Mayes ends 6-year term

Former mayor leaves local government.

By: Josh Appelbaum
   Michael T. Mayes, a six-year Republican committeeman who served as mayor in 2001 and 2002, is saying goodbye to local government as of today (Friday).
   Mr. Mayes will leave the committee to focus on additional responsibilities at work. He is joining the board of directors at Advest, a Manhattan-based investment firm. He also heads up the firm’s investment banking division. More importantly, he said, would like to spend more time with his wife, Susan, and four children, Christine, 20, Caroline, 17, Michael, 14 and Katherine, 11.
   "It struck me that next year three of my children will be away at school, two at college and one at boarding school — time goes by very quickly and I wanted to make sure I get to spend some time with them before it becomes too late," Mr. Mayes said.
   He said six years on the Township Committee was the type of contribution he set out to make to Cranbury and his departure allows other to people to become involved with township government.
   The Township Committee Mr. Mayes will leave is vastly different than the one to which he was elected in 1998. At that time, Republicans enjoyed a 4-1 majority, with him, Wayne Wittman, Alan Danser and Arthur Hasselbach working with one lone Democrat, the late Tom Gambino. Next week the committee will reorganize with five Democrats and no Republican representation.
   It was as an advocate for the defeated 1993 school construction bond ordinance that catapulted Mr. Mayes into town politics. He helped form Citizens Advocating the Referendum for Education, a 25-member ad hoc committee with the goal of assessing the school district’s needs. He pushed for a new construction bond ordinance in 1996 that was adopted in 1997.
   He was approached by members of the Cranbury Republican organization in 1998, while serving as vice president for the Cranbury Education Foundation.
   "I was fascinated to see how local government worked from the inside," Mr. Mayes said.
   He hadn’t intended to run for office until after his children had grown up, but an interest in local government and the town’s history influenced his decision to vie for one of two spots on the committee in 1998 alongside Democrats Kathy Evans and Mr. Gambino. He and Mr. Gambino were elected.
   When he was elected, Mr. Mayes took cues from committeemen of different political ilks, in addition to Mr. Danser, who he describes as "a fount of knowledge." He learned a bit of patience from Mr. Gambino, who he said wouldn’t hesitate to send ordinances back to committees or schedule additional public comment sessions.
   "I was very excited to be working on a committee with a strong Republican majority, and was eager to get a lot of things done, but I learned, from Tom, that it takes quite a while to make something happen in Cranbury. Some people are adverse to significant change, so I learned to be a bit more deliberate," Mr. Mayes said.
   The political process in town, he said, involves educating the public as to risks, benefits and costs of complicated initiatives and their nuances.
   Though Mr. Mayes is a Republican, he was twice appointed mayor by committees with Democratic majorities. Mr. Mayes was mayor during Sept. 11 and last week officials praised his leadership and handling of the township’s response to the terrorist attacks.
   "It was important at that time to make people feel safe and to make sure everyone was accounted for," Mr. Mayes said, who was in contact with police and school administration throughout the day.
   Township resident Todd Beamer died as the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed outside of Pittsburgh, Pa.
   In January of 2002, Mr. Mayes presided over the renaming of the Cranbury Post Office to honor Mr. Beamer.
   "It was a great honor to preside over the dedication ceremony. The governor and (U.S. Representative) Rush Holt attended the ceremony. There was such a huge turnout, the township really showed its support," Mr. Mayes said.
   As mayor, Mr. Mayes worked with Township Planner Harvey Moskowitz to establish criteria for prioritizing open space parcels in Dec. 2001 and drew up a list of about a dozen properties the township considered to be highly valued for open space acquisition and farmland preservation.
   "Previously, I felt as if we were reacting when parcels became available, rather than being proactive," Mr. Mayes said.
   Reaching out to landowners, Mr. Mayes wrote letters to farmers outlining the township’s interest in buying lands for open space or entering properties into farmland preservation programs. His efforts contributed to the township’s acquisition of the 125-acre Sarkuni farm on Plainsboro Road and the 131-acre Simonson farm on Cranbury Neck Road and the 53-acre Fischer property, for which the township has reached a tentative agreement.
   Clearly the most contentious issue during Mr. Mayes’ time on the committee was that of the township’s interest in obtaining the 51-acre Updike tract between Old Trenton Road and Cranbury Neck Road. Mr. Mayes and Mr. Danser voted against acquiring the property for $3.3 million in 2003 over concerns about exceeding the township’s debt ceiling and the opinion that Updike was a low-priority parcel due to its location and the nature of its zoning.
   "It was a difficult issue because I was charged with my responsibilities to do what people in town wanted, but I was hearing a lot of counter-arguments — but unfortunately because there seemed to be overwhelming support to buy Updike, those who opposed it weren’t going to come and speak up," Mr. Mayes said.
   Mr. Mayes was also committed to keeping the tax rate stable for residents and the rate was virtually unchanged in the first five years of his tenure. The development of the commercial district east of Route 130 significantly contributed to stabilizing tax rates.
   The downside to large-scale development, Mr. Mayes said, has been the increase in truck traffic through the historic village. In 1999 he voiced suggestions to diversify commercial development to include more office space alongside warehouses in an effort to decrease traffic.
   Mr. Mayes also promoted a sidewalk safety initiative in 2001 aimed at creating a continuous pedestrian route through the historic village by replacing broken, cracked or beveled pavement and allowing residents to pay the cost over 10 years on their municipal tax bills.
   In addition to making the village safe for pedestrians, Mr. Mayes said he would like to see the creation of a vibrant business center downtown by promoting the commercial sector there through beautification and additional signage.
   "It is hard for those businesses downtown — the township needs to attract shoppers who travel on Route 130," Mr. Mayes said.
   As Mr. Mayes’ time with the Township Committee comes to a close, he remains devoted to the township and plans to continue to be involved with the community in other ways. He said he had fun working with many intelligent people over the years and owes much of that allowance to his family.
   "I just wanted to publicly thank my family — they’ve been generous with their time and allowed me to devote a lot of time to the township," Mr. Mayes said.
   When asked if he would consider re-entering politics in the future, Mr. Mayes said his ambitions were to contribute to the community of Cranbury and that he wouldn’t consider a run for higher office.
   "I think six years of service is enough," he said.