West Windsor Council vacancy could linger to November

A power struggle is predicted.

By: Gwen Runkle
   WEST WINDSOR — Applicants are being sought for the Township Council seat that will become available July 1 when Councilman Shing-Fu Hsueh becomes mayor.
   Whether council members can come to consensus on who should fill the spot is uncertain.
   Two township leaders believe the decision will turn into a power struggle between council members Jackie Alberts and Alison Miller, who were Mr. Hsueh’s running mates, and Kristin Appelget and Charles Morgan, who supported former Mayor Carole Carson.
   "I just don’t see anyone out there who could apply or come to our attention that would fit," Mr. Morgan said.
   "Let’s be honest. Two people see things one way and two people see things the other way. How are we going to find someone who can sit in and make everyone happy? Good luck, it ain’t going to happen," he said.
   "My betting is that the seat won’t be filled until November."
   Ms. Carson agreed.
   "At this point, they have not come to any kind of agreement on who should fill the spot," she said. "I feel it may play out very similar to how it did four years ago with a vacancy."
   When Ms. Carson became mayor four years ago, she also left a seat open on the council. The council could not come together to make a decision, which left the seat vacant until November.
   According to state law, the mayor can break any tie vote, but nothing prevents council members from abstaining. Since the winning applicant must garner three votes, if two council members were to abstain, there would be no tie vote for Mr. Hsueh to break, and lacking the three necessary votes, the seat would not be filled.
   Councilwoman Rae Roeder, who was on the earlier four-member council, emphasized, "The law says the council may choose to put somebody on the council, not that they have to."
   She said the past four-member council ran smoothly enough.
   "Nothing fell through," she said. "It doesn’t bring the government to a halt."
   Ms. Roeder, who chose not to run for re-election in May, also said she is considering running for council in November.
   She emphasized that this was not a definite decision but said, "I am thinking about it seriously."
   How the current situation turns out will depend on who submits applications, according to Ms. Appelget.
   "I hope it does not become a difficult situation, but it all depends on the individuals that choose to apply," she said.
   "I’m keeping an optimistic outlook and think we can find someone we all can agree on," she said.
   Councilwoman-elect Miller hopes that by opening the position up to the public, the council will be able to find a candidate who is not politically aligned with either side.
   "I feel very strongly that we have come out with a two-to-two alignment on just about everything," she said, making it "more important than it ever was before to fill the seat."
   Councilwoman Alberts said she feels it would be wrong for any member of the council to be working for a deadlock.
   "West Windsor is facing some major situations right now that are more important than petty politics," she said, giving examples such as the planned Sarnoff expansion, the closing of BASF and revising the Master Plan. "Squabbling is not appropriate right now."
   The council is asking interested resident to submit resumes to the Township Clerk’s office along with a brief explanation of why they want to be a council member and what they feel are the major issues facing the township. Applications are due by June 25. Those interested in more information can call (609) 799-2400.