When I ran a campaign for council, the township was fortunate enough to have good options for Council and elected a woman for whom I have tremendous respect in Diane Ciccone. Moving Forward, the new slogan of George Borek’s team, was next to my name on the ballot. But this letter is not about stealing good ideas, it is about the honesty and integrity of our elected officials. Diane demonstrated those values. Questions to ask the Move Forward campaign:
1. Why are you running without Diane Ciccone?
2. Why did you vote for the town center after being elected with Morgan on a campaign that stood against it?
3. Why have our taxes skyrocketed under your stewardshipy?
4. What do you stand for, why is it different from what you stood for, and why did you not accomplish the objectives that you set out to achieve?
When I campaigned in my old neighborhood, which happens to be Borek’s as well, folks pointed out that he follows the political winds. I contend that those political winds steered George away from Diane and away from the values that George was elected on. Let’s move forward as a town, away from the politics that George embraces.
Andrew Hersh
In Defense of Maher
I was appalled to read Andrew Bromberg’s recent misinformed criticism of Council Candidate Bryan Maher in the WW-P News. Clearly Mr. Bromberg does not know Mr. Maher as I have for the past 10 years.
Regarding Mr. Bromberg’s accusations, it is obvious that he has not followed the platform on which Mr. Maher and his colleagues are running. Bryan has publicly stated numerous times that he does want to see additional parking for West Windsor residents and has even complained that it is taking too long. He also publicly supports re-development, though he wants to ensure that it does not come at the expense of West Windsor taxpayers. He also believes that redevelopment should be focused on improving West Windsor’s real downtown, Route 571, not a developer-owned office park.
We need someone with Mr. Maher’s financial expertise to get West Windsor taxes under control. He is the type of person that can get things done expeditiously and cost effectively. What we don’t need is four more years of council people “rubber stamping” the mayor’s agenda, which has led to a 124 percent increase in the municipal tax levy over the past 10 years.
Laura Murphy Siegler
14 Penrose Lane, West Windsor
Running for political office is like seeking a job. Applicants have a choice between extoling their own qualifications or denigrating their competitor’s. Alas, the tendency in West Windsor political contests over the course of too many elections is to choose the latter strategy. Rather than saying “I can,” some candidates, or their proxies, too often say “You can’t.” Andy Bromberg’s letter of October 7 smearing Bryan Maher with inaccurate statements and insinuations is a perfect example of this tactic.
I urge all West Windsor voters to steer clear of applicants for Council who present no concrete ideas or firm policies to define themselves, but rely on humorless innuendo and guilt by association to characterize their competition.
Serious candidates for a job also know the value of open discussion and even polite disagreement. Especially for our Council, transparency of process and constructive debate are important. Public unanimity and rubber-stamping do the community a disservice. Our elected officials have a duty to ask questions of each other that may sometimes be uncomfortable but are in the community’s best interest to explore.
In the interest of progress, civility, and good government, people adopting the “I can” approach are the superior choice in the November 8 election. These attributes characterize Council candidates Bryan Maher, Lauren Kohn, and Gary Zohn. Mudslinging and ad hominem attacks should have no place in this election!
James R. Solloway
West Windsor
