LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Dec. 30
Smoking ban is a critical matter
To the editor:
The following letter was sent to New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Roberts and Assembly Speaker Albio Sires with a copy to acting Gov. Richard Codey:
We are appealing to you to support and put up for a vote in the Assembly the recent legislation passed in the Senate (S-1926) to ban smoking in work and public places. Compromises have already been made to exclude parts of the casinos.
This is a critical public health measure. There are serious illnesses caused or exacerbated when people are exposed to second-hand smoke, and we know of this from our own family experiences.
Several states, New York City and whole countries including all of Ireland and its pubs! have taken such steps to protect their residents. Why shouldn’t New Jersey employees and residents also have this important health protection?
Frankly, it is embarrassing, as well as a sad statement, to let the world know that the special interests have had such influence in New Jersey that the peoples’ own representatives have resisted for so long in taking this enlightened public health step. At this new year period, you can give a meaningful gift to the people of New Jersey by supporting and allowing a vote by Jan. 9 on this important legislation in the current legislative session. We thank you and so will many others.
Grace and Frank Sinden
Ridgeview Circle
Princeton
NPDC agreement a big step forward
To the editor:
On Dec. 22 it was my great privilege to sign a Memorandum of Agreement between the state of New Jersey and Montgomery Township for the purchase of the North Princeton Developmental Center Property.
The signing of this document was a very big step forward on a long, long road.
Credit for negotiating the terms of sale goes to John Warms, whose skill and persistence were absolutely critical as Montgomery worked for many months to nail down detail after detail. Some of these details would make Einstein scratch his head, but the deal is a good one both for Montgomery and for the state. We would not be celebrating this success were it not for the expertise and personal commitment that John devoted to this effort.
Throughout the negotiations, Montgomery staff and professionals worked intensively to position the township to move forward quickly once we have a binding contract and then take title to the property.
Many people, most notably Kristina Hadinger from the firm of Mason Griffin & Pierson, Chris Daggett from JM Sorge Inc., and our township administrator Donato Nieman, have done outstanding work. Thanks to them, we are well prepared for the next chapter in this ongoing saga.
Members of the community also contributed in important ways. Valerie Smith and the citizens group that she formed were unequivocally, vigorously supportive and, without question, helped get Treasury to focus on the task at hand. Emad Abou-Sabe skillfully quarterbacked an innovative planning exercise that led to the township’s Master Plan amendment and concept plan for redevelopment. Brad Fay and the Van Harlingen Historical Society called attention to the extraordinary opportunities we have for preservation and adaptive re-use in redeveloping the property. Sue Repko secured and cataloged an astounding amount of information about the property, and made it all available to the township and to the public. The work and involvement of these people and many others over the years, including former mayor Don Matthews, have been invaluable.
As far as we’ve come, we still have a very long way to go. There are years of work ahead, of a scale and complexity that will prove challenging to the township and to the various partners we select. But Montgomery is blessed with excellent staff, superior professionals and, most importantly, a great number of civic-minded volunteers. With so many quick and talented minds, so many good hearts and so much creative energy pouring into this project, I have no doubt that our goal of transforming the NPDC property into a thriving, beautiful, healthy, special place will be reached. And with the support and continuing involvement of the community, getting there will be half the fun.
Louise Wilson
Mayor
Montgomery Township
Everyone supports area redevelopment
To the editor:
I was proud to participate in a great show of democracy at the West Windsor Council’s meeting when it discussed the resolution to designate the area around the Princeton Junction train station as an area in need of redevelopment.
This meeting was portrayed by some as a showdown and a fight between two camps: those in favor of a transit village and those who oppose it. That is far from the truth.
What I heard that night was that everybody supports the development of downtown Princeton Junction. The questions that were asked emphasized that we don’t really know how we are going to get there. There was a great deal of apprehension about what such a complex project means to the residents of West Windsor. Residents were shocked to discover the extent of powers the law authorizes the township once the redevelopment designation is granted while there are no guarantees that the state has the funds to contribute to this project even if it is approved.
I applaud the mayor and the council for their sincere intentions to include the residents in an open process and to avoid using eminent domain unless it is for "public needs" and efforts to explain these intentions in a second resolution. In this resolution, the council needs to be specific about what it will or will not do. The resolution should include how the township plans to cooperate with residents, that it will exercise eminent domain only for roads and schools and only as a "last resort"; that it will have a transparent process with cost/benefit assessments and will communicate with West Windsor residents regarding the planning and progress of the project.
It should also move fast to endorse the second resolution before receiving those powers. We have to ensure that the process is indeed open and is well thought out before it is too late.
The township needs to appoint an independent body, in addition to a redevelopment agency, to oversee the planning process and audit various aspects of the planning process before any money is spent and contracts are signed and not after mistakes are made.
We have to learn from the mistakes made in other places such as Atlantic City, Long Branch and Hamilton.
Let’s put our efforts together so that the project is completed in a way that is beneficial to the residents of West Windsor as well as to the developers. West Windsor has a golden opportunity to do it right and become a beacon to the rest of the country.
Hemi Nae
Wycombe Way
West Windsor
Vouchers dismantle public schools
To the editor:
When was the last time you heard a politician or public figure mention school vouchers?
Ever so often, a public figure will pull a failed initiative off the shelf such as self-service at the gas pumps or in this case school vouchers, repackage the issue then submit it to the public as a new and improved idea, as in the case of the Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, head of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey.
It was reported in The Times that the Rev. Jackson participated in a rally on the steps of the state capitol to promote school vouchers. I also found it extremely offensive that the Rev. Jackson would pick the legacy of Rosa Parks against the accomplishments of state Sen. Shirley Turner in order to make a political point.
Over the past two years, A Parents’ Initiative for Every Child’s Education has found a number of problems within the educational system to rail against, but never would we advocate the dismantling of our public school system.
In my view, school vouchers would be the death knell for the public school system here in New Jersey as we know it. There is no evidence to suggest that school vouchers would mean a better quality of education for children according to a new study that suggests children in school voucher programs are doing no better than those in public schools. There is no evidence that demonstrates that test scores are improved as a result of school vouchers. In fact, the only benefactors to the school voucher program would be that of the religious schools because the enrollment numbers have dropped considerably in the past decade.
So let’s not be so quick to throw the baby out with the bath water by rallying around a failed, repackaged initiative. If the faith-based community is so confident that school vouchers for private schools is the way to improve education for our children then let them seek out underwriters from the corporate communities, charge a tuition and be done with it.
I have little doubt that this idea will be taken seriously, but perhaps it is one that should be considered.
Jerome Carr
Parsons Court
Montgomery
New county clerk to serve with honor
To the editor:
On Jan. 1, 2006, Paula Sollami-Covello will be sworn in as the newly elected Mercer County clerk, the second woman to hold this office.
It has been an honor to serve as co-chair of her transition team with former Mercer County Sheriff and Freeholder Gilbert Lugossy. The transition team has worked tirelessly to assist Paula in ensuring a proper and efficient transition of government.
As the Mercer County clerk, Paula Sollami-Covello will be committed to making responsible decisions and developing an unprecedented standard of excellence in the county Clerk’s Office by working cooperatively and collaboratively with all of the county’s municipal clerks and with New Jersey’s 21 county clerks to improve services for all and to advance the methods of filing, recording, indexing and the preservation of records.
Congratulations, Paula. May success crown your efforts.
Robin Bridges Johnson
Glenn Avenue
Lawrence

