LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, May 16
By:
Gusciora will bring fresh ideas to office
To the editor:
We are writing to say thank you to the almost 60 Princeton Borough neighbors who attended the reception for Assemblyman Reed Gusciora at our home on May 10.
The reception was a robust question-and-answer session in support of Reed’s candidacy for the Democratic primary nomination for mayor of Princeton Borough. For over 40 minutes, he spontaneously answered questions on street and sidewalk repair and lighting, the Millstone Bypass, retaining local merchants, the downtown development and garage issue, as well as a host of other challenges that face our community. From that exchange, it became clear that Reed brings fresh ideas to borough government, and three central points emerged.
First, the importance of open and responsive municipal government cannot be overstated. For that reason, Reed has confirmed his intention, as mayor, to hold open meetings four times a year at which borough residents can present new ideas, ask questions and give feedback on ongoing issues in an informal manner unmediated and unrestricted by the formalities of Borough Council meetings.
Secondly, regardless of the Appellate Division’s decision in the garage lawsuit, it is to the advantage of the borough to have a new perspective in the mayor’s office. Whether the Appellate Division reverses the trial court and the project is returned to the drawing board, or the trial court is affirmed and the project proceeds, Reed will bring to the development a fresh and creative approach to the problem of downtown parking. To decrease demand for downtown parking, he has already presented two ideas: 1) remote parking for downtown employees, and 2) the establishment and expansion of an effective jitney service.
Finally, it is to the advantage of the borough as well as the region to have a mayor with existing broad and effective professional relationships throughout county government, the State House and the governor’s staff. New Jersey permits energetic, motivated officeholders to serve at both the state and municipal level. Given the state’s budget woes, Princeton Borough will be well-served by a mayor already successfully involved in the state’s process of distributing funds and services.
For these reasons, we urge all borough residents whether Democratic Party members or unaffiliated voters to vote for Reed Gusciora in the Democratic Primary election for mayor on June 3.
Marc Weiner
Patrick Simon
Harriet Drive
Princeton
Cable switch was worse than reported
To the editor:
Your May 9 article, "Cable service switch blacks out Internet," did not come close to expressing my frustration with the cutover from RCN to Patriot on May 1 in Montgomery.
I run a home-based business that depends on e-mail and Internet service for client communication and research. I would have been happy with the contention stated in The Packet’s story that disruptions in Internet service "lasted from six to 13 hours" and, to a lesser extent, with the statement that "subscribers were without e-mail for three or four days." In fact, I did not have Internet service from Thursday, May 1, until Sunday, May 11, despite many calls to "customer service" and one on-site visit by "tech support."
I agree with the anonymous customer quoted in the story who said that the cutover was planned for months and Patriot was just not ready. I was told by one customer service representative that there were 16,000 calls on the first day that were coming into a center that had only 40 representatives to answer calls. During these first few days, I got a busy signal most of the time and when I did get in the queue, I was told that I was number 31 in line. Later, I was told by a tech support person that the RCN files were "corrupt" and contained inaccurate information about the cable modem customers’ addresses and other items.
It means little now that Patriot says they will "credit" me for the outage.
Glenn Parker
Otter Creek Road
Montgomery
Great strides taken to cure cystic fibrosis
To the editor:
A great thanks to the generous people of Princeton, Cranbury, West Windsor, Hamilton, Montgomery, Pennington and Ewing for the success of the May 4 Great Strides Walk to Cure Cystic Fibrosis at the Princeton Battlefield. The generosity of our community is demonstrated by the prayers, the concern and the more than $100,000 raised by the participants. The entire amount will be used to fund research efforts to treat and cure this fatal disease.
The newspaper is not large enough to list everyone who contributed but we will try: Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, Dow Jones, the Distler family, the Caricato family, the Costello family, the McQuaid family, Futures and Options for Kids, the Witten-Nappi family, EJ’s DJs, the student jazz sextet from John Witherspoon Middle School and Princeton High School. The delicious sandwiches were prepared and donated by Richard’s Market and Catering.
The public and private school students set the course, distributed sandwiches, cookies and T-shirts, and cleaned up the park. They organized dress-down days and managed the publicity by posting signs everywhere: Princeton High School Career Awareness Program, Princeton High School girls’ lacrosse teams, Stuart Country Day School, St. Paul School, St. Paul Religious Education Program, St. Ann School, Lawrenceville School, John Witherspoon Middle School, Notre Dame High School, The Hun School, Princeton University baseball team, Caldwell College and the Jammin Girls.
