Diane Ciccone, a seven-year resident of West Windsor, lives with her husband, Daryl McMillan, on Penn Lyle Road. She was appointed to the planning board this past summer. She said, “When my daughter went away to college, I knew I would have more time and I wanted to do something to benefit the community.##M:[more]##
“I told the mayor, and I was appointed to the planning board. Franc approached me about running for council. I’ve never run for public office before. I haven’t been involved in politics for a very long time. I may look at things differently than the current council members.”
Ciccone’s career as an attorney with a private practice “has helped me to analyze material like the legislation that comes before council, and I think my mediation training will help me to get people to come to a consensus,” says Ciccone.
She believes her experience as a commuter could be helpful as well, particularly as part of the planning process for the Princeton Junction train station. “I’m a commuter. I don’t think anyone on the council is a commuter. I’ve taken the train every day, and I’ve seen the worst of it. I live close enough to walk to the train station, so sometimes I would, but I would feel like I was taking my life into my own hands,” says Ciccone, who adds pedestrian safety as a major concern.
“I’d like to be part of improving the quality of life in West Windsor. You walk around town and there are different communities that are really gorgeous,” says Ciccone. “Then you see Route 571 near the train station, and it could really use some sprucing up.”
Ciccone went to college at Colgate University, just as her daughter, Kali, does now. Kali’s education is the reason the family moved from East Windsor to West Windsor 18 years ago after she opted to switch from parochial to public school.
Ciccone grew up in Upstate New York, near the Finger Lakes. Her father was a director of parks and recreation for the city of Syracuse, an appropriate pedigree for a township so concerned with Open Space Preservation. “I’m a big proponent of environmental sustainability,” says Ciccone.
