Members of the West Windsor Township Council, at a regularly-scheduled session on Monday, August 14, continued to hash out their recent conflict, departing from items on the meeting agenda to take care of their personal agendas.
At one point, the debate got so contentious, frequent meeting attendee Mary Ann Pedee-Siegel shouted out, “Put a cork in it!”
Amidst the arguments, council did attend to township business, approving changes to guidelines concerning the procedure which led to Barbara Pfeifer’s appointment and, indirectly, to a debate over ethical behavior by council members.
Council voted unanimously to adopt a code of ethics, which will apply to all members of the entity. Council also voted to approve expenditures for $4 million worth of capital improvements, and to authorize the transfer of a liquor license from Princeton High Spirits to the new P.F. Chang’s restaurant due to open soon in MarketFair. Council also approved an ordinance to increse salaries for municipal employees.
All township business, however, took a back seat to personal politics and blame-slinging speeches. The feud between Charles Morgan and Barbara Pfeifer continued publicly from the beginning of the meeting, incited by two Will Anklowitz supporters speaking in favor of the council candidate and against Pfeifer’s actions before and during her time as an interim council member.
Nitin Shah of Zaitz Farm Road, who, along with Anklowitz, was a candidate for appointment to Pfeifer’s council seat, criticized Pfeifer for walking out of the council work session on August 4. He said, “That was not the right thing to do. It was a disservice to the township. Council should respect Charles Morgan because he is an elected official, not a selected one.”
He also criticized her for her alleged overstatement of an educational credit on her application, saying, “I hope you don’t approve the township spending $1 million, thinking it’s actually $100,000. Let’s move forward with council business and stop this mockery.”
Morgan was the lone council member to vote for Anklowitz instead of Pfeifer. He has announced his support of Anklowitz, the only person who has officially declared candidacy for the November election.
Steve Schorr of South Barrow Street in Windsor Haven, another Ankolowitz campaigner, spoke in favor of Morgan, whose investigation of Pfeifer’s credentials as listed on her application for the council position were criticized by the other four council members. Said Schorr: “After learning of the discrepancy, should he have done nothing?”
Pfeifer responded after the public comment session ended, insisting that she stands by her application as originally filed, and that she would like the council to take legislative action to draft a code of ethics to ensure that no person would ever be treated as she was by Morgan during her candidacy. Said Pfeifer: “It was not pretty.”
Morgan at first declined to respond to Pfeifer. He said, “I have nothing to say except that we should get back to business.”
Later, when the topic was raised again during a discussion on drafting the code of conduct, Morgan did respond, saying, “People misrepresent the reality of the situation. I did not do anything on behalf of Mr. Anklowitz. I brought it up to council, and this group decided to keep it private. We made that judgment. I wasn’t the one to make it public. One person made it public. It’s time for us to get back to the business of the township.”
He also objected to Pfeifer making what he termed a “political speech” in a council meeting. He was criticized publicly by council president Linda Geevers for his handling of the investigation of Pfeifer’s credentials, and his attempt to respond led to an increasingly loud argument between Morgan and the four other council members. At the height of the dispute, Pedee-Siegel stood up and said, “Put a cork in it!”
Council complied, and resumed discussion of adopting the ethical code. Township attorney Michael J. Herbert will write the code, and it will be amended and voted on in September.
