. Persichilli raised what he called the elephant in the room that is Trenton. “It hurts me to see what is happening there,” he said. “Something has to be done to revive the city.” Mr. Persichilli’s remark drew a round of applause from the audience of some 40 individuals. Mr. Lucchesi commented on the untapped resources of Trenton as a waterfront city, expressing the hope that one day it might turn around much as Pittsburgh has done.

Liz Lempert commended the business community for providing an example of consolidation for Princeton when the Borough and Township Merchants merged their organizations. She acknowledged that other towns were viewing Princeton’s recent consolidation and spoke about the need for municipalities to work together to improve bicycling networks between towns. She was well aware that Princeton’s street closures during its annual Town and Gown celebration, Communiversity, had an effect on the “fragile road network” through and around Princeton where traffic in one town causes back-ups in neighboring towns. “Traffic is a regional issue that we need to work together on; it’s not a problem each town can solve independently.”

She mentioned a database of statistical information compiled by regional planner Ralph Widner, who was in the audience, that would be a tool for planning the future not only of the newly consolidated Princeton but also the town in relation to Greater Princeton and beyond. Mr. Widner is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and a moving force in the group Princeton Future.

In March, Mr. Widner unveiled “A Statistical Portrait” of Princeton, using data from the 2010 U.S. Census and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census.

Ms. Lempert went on to describe Princeton’s free Jitney service with links to the Dinky and Princeton University’s Tiger Transit. Regarding Mr. Persichilli’s remarks on Trenton, she said: “We are the capital county and we need to be there to support Trenton.”

West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh spoke on the region’s potential as an “economic engine” for the whole of New Jersey. But to achieve this, he said, local municipalities need to partner with the state and deal with the systemic problem of property taxes since the current system presents a significant obstacle to collaboration because municipalities need to fund many services at the local level through property taxes.

As municipalities come to realize that they are unable to solve their own problems without “regional thinking” and collaboration, a new collective approach will have to be adopted “of necessity,” said Mr. Anzano.

“It’s already happening in Mercer County,” said Ms. Mirnov, noting a trend prompted by common interests that she hopes will continue.

Asked about the lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy, the mayors agreed that communication is a crucial element of emergency preparedness, an important function of which, said Ms. Sandom, was educating homeowners on their responsibilities, since local governments cannot be expected to handle everything. Improved communication with residents prior to an emergency would allow families to plan ahead and have supplies such as water and food on hand. Princeton residents were encouraged to sign up for the town’s reverse 911 system.

During a moment of levity, Mr. Hsueh said that he hadn’t realized until Superstorm Sandy just how powerful he was. Some residents of his constituency, he told his colleagues, had called him to ask why he had allowed the storm to come to West Windsor.

Mr. Widner commented by phone, Monday, on the two principal issues discussed, namely the state’s tax structure and common traffic problems. “New Jersey is divided by many small local governments. Clearly its time for initiative at the local level,” he said. “Rather than reacting to what comes out of Trenton, municipalities should form their own ideas about these two issues and take their plans to the state. In particular a workable tax structure that is not so heavily dependent on property taxes. There needs to be leadership from the ground up. Princeton is particularly well-placed, especially after consolidation, to take a leadership role here because of its rich intellectual community and because of its history as far back as the Revolutionary War.

As made clear by Thursday’s mayoral gathering, problems faced by local municipalities are not confined to their respective municipal boundaries.

A second roundtable with the remaining mayors of Mercer County municipalities will take place in the fall to coincide with Trenton Small Business Week. It is hoped that such mayoral gatherings will become annual events.

—Linda Arntzenius

Chamber’s Revamping of Kiosk Design Receives Mixed Reception From Council

A proposal to revamp the information kiosks located on Nassau Street at Witherspoon and Vandeventer streets got a lukewarm reaction from members of Princeton Council on Monday night. But the Council agreed to hold off voting on the plan, which was presented by Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce President Peter Crowley, until after the Traffic and Transit committee takes a look at it.

“I feel like this is appropriate for a mall,” said Council member Jenny Crumiller, citing the portions of the kiosks that would display advertisements from local businesses. “Advertising is an assault. I’d rather not see it. Let’s not have it on our street corner. You have definitely improved the design, but advertising is what I object to.”

The Chamber has spent nearly a year developing a plan to upgrade the kiosks, which have been a fixture in town since the 1980’s. Used by the public to post notices of apartment rentals, meetings, cultural events, and other information, they are cluttered by multiple postings often layered on top of each other. “The kiosks have so much information on them that nobody gets the information,” Mr. Crowley said.

In addition to advertising, the proposed improvements include free tourism information, maps, and at least two cork panels for the public postings at the kiosk outside the Garden Theatre at Vandeventer Street. The other kiosk at Witherspoon Street would display the maps and municipal information along with advertisements, but not the public postings.

Each of the kiosks would cost about $20,000 to refurbish. The Chamber would maintain the kiosks, leasing them from the town. They would be designed with low-energy LED lighting. As much of the existing structures as possible would be maintained. Information posted on the kiosks would be limited to a certain size, for a specified length of time.

Mr. Crowley said he didn’t know yet how much businesses would be charged to advertise in the kiosks, but said that those prices would be tiered among Princeton businesses and Chamber members. Council member Jo Butler asked if Route 1 businesses would be included, and Mr. Crowley said that local organizations are preferred. Council member Lance Liverman questioned whether non-profits would be allowed to advertise. Noting that the Chamber has more than 100 non-profits as members, Mr. Crowley said their notices would be posted on a rotating basis, in a locked glass case.

Some Council members said that limiting the number of public notices could impinge upon the kiosk tradition of free speech. Mr. Crowley said the new design, while allowing less room than is currently available for such postings, is not intended to discourage putting up public information. When Ms. Butler expressed concern that the advertisements on the kiosks not face Nassau Street, where they could cause a distraction for drivers, Mr. Crowley replied that the ads would not face the road.

In a press release from the Chamber, Traffic and Transportation committee chair Anton Lahnston expressed support for the initiative. “The kiosks are a mess, they contribute to sign pollution in general. Anything you can do to help with that would be great.”

Princeton resident Chip Crider commented that the proposal has advantages and disadvantages. “It’s important that we don’t make our town too sterile,” he said, referring to the loss of some of the public posting space.

In other actions, the Council voted to approve an ordinance introduced last month to charge $107.60 an hour to pay police officers for extra duty at school events, parties, and other functions. They also voted to introduce an ordinance establishing fees for dog licenses at $12 for neutered pets, and $15 for un-neutered. A public hearing for that will be held at the February 25 meeting of Council.