Letter to the editor
To the editor:
I have to wonder what our councilman, Mike Vanderbeck, meant when he stated the Janice Mironov detour sign debacle was "much ado about nothing." ("Officials exchange words over detour signs," April 26, 2002, Page 1A). That signage cost our borough and ultimately its residents approximately $40,000, as well as the potential for expenses incurred for contractors scheduled to begin work that day.
Fortunately, a quick and direct response in lobbying the support of our state officials by Mayor Amy Aughenbaugh and other members of our council to remedy the situation avoided any additional costs to the borough and minimized project down time. Yes, there was "much ado about nothing" on Mr. Vanderbeck’s part because he did nothing to respond to Mayor Mironov’s actions to stall our project.
In the same article that Mr. Vanderbeck stated this was "much ado about nothing," DOT officials noted that it is a "serious" issue when signage is removed, potentially endangering the construction site and motorists. As a resident and a candidate for Hightstown Borough Council in the upcoming November elections, I find Mr. Vanderbeck’s comment and lack of immediate action to assure the revitalization project was kept on track quite disturbing. A hostile action from a senior official of a neighboring town is hardly a non-event. Mayor Mironov was most certainly informed of the impending signage and made a deliberate decision to deter Hightstown’s revitalization project. Does Mr. Vanderbeck’s politically correct statement have anything to do with his relationship with Mayor Mironov and his desire to further his own political agenda by staying out of the issue? One has to wonder if he has the best interests of Hightstown in mind.
It is unfortunate that I must introduce myself to your readers as a candidate for Borough Council in association with this issue. However, as a candidate, I feel that I would be remiss not to take as strong of a position on this issue as Mayor Aughenbaugh has done. Our elected officials are responsible to protect the interests of our borough, even when it’s difficult because the inappropriate actions of a neighboring mayor warrant a decisive, immediate and public response.
I have heard the rhetoric that we need to be careful not to cause the retaliation of Mayor Mironov upon the borough. No one is deliberately attacking Mayor Mironov, nor the interests of East Windsor Township. However, the actions of Mayor Mironov were intended to negatively impact the interests of the borough. When such actions are undertaken, that is not "much ado about nothing" and we need to have leadership that is not afraid to stand up for the interests of the borough.
Nancy Clemente
Hightstown
The writer is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Borough Council.