Ostergren seeks charter study vote … again

And is rebuffed by committee members … again

By:Alec Moore
   George Ostergren, longtime advocate for changing Hillsborough’s form of government, was met with a split response from the Township Committee over his most recent proposal for a charter study on the matter.
   Republican committee members rejected Mr. Ostergren’s proposal, as well as a motion from Committeewoman Sonya Martin to put the question before the public as a referendum on the November ballot.
   Mr. Ostergren initially said they did not necessarily want to change Hillsborough’s committee form of government, but rather just look into the prospect of it. He later admitted, however, that he does favor a change of government for Hillsborough Township."The issue on the table is should we take a look at (putting a question on the ballot to launch a charter study)," said Mr. Ostergren.
   Deputy Mayor Steven Sireci, as well as Mayor Tony Gwiazdowski and Committeeman John Souren, were not convinced that Mr. Ostergren wanted only to look into the matter.
   "You wouldn’t be calling for a charter study unless you had a specific goal in mind, so for you to say ‘oh let’s just look into this,’ just doesn’t hold up," Dr. Sireci said.
   "I don’t see a public outcry for this, there aren’t people out in the halls demanding a new form of government," he continued. "The people of this township are a heck of a lot more concerned with their taxes and the budget than they are with looking into new forms of government."
   Ms. Martin shared Mr. Ostergren’s view and felt that, if the committee were going to consider putting a charter study question to the public in November, the committee has to discuss the matter sooner than later. Ms. Martin made a motion for the committee to look into Mr. Ostergren’s proposal at an upcoming work session. The motion was defeated by a 3-2 margin, with Ms. Martin and Committeeman Joe Tricarico voting in favor of the proposal.