EDITORIAL: In an election with four solid candidates, we like Democrat Dan Buriak and Republican Paul Szewczyk for the Borough Council.
In the Borough Council race, one candidate clearly stands out as deserving of election. He’s Democrat Dan Buriak. For the other seat, we favor Republican Paul Szewczyk over his running partner, incumbent Bob Patten, and Democrat Rick Pratt.
We give our full support to Mr. Buriak based not just on his knowledge of the issues facing Hightstown, but because of the impressive track record he has been able to amass as a private citizen. Two years ago he was a major force behind the campaign that got 25-mph speed limit signs posted on Stockton Street. Last year he helped organize a community action group (the Community Alliance Toward Cooperation and Harmony) in the aftermath of inflammatory and embarrassing comments made against homosexuals by school board member Janice Mastriano. In addition, he has spearheaded efforts to decorate the borough’s downtown for the holidays. We feel his demonstrated ability to lead Hightstown in a positive direction can only be enhanced on the council.
In supporting Mr. Szewczyk, we see a potential for what Mr. Buriak already has proven he can do. A critic of the council’s policy not to directly respond to public comment at meetings ("It’s public comment; it’s not public question-and-answer time," as current council President Mike Vanderbeck once put it), Mr. Szewczyk wants to see the borough be more responsive to the people. His thoughts to look at the physical revitalization of the downtown as only a first step and to seek out a true town character to shape that effort are on the mark.
Mr. Buriak, Mr. Szewczyk and Mr. Pratt all have been critical of the Borough Council’s tactics in the recently concluded investigation of the GPU purchase, and rightly so. We feel the 14-month fiasco showed a fundamental lack of leadership to find answers to the right questions. That leadership can definitely be provided by Mr. Buriak; we think Mr. Szewczyk shows promise in that regard as well.