McCaffrey’s Markets in Princeton and West Windsor and the Pennington Market promoted paper "roses" for $1 donations. Roses are the symbol of this disease because when little children say cystic fibrosis, it sounds like "65 roses." Water was donated by Wegmans Market.
The course was marked in colorful signs sponsored by Air Control, Natalie Caricato-Photographer, The Pediatric Group, Joanne Reiffe Fishbane DMD, Kenneth Goldblatt MD, The Medical Center at Princeton, Witherspoon Bread Company, Mediterra, Teresa’s Café, Nassau Street Seafood, Mark’s Trackside Auto Repair, Donna Grainger’s Hair Co., Omni Environmental Corp., Cranbury Design Group, Antonia’s Restaruant, M.T. Caporusso Plumber, Kale’s Nursery, Potters Alley, The Daughter of Penelope, Bear Sterns, Princeton Eyecare and Jersey Shore Radiology.
The athletic teams raised money and awareness of this fatal disease: Princeton Soccer Association, Princeton Youth Baseball teams and Princeton Cranbury Babe Ruth Baseball teams. The Gallup Road neighborhood children organized lemonade stands.
We are hopeful that the awareness and money raised by this event nationwide will change the meaning of the initials CF from cystic fibrosis to "cure found." Those of us with children with cystic fibrosis are deeply touched by the warmth and generosity of the community. Thank you again.
Mary, Paul, John, Meghan, Matthew and David Gerard
Talbot Lane
Princeton
Assembly should pass malpractice reform bill
To the editor:
On behalf of New Jersey’s 115 hospitals and the physicians who work with them to provide quality care, I’d like to applaud the New Jersey state Senate for its ongoing leadership in addressing the medical malpractice reform issue.
Led by a bipartisan working group of senators and supported with a "yes" vote from Sen. Shirley K. Turner, the Senate recently passed legislation that would help make medical malpractice insurance more accessible and affordable for doctors. We now urge Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman to support quick passage of the same measure in the Assembly.
Runaway jury awards and settlements have driven up the cost of malpractice insurance so much so, doctors are having to make tough decisions about providing crucial services or staying in practice.
A recent study showed that of the 1,100 obstetricians and gynecologists practicing in the state, 23 percent have stopped delivering babies because they could not afford medical malpractice insurance. In addition, 20 percent of all the state’s physicians are considering early retirement for the same reason. Without a workable remedy, patients’ access to certain types of care could be in jeopardy.
The Senate has already taken the first step in solving this complex problem. It has boldly passed a bill that would put time restrictions on filing lawsuits, eliminate frivolous suits and put a cap on claims for "pain and suffering" without limiting a person’s right to all other economic damages. In addition, the senators have approved the creation of a state fund that would allow plaintiffs to collect up to $1 million in non-economic damages.
Now the Senate bill moves to the state Assembly for debate and a vote. Our hospitals and doctors are urging support of the Senate version of bill A-50. Hospitals, doctors and other health providers urge the Assembly to follow the good judgment and sound policy crafted by the Senate.
Along with providing more leeway for a trail judge to reduce excessive jury awards, putting a $300,000 cap on non-economic damages while allowing plaintiffs to collect up to $1 million in "pain and suffering" monies from a special state fund is in the best interest of all concerned. Physicians and hospitals will see an end to the doubling and tripling of their insurance premiums while a patient’s right to sue will not be compromised. This is a "win-win" situation that the Assembly should embrace and pass as soon as possible.
Gary S. Carter
President and CEO
New Jersey Hospital Association
Alexander Road
Princeton
Holiday pays tribute to selfless sacrifice
To the editor:
Memorial Day is a day dedicated to remembering those who have fallen in battle defending our country. The observance had its beginnings toward the end of the Civil War and eventually evolved into the national holiday that we now recognize.
The selfless sacrifice of the men and women who have served in America’s Armed Forces spans the history of America from the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom, where three New Jersey residents have thus far made the supreme sacrifice.
They left their homes and families when our country called and gave the last full measure of devotion for the principles of freedom and democracy.
Members of the American Legion will memorialize their fallen comrades and I encourage all New Jersey citizens to pause to remember America’s fallen sons and daughters on this upcoming Memorial Day.
Please make an effort to attend a Memorial Day ceremony in your community and fly the American flag as a visible way of remembering those who have paid the ultimate price so that we may continue to enjoy the freedom and democracy we cherish so dearly.
William "Billy" Mack
State Commander
American Legion
West Hanover Street
Trenton

