In his letter to the editor “Setting the Solar Record Straight,” Marvin Gardner politicizes the serious issues of grave concern to numerous West Windsor residents by reference to “the President of the West Windsor Republican Party.”
The adverse impact of the solar project on West Windsor residents, Mayor Hsueh’s either being asleep at the wheel on the project or currying favor with the County Democratic “powers that be,” and Mr. Gardner’s abdication of his fiduciary responsibilities are non-partisan issues, not Republican issues.
Gardner claims that he recused himself on the advice of his attorney. Apparently it did not occur to Gardner that he should have resigned from the board of trustees of Mercer County College.
Gardner put his self-interest in padding his resume ahead of his fiduciary obligations to West Windsor residents as chairman of the planning board.
Gardner is a registered Democrat and key advisor to Mayor Hsueh and Council President Khanna (the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the West Windsor Democratic Municipal Committee). If West Windsor were Oz and Mayor Hsueh were the Wizard, Gardner would be the guy behind the screen pulling the levers.
For Gardner to suggest that West Windsor has had no legal power to stop the solar project is disingenuous. Gardner and Mayor Hsueh should have used their influence with the Democratic county executive and the Democratic board of chosen freeholders either to stop the project or at least assure West Windsor a place at the table. Given the way “influence politics” works in Mercer County, their efforts likely could have stopped the project at its early stages.
Mr. Gardner insists that the solar project “was and is public knowledge.” If the project was so well known to so many people, then Mayor Hsueh truly was asleep. Either that or he purposely ignored the project to curry favor with the Democratic county administration.
West Windsor residents have not been well-served either by Mayor Hsueh or by Planning Board Chair, Marvin Gardner with respect to the solar project.
Charles C. Morgan
24 Murano Drive, West Windsor
