PACKET EDITORIAL, Oct. 19
By: Packet Editorial
Campaigns for local office in Montgomery Township have undergone a major shift in recent years, from predictable Republican runaways to highly competitive contests. The Democrats wrested control of the Township Committee three years ago and have managed to hold on, despite a GOP advantage in voter registration and lopsided Republican pluralities at the top of the ticket.
This year should be no exception. President George W. Bush and 7th District U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson probably will carry Montgomery handily. But at the local level, discerning Montgomery voters have every reason to choose the Democratic candidates incumbent Louise Wilson and former Committeeman John Warms (who served from 1990 to 1996 as a Republican) who are plainly better prepared for office than their Republican opponents, Lauri Campbell-Loaiza and Tony Li.
Ms. Wilson, who has been chosen by her colleagues on the Township Committee to serve as mayor for the past three years, is one of the best and brightest municipal officials in our area. She has a keen grasp of the many complex issues that face her growing township traffic congestion, land-use planning, affordable housing, fiscal management. She has represented Montgomery well albeit unsuccessfully, to this point in seeking a negotiated settlement with the state over disposition of the North Princeton Developmental Center site. She works hard, does her homework and presides with strength of purpose and equanimity over the township’s governing body.
Mr. Warms’ previous experience on the Township Committee gives him a unique perspective on the NPDC negotiations, on thorny traffic and transportation issues and on the sometimes stormy relations between the township and the owners of Princeton Airport, with whom he negotiated a significant settlement in 1996. We believe he is more than qualified to return to the Township Committee after an eight-year absence.
Ms. Campbell-Loaiza the granddaughter of a Montgomery icon, dairy farmer Duncan Campbell, who died last year at the age of 106 is an earnest campaigner with a genuine interest in Montgomery’s future. She would make a very attractive candidate against lesser rivals, but lacks the experience and breadth of knowledge of Ms. Wilson and Mr. Warms. Mr. Li, a newcomer to politics, complains about township spending and property taxes being too high, but offers no specific examples of how or where he would make cuts.
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In Rocky Hill, a bitter campaign pits an independent slate Martin Engelbrecht, an incumbent Borough Council member who was not endorsed for re-election by the local Republican club, and his running-mate, Jared Witt, an attorney against Republicans Rich Batchelder, a veteran councilman, and Tom Roshetar, who has served on numerous volunteer bodies, including the Planning Board.
We endorse Mr. Batchelder and Mr. Roshetar, both of whom are clearly capable and qualified candidates. We are also impressed with Mr. Witt, who lacks the experience and qualifications of the GOP-endorsed candidates but does bring an articulate and truly independent voice to this campaign. We hope this is not the first and last we see of him in the civic life of Rocky Hill.
Mr. Engelbrecht’s campaign has a distinctly sour-grapes quality to it. Having lost his party’s endorsement, he complains bitterly of the divisiveness that is destroying this tiny borough. The only truly divisive issue Mr. Engelbrecht seems focused on, however, appears to be the manner by which his fellow Republicans chose not to put him back on the ballot. In our judgment, this does not constitute a strong argument for re-election.