Controversies over signs have often been part of West Windsor political campaigns, and this year is no exception (see page 20). But this year a seemingly routine announcement concerning a town council meeting sparked a controversy of its own.
On October 10 the West Windsor Council held a special public meeting to discuss the Cranbury Road sidewalk project requests for proposals (RFP). At that meeting, which was devoted exclusively to discussion of the provisions of the RFP, Council President George Borek announced that he was canceling the regularly scheduled meeting to be held on Tuesday, October 15 (the day after Columbus Day). The third council meeting scheduled in October, to be held on Monday, October 28, would proceed as planned, Borek said.
This decision was met with consternation by some residents.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident John Church stated, “I urge you to reconsider your unprecedented decision to cancel the meeting. Even as Hurricane Sandy approached West Windsor on October 29, 2012, the scheduled meeting that evening was not canceled, but moved to earlier in the day. This meeting should not be canceled either.”
In a later statement, mayoral candidate Hemant Marathe said, “President Borek was out of line canceling the business meeting. Residents have the right to speak during public comment, both before and after the meeting. [At the last meeting] an RFP for sidewalks on Cranbury Road was discussed. That meeting was not televised or recorded. People should have an opportunity to promptly comment on what happened.”
“Moreover, now there is only one council meeting on the calendar before the upcoming mayoral election,” Marathe said, adding that substantial business is transacted at council meetings.
President Borek explained his decision to cancel the October 15 meeting. “By chance, during the month of September, we held three council meetings, instead of our normal two meetings. Plus I added the special council meeting on the Cranbury Road RFP, which was held on October 10. To be honest, because of these additional meetings, we had almost nothing on the agenda for the October 15 meeting — perhaps one resolution that was not time-sensitive. We don’t even have any bills that needed to be paid.”
“So to me it seemed like a true waste of taxpayer dollars and other resources to hold the additional meeting. We would have needed at least the cable TV operator; our Township attorney; the Township Clerk, and the business administrator to be present at the meeting, and for what? We had nothing on the agenda,” Borek said.
“I asked all of my council colleagues if they had any issues or concerns that would warrant holding the meeting, and all of them agreed with my decision to cancel the meeting, including candidates Kamal Khanna and Linda Geevers. So I decided to cancel the meeting.”
