Outgoing business administrator Robert Hary spent 23 years working for West Windsor Township, the last three in the contentious role of business administrator. But when asked to reflect on his time in town, Hary doesn’t dwell on the many negative newspaper articles that the Council and administration have been part of.
“What makes West Windsor unique from other municipalities is that the township has assets, resources, and subtle strengths that other towns just can’t dream of, and it’s not only the train station. It’s the school system and the facilities, and then it’s the intangibles present in the community,” he said.
Hary received a commemorative seal of the township for his dedication and service as a municipal employee at the West Windsor Council meeting on Monday, June 25. Hary’s retirement from township service was official July 1.
His farewell party was held at the Cranbury Golf Club the following day, and after the party, he took some time to reflect on working in the township for over 23 years — the past three as the town’s top executive.
West Windsor’s recreation programs, Hary said, are among the best in the state, and strong youth sports have made West Windsor a great place to raise a family.
“In soccer, baseball, football, and lacrosse — those programs are really well organized and well done, and I think the parks are better than most municipalities,” Hary said.
Hary thinks people may overlook West Windsor as a service-oriented community. Among other things, the township offers residents monthly brush pick-up, leaf pick-up, and snow removal service.
Hary says the culture of a service-oriented community extends to every branch of township operations. “Even the West Windsor Police Department — they don’t just enforce the law, they go out of their way to help people,” Hary said. He remembered a midwinter “eight-degree day” 15 years ago when he locked his keys in his car. A West Windsor police officer helped Hary get the doors opened.
For Hary, West Windsor’s residents are another difference maker. “Many of the residents are very talented, obviously, based upon the types of homes they have been able to afford here,” he said.
As business administrator, Hary answered inquiries from residents on a weekly basis and at Council meetings, which has left him with a distinct (yet positive) impression. “When you see people at Council meetings coming out to discuss things such as budgets or complaints, it’s really just a handful of people, and mostly all the same people who come. That is always a signal to me that for the most part, people are happy with what they have in this town,” Hary said.
Hary had close-up views of West Windsor’s last two major election years — 2009 and 2011. He came away with the perception that while residents may “read something in the paper occasionally,” they tend to keep town politics separate from their everyday lives.
He added that this could be because people are generally busier than they used to be. “It’s not like when I was a kid growing up. In today’s America, people do not just work 9 to 5. More of their time is consumed by work. Families are busy shuttling kids to practices, events, and cultural activities,” he said.
Hary anticipates more political interest from the community as the mayoral election of November 2013 approaches. “With West Windsor’s form of government, it is a very important, powerful seat, so things tend to get more ramped up going into a mayoral election.”
In Hary’s time, 1989 to present, he says West Windsor “grew up.”
“We had our huge growth in the 1980s and ‘90s, and since then we have continued to see municipal growth but not at the exponential rate we saw during those decades. But there’s still some very important parcels of land that need to be developed,” Hary said.
One example would be the American Cyanamid property, which Hary said needs to be redeveloped. Also the train station/Intercap development site and “what Sarnoff does” with its properties would leave room for more potential to be realized.
“Those are the three frontiers left in this township, along with some isolated lots. That will allow for some form of controlled growth,” he said.
But Hary says even though West Windsor is a suburban community, it feels more rural because of the township’s 50 percent open space.
One additional part of the town’s development would take place just where Hary worked on a daily basis — the municipal complex at 271 Clarksville Road. Hary had been in charge of reporting the status of Mayor Hsueh’s vision for the municipal building, which will be supported by West Windsor’s liquor licenses revenues, as was outlined at council meetings earlier this year (WW-P News, March 2).
Hary said that the present conditions of some offices — magnified by the intense heat so far this summer — is not suitable for township employees.
“Something needs to be done here. We have people working in a trailer and in spaces that are not adequate for our needs. A discussion with the postal service about using part of the post office facility has been started, but a plan has not been finalized,” he said.
At the time of his retirement, Hary was serving both as business administrator and head of West Windsor’s health department. His successors appear to be in place. In spring Hary announced that Jill Swanson, West Windsor’s manager of environmental health services, had received her state certification and a master’s of public health degree.
Swanson will take up the post that Hary is going to miss most. “My career was spent in public health up until the last three years. I’d like to continue contributing to public health in some way in my retirement,” he said.
Hary says Swanson has a great deal of experience to draw from having worked in West Windsor for five years and spending 27 years total in public health. “She’s already well respected throughout the state,” he said.
Hary is excited about West Windsor’s future as new projects and new people are on the horizon.
“I think that things are really looking up for the township,” he said.
