All six candidates for West Windsor Council were able to preside on the dais, if only for two hours, at the October 5 forum held in the Council room at the municipal building. As each candidate responded to questions and gave rebuttals, disagreements arose over future capital projects, the fund balance, and how to approach developers and the Mercer County government.
Two slates are vying for the three seats up for election November 3, the results of which will determine majority control over Council. On the Community First slate is incumbent George Borek, former Council member Alison Miller, and attorney Ayesha Hamilton. The other slate, Your Voice, Our Commitment, includes incumbent Hemant Marathe, zoning board member Virginia Manzari, and sales executive Gerald Halloran.
When discussing the township’s future, remarks by candidates from both slates offered a preview of how they would approach issues facing the township.
Halloran said he would be “tough with developers,” and running mate Manzari called development “out of control.”
Opposing candidate Miller stressed the need for “a comprehensive plan” to address development and affordable housing.
The candidates were asked about the 653-acre Howard Hughes property off Quakerbridge Road, and no candidates favored heavy development, instead seeking land use that would be tax and traffic positive.
Hamilton recommended a collaborative approach, arguing litigation with the developer would be the “worst case scenario.”
“We have to look at revenue centers. It is unrealistic to say I want nothing there,” Hamilton said.
Marathe said the current commercial zoning gives the township a strong hand. “There should be no zoning change until we know for certain what they want. We can’t be afraid the developer will sue you,” he said.
Miller added the current commercial zoning does also allow for 100 affordable units, and she said the township should not be in a hurry and seek resident input.
Borek, running for a third term, said that as a Council member he has not met with Howard Hughes representatives, pointedly noting that elected officials should have meetings in an open and transparent manner. “I know some people have met with them over time,” Borek said.
The topic of the transit village was revived, and when stating their opposition to housing, both Manzari and Halloran alluded to Borek’s support of the transit village.
“I will not be voted in and then vote for housing as some on this dais have done,” Manzari said.
Running mate Marathe called the transit village “ill-fated,” and repeatedly told residents to evaluate candidates “based on their record, not what we say.”
In response Borek said the transit village process was “very contentious.”
“I made a decision based on what was best,” Borek said. “Until you see a plan you can’t arbitrarily say you’re going to [oppose] this.
Borek later added: “It’s not just saying no, it’s how do we get a compromise.”
Borek’s running mates, Hamilton and Miller, both voiced support for the concept of a walkable downtown.
“What we need in West Windsor is more opportunity and places that seem like a downtown,” Miller said. “Ellsworth Center enhances the main street that someday Route 571 will be.”
The two slates also disagreed on a proposed road diet for Canal Pointe Boulevard that would add bicycle lanes and reduce vehicle lanes to one in each direction.
Hamilton and Miller supported the plan.
“There is overwhelming support for the road diet, which will reduce sideswipe accidents,” Hamilton said. “We have to consider the science of the study, and I encourage residents to read it.”
Miller said she found the proposal convincing: “We shouldn’t let the minority stop what the majority thinks is a real safety improvement. Council’s job is to make sure it is designed well.”
An example of an administrative design error, Miller noted, is the sidewalk connecting Bear Brook Road to Meadow Road to Route 1, which put the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road.
Opposing candidates Manzari and Halloran disagreed with the conclusions from the road diet study.
Questioning the study’s conclusions, Manzari said, “When you change variables you change the outcome.” She argued the road diet “will back up traffic, and people will use the turning lane as a passing lane.”
Halloran lives in Canal Pointe and also disagreed with the study. The changes would increase the wait times, he said, and anticipated traffic increases from the corridor’s future office and residential development would lead to a reversal of the road diet to the current four lanes.
The two slates also took contrasting positions on the township’s relationship with Mercer County.
“We need to get our fair share of money,” Marathe said, noting the Cranbury Road sidewalk project has taken decades. He also said the County has been “completely unresponsive” to South Post Road residents, referring to the 17 households impacted by the new permanent stage built across the road in Mercer County Park, as well as the solar array built behind the homes by Mercer County Community College.
Manzari has advocated for residents in both neighborhoods and she believes Council needs to stand up to the County. “The county seems to run roughshod over us,” Manzari said. “It seems to be one-sided. We need to be proactive.”
On the other side, Borek said the South Post Road issue has been politicized, and he suggested working on model legislation amending county and township park jurisdiction that Council could submit to the state legislature.
“When you polarize an issue, people don’t want to work with you,” Borek said. “When you have good dialogue, that’s when you solve issues.”
Running mate Miller praised the county’s cooperation with the township on open space preservation. This year county grants have offset half the acquisition cost for several open space purchases. Miller added that the county is working on acquiring the 35-acre Thompson tract adjacent to the gun club on Princeton-Hightstown Road, a purchase that will allow the township to avoid the construction of 16 single-family homes.
When discussing the township’s budget, every candidate said they would scrutinize township expenses, but there were disagreements on how to balance the budget.
Manzari said she wants to maintain the township’s bond rating, but the fund balance can be lowered “to a more reasonable point,” as “other communities have a lower budget-to-surplus ratio.”
Echoing Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh’s concerns, Hamilton warned against further reducing the fund balance and potentially downgrading the township’s bond rating, which she said would lead to higher taxes. She added that South Brunswick recently lost its AAA bond rating, and that one rating criterion is a township’s willingness to raise taxes.
“I’m not advocating for a huge increase, but let’s not be flippant about another flat tax year,” Hamilton said.
Under current Council President Bryan Maher, who is not seeking re-election, Council has avoided municipal tax increases the past two years. This past year the administration recommended a 1.2 cent tax rate increase, which would have meant an increase of $60 for a $500,000 home, which is the average property value in West Windsor. (Fifteen percent of property tax payments go to the township, and the rest goes to the school district and Mercer County.)
One debate question alluded to Maher’s reign as Council president the past two years, asking candidates how they would deal with a “regrettable situation” in which “recent Council sessions have deteriorated into partisan shouting matches and recriminations.”
Council elections in West Windsor are nonpartisan, though this year’s slates are divided along party lines. Community First candidates are affiliated with the Democrats, while Your Voice, Our Commitment candidates are affiliated with the Republicans.
“In watching these Council meetings, I think we’ve forgotten we’re a nonpartisan Council,” Hamilton said. “There have been instances where I have seen township employees berated. That is unacceptable.”
Marathe and Miller referenced their previous independent records as elected officials on the school board and Council.
When serving as school board president, Marathe said he was “glad when Council made the front page of the newspaper,” because that meant the school board was not making bad headlines.
After making these comments, Marathe, a former mayoral candidate, then criticized the administration for only giving Council two weeks notice for the upcoming dedication of the pocket park at the intersection of Princeton-Hightstown and Alexander roads to the late John Nash, who lived in West Windsor. A ceremony is scheduled for Friday, October 23.
“Council needs respect,” said Marathe, pointing out the mayor sitting in the audience.
The mid-morning debate was sponsored by the Village Grande Civic Association and the West Windsor Retirees Group. The moderators were Ron Slinn, head of the Retirees Group, and Barry Kushner, a vice president of the Civic Association. The question review panel involved Senior Center Advisory Council chair Robert Taylor and Civic Association chair Sal Astarita. The October 23 issue of the News will include a Q&A forum with the Council candidates.
