Two candidates are running for the job of mayor of Ewing Township: incumbent Bert Steinmann and challenger Ron Prykanowski.
Prykanowski, 75, is a 28-year resident of Ewing who currently lives in Harrop Manor and is running as an independent. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and works as a real estate broker and is a retired municipal purchasing agent.
His children attended the East Windsor Regional Schools District. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and Fraternal Order of Police.
He was a Hightstown Borough councilman for 11 years, a former president of the Mercer County League of Municipalities, a former member Ewing Planning Board, former president of the Governmental Purchasing Association of New Jersey and a continuing education instructor for the New Jersey Real Estate Commission.
Democrat Steinmann, 71, is a 59-year resident of the township with his wife, Chris. The couple’s three children attended the Ewing Public Schools.
He is a retired worker and pension fund administrator for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 269 and holds a degree in electrical engineering from Trenton Technical Institute. He was a member of Ewing Township Council between 2000 and 2010 and took office as mayor in January 2011.
Steinmann has served on the Ewing Recreation Commission, the board of trustees for the Greater Trenton YMCA, the board of directors for the Mercer ARC and was president of the West End Soccer Association.
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The Ewing Observer asked both of the candidates a series of five questions. Their responses appear below.
Why are you running for election/reelection for mayor and what experience or perspective do you bring to the job?
Prykanowski: I am running because no one deserves to run unopposed, and we don’t need a full-time mayor being paid $50,000 and a car when we are paying a full-time administrator $140,000, a car and a clothing allowance. As a regular attendee at council and planning board meetings I have seen a lack of vision for the township. The township has been victimized by archaic thinking.
Steinmann: In the eight years that I’ve been mayor I think we’ve made real progress. There is more to be done, but the improvements we’ve made internally with staff and the delivery of services to the external in working with our Green Team regarding tree plantings and upkeep of our grounds, parks and public spaces is notable.
While some of the changes we needed to make have been difficult, particularly as it involves our day-to-day operations, our progress is measurable and there is a real feeling that we are on the right track. I believe this primarily because we have been honest and forthright in our pursuits. At times we don’t always agree, but my heart is firmly set on advancing Ewing’s future. I do believe more needs to be done, and I personally would like to see several things through to fruition before leaving office.
One is the continued preservation of our neighborhoods and the partnership we continue to grow with The College of New Jersey. Solidifying Ewing as a great collegiate community is attainable while continuing to protect our neighborhoods. Obviously rental housing pressures cause us to rethink how we plan for and zone our neighborhoods, but college town is a development that I would not only like us to better capitalize on but improve upon.
Another area is the airport. While I have expressed my full support of a new terminal and bringing it up to 21st century standards, careful consideration of the impact it will have on the surrounding community will need to be met with standards for the development that facilitate this growth into more than just a benefit for travelers in the county, but also the township with non-aviation side development that respects our community and strengthens our economic development opportunities.
We are also about to launch a new master plan for our parks, recreation and open space. Having a formal game plan in place for each of our parks, that we will develop with each of the neighborhoods that surround them, will give us a road map for the future and will allow us to plan our budget accordingly.
Redevelopment at the Ewing Town Center is proceeding. What are your feelings on development in other areas of the township including Olden Avenue and the old Naval Air Warfare Center property?
Prykanowski: We were told originally that the General Motors property was going to be a transit center. That didn’t materialize because it didn’t meet the parameters set by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Now it’s going to be more of a private community. The only part that will be open to the public will be the retail portion along Parkway Avenue.
Olden Avenue is our true town center. As a realtor, I can tell you that anyone who wants to locate in Ewing wants to be along Olden Avenue. Olden Avenue needs to be given more attention. The Ewing Township Redevelopment Agency had its genesis as the Olden Avenue Redevelopment Committee.
As for the Naval Air Warfare Center, its redevelopment is long overdue. And this is where visionary thinking comes in. The NAWC is between the airport and the railroad. The owner should tear down those buildings, which have no use and repurpose those that do. The owner should ask CSX to put in a rail siding for one of the buildings. Since this property is next to the airport, it can be very easily used for air freight. The NAWC would become an economic engine.
Steinmann: Finally! After a lot of hard work finalizing details involving Silvia Street and the upgrades to the utility infrastructure, as well as getting the property out of GM’s hands and into the developer’s, Ewing Town Center is proceeding and construction has, in-fact begun.
