West Windsor and Plainsboro townships will share yet another thing in common come January, when they will both have Michael Herbert as their municipal attorney.##M:[more]##
After interviewing Herbert in executive session on November 7, the Plainsboro Township Committee announced it would appoint him to the position at the reorganization meeting in January. Herbert will replace long-time Plainsboro attorney Joseph Stonaker, who is retiring at the end of the year. Stonaker has been the attorney in Plainsboro since 1969.
Herbert’s firm, Herbert, Van Ness, Cayci and Goodell, was one of four that submitted proposals for the legal services in October. Herbert has served as attorney in West Windsor for more than 10 years. He has also served as attorney in Princeton Borough for 21 years. His firm represents three municipalities, several land use boards, and is special counsel to others.
Herbert said he has been long-time friends with Mayor Peter Cantu and Stonaker, who he’s known for over 30 years, and is looking forward to working in Plainsboro.
Said Herbert: “Plainsboro has been a model community in terms of handling growth and open space. It has a town center, which is thriving, a new library, and a Township Committee that’s committed to undertaking exciting changes.”
Herbert already has knowledge of the region. He has represented regional groups which include sewer operating committees, regional health commissions, and others that include Princeton Township, which borders West Windsor, and there has been no conflict there, he said. And he doesn’t expect there to be any in Plainsboro, either.
“The voters last year agreed to have a per-pupil funding formula, rather than on a ratable basis,” he said. “There’s no disputes between Plainsboro and West Windsor, and we share a lot of common interests, whether it be traffic, road connections, environmental concerns, so I think being next door is a positive.”
