By: John Tredrea
Hopewell Township Committee Member Kathleen Bird has decided to postpone resigning from the committee until it votes on three proposed downzoning ordinances. That vote is expected Sept. 20.
Ms. Bird announced on July 25 that she intended to resign effective Sept. 6 so that she can focus her more time and attention on family matters and her efforts to fight sprawl at the state and local levels.
However, since then, the Township Committee has held two public hearings on the proposed downzoning. The first hearing, on Aug. 23, was carried and continued until Sept. 6, when the committee voted to close the oral comment period of the public hearing, but agreed to leave the record open for interested parties to submit additional comments in writing.
"I think it is inappropriate to step down before the Township Committee’s vote on improving our zoning ordinances," Ms. Bird said. "I was a proponent of these measures last year when they were first enacted and have continued to be. I simply felt last week that it was poor form to sit for two public hearings and then step down before voting and participating in this important subject until its conclusion. The person selected to fill my seat would not be eligible to vote anyway, leaving only four members voting.
"I had intended to give my resignation letter to the township clerk at the conclusion of the meeting last Thursday (Sept. 6). But I felt it was just plain bad timing to bring it up at all, given the fact that we were in the midst of an ongoing public hearing on a major public policy decision aimed at preventing future overdevelopment in the township.
"In addition and this was not expected at all we had a large group of residents filling the room at the meeting. They wanted to express their very legitimate concerns about the recent escape of a twice-convicted murderer who broke out of the Mercer County Workhouse on Route 29," she said. "I share their concern and outrage at the ineptitude of county officials in allowing a twice-convicted murderer to escape and get a ride to freedom by officials duped into thinking he was an injured visitor.
"I did not want to distract from this serious public safety concern," by resigning, Ms. Bird said.