Olden Avenue continues to see progress with the recent opening of MedExpress, Walgreens and the redevelopment of the former extension patio store into a retail store. Team Toyota will also be locating a portion of its operation within the old Grainger building with building upgrades currently being reviewed by our code office. We have also made progress getting the Big Bear Natural Food store (former Carvel) closer to opening. As many are beginning to notice, our streetscape is improving. From Aldi to the new MedExpress to Sonic, this is what the improvements would look like once implemented across the entire corridor.
Over the next year new projects we will also be unveiling additional projects that are currently in the conceptual stage.
The Naval Air Warfare Center, however, is a bit more challenged. While some may have heard Walmart was a prospective tenant for the site—and the controversy that may have come from that—it is dead. We are currently working on a plan that involves both a hotel and an arts and cultural center. While it is in a very conceptual stage, we believe it would be a great fit for the Ewing Town Center.
Are there any areas of the township budget where you would look to cut expenses? Are there any areas where you feel the township needs to spend more?
Prykanowski: If I am elected mayor, everything is on the table for examination. I will first ask for a full audit of the full-time fire fighters. We are now receiving a SAFER grant, which helps to defray some of the payroll costs. However, when this grant has ended, we need to examine the cost versus benefits of full-time firefighters. We may not have enough ratables to defray these increased costs to our taxpayers. I would much rather increase the donations to our volunteers. After all, volunteer firefighters have served this community honorably for over 150 years.
Steinmann: I think we have been running a pretty tight budget since coming into office and erasing the $7-plus million hole we had to overcome. Now we need to continue to invest in our future and build upon our great assets. We need to continue to pay attention to our parks, in fact, we are beginning a park master plan that will guide the future investments we need to make and how we then begin to budget them over the next 5-10 years.
The recent improvements to Moody Park with upgraded football and basketball facilities and a new and improved dog park in Banchoff Park are just the start. We will continue to seek grants for road paving projects, such as those that allowed us to repave Federal City Road and Green Lane. Buttonwood drive will be completed this spring.
In our constant search for new revenue and grant opportunities, we received a $1 million SAFER Grant, which has offset the cost of ensuring our emergency response teams have what they need to protect the township. We will continue to explore opportunities that help us to keep moving Ewing forward.
What is one challenge facing Ewing Township that you believe deserves more attention?
Prykanowski: There are numerous challenges facing the Township which deserve attention. The current issues facing Ewing Township are: the Trenton Water Works; the (Trenton-Mercer) airport expansion; the proliferation of student housing; and the master plan.
Steinmann: Our progress along Olden Avenue has shown us that much more needs to be done, especially in the areas along and adjacent to Prospect Street, Stokes Avenue, as well as Calhoun Street and Ingham Avenue. Combating years of decline and the challenges that the loss of the Trenton/Ewing industrial base did to us years ago isn’t easy. Collaboration with the City of Trenton in all aspects of property maintenance, public infrastructure and law enforcement in both police and zoning is necessary. We need to assist these residents and businesses and build back the promise of jobs, while increasing the quality of life for those that call these areas home.
Ewing continues to be stigmatized by people who claim a variety of things that are just not true about us in the market. I think sometimes our own residents on social media also exacerbate this negative image. I believe this hurts the township. Whether it be our schools, or the challenges we experience along the border with our capital city that was once a bustling job center, we continue to move forward in a way that tries to raise the bar for all.
It is difficult but rewarding work. Although frustrating at times, I would like us all to come together and talk about our town in the most positive of lights and in every way, shape and form we can. In order to eliminate all the negative perceptions that people use as excuses for not to investing in Ewing, we need to continue to tout our strengths. Our location in the region and our infrastructure, solid community spirit, parks and recreational opportunities, the great global industries that call us home, and yes, the great strides our schools have made too.
Communication between the township and its residents is important. How do you feel the township can better communicate with the people who live and work in Ewing?
Prykanowski: We need better communication with the residents. Their quality of life depends on it. I will hold meetings around the township and invite council to be there with me. I believe that more citizens will come out to these meetings that don’t come out to a regular council meeting.
Steinmann: While technology changes daily, we have made a lot of progress in this regard. With reverse 911 calls, the Ewing police and township Facebook sites, as well as digital signage added to the Ewing Community Center and the West Trenton Fire Station, I believe that we are communicating in very effective ways.
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