Candidates Forum, April 29

CANDIDATES FORUM, April 29

David Siegel

Township Council candidate,

West Windsor
   
I have long had a strong interest in government. My family encouraged this, by word and example. My grandfather served on the school board and council in Morristown, and my mother on the planning and zoning boards in Unadilla, N.Y. I grew to appreciate the importance of government, not as a source of power, but as a vital element of the quality of life.
   I have been involved in various organizations, many in a leadership role. I have learned how to work with peoople to get a job done. In my professional life, I have had to learn how to work independently, and how to be part of a team. I have learned how to analyze problems, and that sometimes the key issue is not what it appears to be.
   I developed my own set of values. I came to prize honesty and integrity, even when it meant saying things others might not want to hear. And I came to strongly value integrity and reliability in those I work with. I want my associates to be people who mean what they say, and will do what they say. I want them to be people I can trust, people who will not try to distort the record to make themselves look good or someone else look bad. And because Alison Miller and George Borek are people like that, I am running with them. We share specific plans and ideas, we share more general goals for the township, but more importantly we share those basic values.
   All these experiences and values I will bring to the West Windsor Township Council, if elected. I will work hard for the township. I will lend my knowledge, my perspective, and my skills to the council. I will do the best job I can for the people of West Windsor.
   I will always be ready to listen to anyone about public issues. But more than that, I will seek out as many views as I can. I will insist on open, transparent government. I will ask that the talents of anyone willing to volunteer be put to use, if at all possible, instead of appointing only those unlikely to disagree.
   I will try to make sure that projects are well and sensibly planned, but not endlessly studied. I will not count an unfinished project as an achievement — I will not fool myself, or try to fool others, into thinking that writing a plan is the same as building a bridge.
   Specifically, I support a village main street in Princeton Junction, a new COAH-certified affordable-housing plan to avoid another Toll suit, mixed-age use of the senior center, caution in approving new residential development, employment of a grants specialist and continued purchase of land for open space.
   I will insist on good long-term capital spending plans. Then I will insist that planned projects happen, unless conditions change.
   I will make a good council member for West Windsor. Please vote for me on May 10.
Linda Geevers

Township Council candidate,

West Windsor
   
I am running for West Windsor Council because I believe that I can provide new leadership and a unique point of view after having been a pivotal part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education for six years. The knowledge and experience I gained will be an asset to me as a member of council.
   As a school board member, I held several key leadership positions including vice president for three years, chair and/or a member of various labor negotiations committees, chair of the Administration Committee that led the district’s policy manual revision and chair of the Administration and Facilities Committee. As a council member, I would encourage the township’s business administrator to address through the budget the six-year capital improvement plan. It will benefit the township to do more of this type of long-term planning.
   I was also instrumental in moving the district to create a new strategic plan, which was unanimously adopted by the Board of Education after the hard work of more than 150 key stakeholders. I would like to see the mayor and council continue to work with the district to gain a better understanding of priorities, of plans for the future and to explore joint ways of saving taxpayer money.
   My budget experience encompasses both review of the school budget and participation on the ad hoc Budget Process Improvements Committee. I certainly will continue to be cost-effective in budgeting, in seeking grant money, in encouraging public/private partnerships for community needs and in lobbying our legislative leaders to find solutions to end the over-reliance on property taxes to fund municipal and school budgets.
   As a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in communication arts, I believe it is important to communicate with the public through continued town hall meetings, a possible periodic newsletter, new cable TV station programming, an improved municipal Web site and other means. I will certainly continue, as I have done in the past, to encourage public participation every step of the way as key decisions are made.
   Working as a realtor and having served on a condominium board of directors, I am sensitive to any impacts that new development can have on existing residential areas. I pledge to work with various neighborhoods to address their issues and concerns.
   As a council member, I would like to improve upon our quality of life by making roads safer for pedestrians and bikers, providing for more recreational uses, expanding the senior center, renovating the old Princeton Junction firehouse on Alexander Road into an arts center and creating a possible new village center that will give us "a sense of place." Together, we will form our township’s vision and then implement the action plans to achieve our desired goals.
   I ask for your vote of support on May 10 for the "Community Vision" team of Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, Linda Geevers and Heidi Kleinman.
Heidi Kleinman

Township Council candidate,

West Windsor
   
Our family has lived in West Windsor’s Dutch Neck neighborhood for eight years. We moved here after spending two years living in Europe. My husband had spent 17 years working for American Cyanamid’s International Agricultural business and, upon our return, chose West Windsor as the place to start a new technology company. Like many township residents, we found the excellent schools, convenient access to trains and diverse options for housing very appealing.
   I am a registered architect with 20+ years with my own architectural practice. I have used my professional background in many areas of public service. For example, I am a founding member and treasurer of the West Windsor Arts Council working on the long-term planning committee focusing on converting the former township firehouse into an Arts Center. My work caught the attention of Mayor Hsueh and he appointed me to the township Planning Board three years ago.
   During the past four years, Mayor Hsueh has led efforts to protect open space, stabilize taxes and improve traffic circulation. While continuing with these priorities, in the next four years the township is considering new initiatives to enhance quality of life and community identity. West Windsor is a bedroom community looking for a "living-room." We are looking to stroll a tree-lined village street, sit in a café, enjoy an ice cream and meet our neighbors at a public plaza.
   The public is talking about the potential of the Rouse-General Growth site, the town center at Acme and a transit village. As a council member, I will have the unique opportunity to apply my architectural creativity and experience from the Planning Board to ensure the best development scheme for the town.
   As a council member, I will provide the needed scrutiny of the budget, looking for opportunities for joint purchasing and spending efficiencies. Successful budgets balance fiscal responsibility with quality-of-life Issues. We need to look for alternative funding for local programs and update the Master Plan to define off-track improvements.
   I have a record of public service, leadership and independent thinking and will bring a new perspective to the Township Council. Having earned the respect of the mayor and the endorsement of our three continuing council members, I foresee a teamwork approach for West Windsor government to benefit all our citizens.
   I want to live in a town where one can walk the trails in Duck Pond Park, peddle on the PSEG bike path, take a kayak on the Millstone, rollerblade in the skate park or attend an event at the arts council. I want a community where pedestrians and cars can safely coexist on Route 571, Meadow, Vaughn, Clarksville and Alexander roads.
   I intend to work for a more promising future for all our 23,000 residents. Thank you for your support.