May you live in interesting times,” runs an old saying that has been interpreted as either a curse or a blessing depending on the context. A similar one is “May you come to the attention of those in authority,” which has a more sinister tone. In any event, we can surely say that 2013 has been interesting, and it’s not over yet.
First, the election. We had the War of the Signs, the War of the Mailers, the War of the Letters, the War of Free Speech, and finally the War of the Ballots. All that was missing was another War of the Worlds, but the Martians wisely stayed away. After the dust settled, Mayor Hsueh had won a fourth term, far outspending his opponents and for the first time getting less than 50 percent of the vote. The net result with council was that newcomer Peter Mendonez will replace Kamal Khanna on the dais, while Linda Geevers won a third term. Control of council will change, and the administration will have to adjust to this new reality.
To the disappointment of volunteers who tried to save it for posterity, demolition of the Grover house was recently begun. This iconic landmark could have been preserved for far less money than the town has spent and is spending to tear it down.
Residents along South Post Road were dismayed when an enormous solar “farm” was constructed on the grounds of Mercer County Community College. The administration offered only token resistance, apparently unwilling to seriously oppose its allies at the county level.
Howard Hughes showed that there’s still lots of life in the old boy when the corporation bearing his name swept into town, buying up more than a square mile of mostly vacant land where American Cyanamid used to be. The Hughes company is known for constructing huge housing developments in other states, but they will face the fact that New Jersey is quite different when it comes to getting all the necessary approvals for such a project.
Still in progress is a dust-up regarding the legality of leasing the Schenck Farm to the Historical Society. Though ostensibly a nonprofit organization, the society has apparently failed to complete the paperwork required for renting property from a municipality, such as being fully documented as a nonprofit at both the state and federal levels. They have also never submitted a business plan, something that the Grover Committee did on two separate occasions. May we speculate that the ground rules are different for the administration’s friends and foes?
Next comes “advice and consent,” a famous phrase in Article II of the U.S. Constitution and one which is also in our township code (Chapter 4, Article III, Section 4-11 B and Article XII, Section 4-52 A). Certain positions, such as the township attorney, have to be approved by council resolution in a manner completely analogous to the U.S. Senate with cabinet and judgeship appointees. The Senate does not have to automatically consent to presidential appointments, and on many occasions it has refused to do so. Neither does council have to automatically consent to mayoral appointments. However, once the appointment is ratified at the start of a mayoral term, the township attorney serves for that full term at the option of the mayor or until removal for cause by at least four council votes. Thus, selection of the attorney is an important matter, one that council will take up at the beginning of 2014.
Finally, several old and rusty fire hydrants on major streets in my neighborhood have been recently replaced with shiny new ones by New Jersey American Water. Hopefully this process will continue for the less-visible side streets as well.
John A. Church
West Windsor
