The six candidates for West Windsor Council were asked to give a brief biography and provide answers to the questions below. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
1.) Please summarize your background, career path, academic credentials, etc.
2.) What do you think should happen to the Wyeth/Howard Hughes land at Quakerbridge Road and Route 1? What steps would you recommend to achieve that result?
3.) A plan has been advanced to renovate the township office complex at a cost of several million dollars. What is your opinion of that expenditure?
4.) Several projects have been proposed to enhance the downtown area of West Windsor, including the pocket park next to the 7/11 and a proposal for landscaping the pond area in front of the Junction train station. Would you continue these efforts? Add other projects to the list? If so, how would they best be financed?
5.) What areas of township operations or infrastructure are most in need of immediate improvement?
6.) Do you anticipate a need to raise property taxes in the foreseeable future? Why or why not? Do you have a plan to lower taxes? How would you implement that?
7.) Long-term what are the biggest challenges facing West Windsor?
8.) Are there any other issues that you would like to raise?
9.) Is there a public figure or personal acquaintance you look up to as an inspiration or a role model?
1.) Originally from Central New Jersey, I am married to my wife Deonna and we have five children of whom four are in WW-P schools. I am a former Division I basketball player at the University of Texas – San Antonio. I most recently was employed with the National Basketball Association overseeing the creation, development, trafficking, and marketing placement of NBA promo initiatives.
Since then I have been doing some consulting work and am still pursuing other business interests. The most important aspect of my background my volunteer work. I have spent hours volunteering in schools, prisons, and communities mentoring young children and families.
2.) I believe that this property should be utilized for the betterment of the people of West Windsor. First and foremost, the people of West Windsor should be informed about any plans for this property. That location would have been great for the Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro. In addition, Costco, which will be built next year in Lawrence, would have been well suited for this location. We have to empower the people of West Windsor to be more involved and feel that they are a part of the major decisions made here.
West Windsor should be a township open for business to outside companies. To achieve that result, I would propose at least four Town Hall Meetings per year, open to all residents, at our high school where the mayor, council, and administration can field questions and answers with the people of West Windsor. This empowers our residents to speak and address their thoughts, ideas, needs, and concerns while also making for a more transparent government.
3.) This is something that should be decided by the taxpayers. Everyone in this office complex first and foremost serves the people. We cannot lose sight of that. The administration should not renovate the township office without the full support and approval of West Windsor residents. With that said, several million dollars is not acceptable, especially for a township office complex that 80 percent of residents have never set foot in.
4. & 5.) West Windsor is in true need of a recreation center. With all of the great ethnicities and obvious interest in sports/activities a recreation center is long overdue. I am proposing that we conduct the proper research, land/property development, and create a budget for this awesome infrastructure that will enhance quality of life in West Windsor.
Many people do not understand the great attributes, habits, and disciplines learned from playing sports and being a part of recreational activities. You learn the finer points of teamwork,unity, development skills, setting and achieving goals, initiating and meeting demands, and handling intense workloads. Sports/athletics increase camaraderie, sacrifice, commitment, and striving for excellence. All of these qualities are also directly associated with excellence in academics. This recreation center would also house our recreation department and enable the parents of this community, with all of the awesome ethnicities we have, to share their history and culture with other residents. This will galvanize and bring this community closer together.
6.) It is slightly difficult to fully answer that question without studying and observing every line item of the budget. In addition, we would need to take a look at areas where we could cut spending, while at the same time have optimal services rendered to our residents. I do not anticipate a need to raise property taxes in the foreseeable future, but would need to do the above first, before we say for sure what we would not do. I do feel that we need to be more open to companies and businesses so that we can indeed increase the ratables coming to West Windsor. This would at least ensure an ability to assess the tax situation and in the future enable our residents to have potential tax relief.
7.) This is a huge commuter and transient township and we need to make West Windsor welcoming and open to allowing our residents to be more communal and empower them to be involved in this town. We also need to enhance the quality of life here so that so many residents do not move and/or leave immediately following their youngest child graduating from high school.
The cost to live and remain in West Windsor is becoming more difficult year after year for so many, and we need to enhance the quality of life in a way that keeps West Windsor optimal in its education, recreation/athletics, community involvement, cost, and inclusiveness. With the economic situation that has loomed for the past six years nationally, it is only wise to put together a task force here that will pay close attention to what is going on federally and statewide from a legislative standpoint. We need to create an atmosphere that attracts businesses, maintains the residential population, and pushes for greater involvement from our residents.
This township must be more service-oriented and keep the public’s best interest at heart. This is what a member of the township administration must embody at all times. I am that person and with the years of communal involvement, passion for serving others and business experience, I truly feel this is the time for me to enter public office. My family and I have been personally connected to this township as a resident and now I want to be a part of the concrete, important and timely decisions that affect residents and their families. That is the quality of life we seek.
8.) Not at this time.
9.) Without a doubt that public figure would be Martin Luther King, Jr. He embodied the spirit of togetherness, unity, greatness, growth, economic development, and peace. With great strength and dedication to communities around this country, Dr. King was able to neutralize bigotry and racism in order to progress and enhance the quality of life for millions of Americans from the ’60s to the present day. In addition, the greatest aspect of his life that is inspirational is that he dedicated his life literally to others. He stood for something and his beliefs and convictions paved the way for many of the allowances that millions of Americans are privileged to receive daily.
