The race for the mayoral seat in West Windsor is already shaping up to be a heated one, but now there is another person throwing his hat into the ring.
While West Windsor resident Pete Weale, of Fisher Place, may not have held public office previously, residents who are familiar with West Windsor politics and the dealings at the West Windsor-Plainsboro school board level will surely recognize his face.
Running with the slogan, “Dollars and Sense,” Weale has just about half of the 166 signatures needed on his petition to file to run for mayor, he said this week. And much of his platform reflects what he pushes for at council and school board meetings, including financial accountability, a transparent government, and volunteer and community service.
“As a 25-year township resident, I have consistently tried to improve my community through actions creating a sense of urgency via actions, not words,” Weale says.
Weale has often spoken out during council meetings about issues including maintenance of the township — including the removal of temporary signs — fiscal prudence, the videotaping of all meetings — at both the council and school board levels — and about trying to enlist the volunteer efforts of high school students to help with township projects.
He said he decided he was going to run for mayor after the February 23 redevelopment meeting, which lasted past midnight, and Weale said he thought the process was inefficient. “I went to a 7 p.m. presentation to hear the Parking Authority, and I think I left at 9 p.m., and that hadn’t even started yet,” he said. “You can’t do that with the professionals. I want to know how much that meeting costs.”
This echoes Weale’s comments during council meetings, in which he calls for township officials to include the prices for contracts and other matter dealing with money on the agenda so the public can understand how much money is being spent for each item. “I want the sum total of what that meeting costs. That’s going to be in the minutes,” he added, alluding to the change he would make if he were elected. “Prepare and publish the costs of all municipal council, planning, and zoning boards, and publish them as part of that particular meeting’s minutes. Publish the township’s total public debt, its labor contracts, and long-term pension obligations. We are leaving a legacy of irresponsibility.”
With regard to redevelopment, Weale says the project “appears to be a localized version of Disney World,” and says there is not anything that shows what the overall transit village would cost. “As configured, the economic model to support additional housing, additional commercial space, and additional retail will yield unintended consequences,” he said. He said the original redevelopment legacy was supposed to simply consist of an improved Main Street along Route 571 and additional parking for West Windsor commuters.
He also says he believes the Bus Rapid Transit system planned near the transit village in the redevelopment area “just won’t work. This is not Portland, Oregon,” he said. “This is not Houston, Texas. We don’t have the density to make this thing work.”
Another hot-button issue for Weale is affordable housing. He says that housing needs to be in work centers. “West Windsor has a resident-developer suing the township for affordable housing when our focus should be to make housing for all its residents affordable,” he said.
Weale also is proposing the discontinuation of the township’s practice of no-bid professional services contracts for the township’s lawyers, planners, and engineers. He also opposes the Millstone Penns Neck Bypass, saying it is ecologically and financially irresponsible.
A strong proponent of enforcing existing ordinances, Weale has come to the council on many occasions to urge township officials to enforce regulations that apply to junk, lawn overgrowth, and decrepit structures, and hopes to improve quality of life and appearance standards within the township. One of his most infamous pursuits is the temporary signs placed around the township, and he has collected some of them himself and brought them to council chambers during meetings.
“It’s the small things that make our community livable,” he said. “That’s why I’ve been fighting these signs.”
Another major issue for Weale is his idea to work more closely with the school district to provide volunteer educational work opportunities for students, which he says will help them understand the operations of the government.
Weale says he wants to keep his campaign from being critical of the other mayoral candidates. “They should be running on their records,” he said. “I’m the one who is advocating some of what I would like to start — constructive changes,” he says.
Weale says he would benefit the township because he would create a sense of urgency to get things done, something he does not see in the township currently. “I’m sick and tired of the inaction,” he says.
Weale has been co-chair of events for the 1988 War of the Worlds Celebration, chairman and vice-chairman of the West Windsor Sewer Operating Committee, and the former chair and vice-chair Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Committee. He is a former commander of the American Legion Post 76 on Washington Road, and was instrumental in getting sidewalks constructed along Washington Road.
Born and raised in Corning, NY, Weale’s father was a teacher and principal for over 35 years. His mother taught for 30 years, and his sister taught for 34 years before retiring. Weale received his bachelor’s degree in 1972 and his master’s in business from Cornell University in 1976.
A West Windsor resident since 1984, his son, Zachary and daughter, Jessica, both graduated from High School North. Zachary is now a sophomore at Delaware, and Jessica graduated in May from UMass, Amherst.
Weale, a former Marine, works in marketing distribution and transportation. Weale says he considers himself semi-retired, but still serves as a consultant. He is self-employed and takes on projects as he sees fit. For example, right now he is working on a project that deals with national obesity, and another that deals with healthcare fraud.
Says Weale: “Incumbent politicians have been unable to control our massive taxes which drive residents out of our communities. The unbridled wages rates are unsustainable. Budget cuts, pay cuts, and possible lay-offs are only solutions.”
Weale is the third person to announce he is running for mayor. Council President Charles Morgan and current Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh have both announced their candidacies. Morgan will run with Anupam Gupta and Nitin Shah, both of whom will run for the two open council seats in the May 12 election.
Hsueh, who is seeking his third mayoral term, and Councilwoman Linda Geevers have teamed up with Kamal Khanna.
