To The Editor:
New Paths to Follow For Ken Carlson
Greetings friends. A bit of news — I’ve accepted an exciting position at a biotech company in Cambridge and Barbara and I will be moving to Massachusetts after 16 years in West Windsor. It’s with a mixture of sadness and excitement that we share this news with our friends and acquaintances.##M:[more]##
I will be stepping down as second vice-president and trustee of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance in the next few days. (I will also be stepping down as trustee of FOWWOS as well as a member of the Mercer County Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force).
I have been involved in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy in West Windsor for over eight years, and I must say I am most proud of the last three and a half years in the work we have done in the WWBPA. We have accomplished so much together to make West Windsor a more bicycle and pedestrian friendly community. We have made real concrete improvements throughout town as well as having sparked changes in policy and planning. I’m grateful to have worked with such a fantastic and committed Board of Trustees. We’ve also enjoyed the support of over 380 members, and the cooperation of the Mayor, Township officials, Township Council, and county and state officials.
Our work is not done by any stretch — there is much more to do. Please get involved in the WWBPA and help us make West Windsor a model for bicycle and pedestrian mobility and safety. We always need volunteers. In addition, with my resignation, we are also in need of a dedicated individual to join our Board of Trustees.
If you are interested in volunteering or stepping up to become a Trustee, please attend our meetings (our next meeting is Thursday, September 10), our events, and our activities. Please visit our website for ways to get involved (www.wwbpa.org) or E-mail us with any questions (wwbikeped@gmail.com).
Thanks again for all your support over these years. I wish you all the best, and I am sure we will cross paths (i.e. bicycle and pedestrian paths!) in the future.
Ken Carlson
WW Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance
www.wwbpa.org
Running For Council:
Andrew Hersh . . .
It is time to inject positive energy, enthusiasm and follow-through into West Windsor politics. The people of West Windsor can and should demand that we move forward from the divisive institutional politics that have bogged down our town for the last several years. We can reject the negativity that has poisoned progress and put an end to the infighting that has been like quick-sand to positive initiatives. It is time to move forward! For only then can we achieve uncommon results.
In the August 12th issue of the WW-P News, George Borek announced that Council will be holding monthly budget meetings, an effort that I brought to council earlier this year and have continually pushed for. This effort should institute a year-round focus on bringing in outside revenues and cutting wasteful spending. I propose that we have a committee of volunteers focused on this effort year-round, similar to what we have for parks and recreation, human relations, and environmental sustainability to name a few. I’m happy that Council is moving forward on my recommendation, as it is an idea that the whole of Council can get behind.
Over the last few weeks I have met with and discussed township needs with the community. I’ve been at the train station, the community pool, the grocery store, the farmers market, and have walked the streets. Every day I’ve listened and learned what matters most to you. I have also met with the Mayor, the Police Chief, and several members of Council. The community has diverse needs and concerns and is tired of inaction and increasing property taxes. The Council is generally stuck in partisan battles (we are a non-partisan township). We need our Council to do the people’s business and to do our business with diligence and enthusiasm.
In the coming weeks and months, you will have the opportunity to hear from me and Diane Ciccone. We are both vying to fill the Council seat that Will Anklowitz vacated. There may be others who join the race, too. Let’s make this race about needs, ideas, and the ability to deliver the goods. Let’s reject negativity and the old style of West Windsor politics, which is about who you know and not what you can deliver.
I promise to run a positive campaign of which my three-year-old can be proud. I will run a campaign that reflects my ability to resolve your issues and needs with diligence and enthusiasm. I will bring you fresh and innovative ideas that will lower your cost of living and improve your quality of life. I will demonstrate to you that we can achieve uncommon results as a Council and community working together. Andrew Hersh
5 Halstead Place
hersh.andrew@gmail.com
. . . And Diane Ciccone
It has been some five months since Diane Ciccone was appointed to the West Windsor Town Council to fill the position vacated by Will Anklowitz and her performance has been nothing short of brilliant. Diane is a no-nonsense council member whose comments are to the point, whose attitude is positive, and whose general demeanor is pleasant and non divisive. But this was to be expected from Diane judging from her record as a WW Planning Board member for three years. In fact, Diane’s commitment to public service is extraordinary. She has been and currently is a member of many community organizations. When it comes to community involvement, Diane has been there, done that.
Diane is a lawyer with a law degree from Hofstra School of Law. She maintains a law office that provides administration and mediation services to New York State. As a Town Council member, these valued skills are available to our community on a voluntary basis. Diane has more than earned the right to move from appointee to elected official. I urge my fellow citizens to vote for Diane Ciccone for election to Township Council in the general election on Tuesday, November 3.
Alvin Lerner
67 Rainflower Lane
WW Budget Ideas
Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to West Windsor’s interim township administrator, Robert Hary.
Re: Township Budget
Assumptions, FY 2010
Dear Mr. Hary/Bob:
Budget assumptions for each White House cabinet department include a budget with zero growth and another with a 5 percent cut. I believe similar scenarios were run this year. As the July 29 Wall Street Journal reported: “The cost-cutting effort wasn’t a one-off program. Before the 2011 budget proposal comes out next year, the budget office will again go scouting for cost cuts and inefficiencies.”
Since I read the budget process will be starting early this year, what are West Windsor Council’s and the Administration’s assumptions that it might share with the public?
It is important to share with taxpayers the full extent of the Township’s debt structure. We must engage the solutions for reducing debt and effecting operational cuts. Any use of the “surplus” is tantamount to a tax increase except for news headlines and political rhetoric.
Number 1 on the easy cost reduction side is once-a-week garbage pick-up year ‘round.
Pete Weale
144 Fisher Place
