LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Jan. 31
Time is ripe for police consolidation
To the editor:
My husband, Alan Karcher, served in the New Jersey Legislature for 17 years, and was Assembly speaker for three years. Toward the end of his life, he wrote a book, "Multiple Municipal Madness," in which he voiced his frustration with the astounding redundancy of services provided by our state’s 566 municipalities, and called for consolidation and regional approaches to problems. Now that I serve in elective office myself, from time to time I revisit his book, looking for guidelines for sensible governing practices.
I scoured its pages again this week, looking for some pithy anecdotes about police consolidation, and while I found very little that addressed police and public safety issues, I did find an exhortation to avoid governance by the "dead hands" of the past or, more eloquently put, to reject the oftentimes oppressive influence of the past on the present.
Now is the time for Princeton Borough and Township to put that advice into practice.
The time is ripe for the consolidation of our two police departments. The township is currently led by an acting chief, and the borough’s chief, Anthony Federico, is likely to retire in three years. Higher-level administrative staff in both the borough and the township departments will soon retire. Taxpayer groups are clamoring for tax relief, and the joint Health Commission is urging the creation of a joint Office of Emergency Management.
Consolidation of our two police departments can begin to address all of these issues.
First is the question of savings. Joining the two departments will save each municipality more than $500,000 per year. That saving could be used to create the Office of Emergency Management the Health Commission recommends.
Next is the question of delivery of services. A single department will provide enhanced delivery of services by eliminating redundancy and integrating training and management. Crime doesn’t stop at the border to ask permission to enter the next town. Neither should our police. Law enforcement in our two communities should be as seamless and as streamlined as possible.
Then there is the issue of emergency preparedness. While I am confident that our police departments could handle any emergency that befalls us, I agree with the Health Commission that preparedness is an ongoing endeavor. If our two communities are going to be truly effective in dealing with a catastrophic emergency, we must establish and practice a single chain of command in advance of the emergency.
Our governments owe it to our constituents to deliver the highest-quality public safety at the lowest possible cost. Now we have an opportunity to do just that. On behalf of Borough Council and the Princeton Borough Police Department, I invite the Township Committee and the township Police Department to join with us in moving toward the consolidation of our two forces and to reject the "dead hand" of past rule. We two Princetons have a long joint history of enlightened government. Let us live up to our reputation for excellence.
Peggy Karcher
President
Princeton Borough Council
Sergeant Street
Princeton
Borough, township should start dialogue
To the editor:
Your Jan. 27 editorial about Princeton Borough/Township police consolidation was most welcome.
The taxpayers of both municipalities would probably benefit enormously by police consolidation. Further, the community as a whole would likely be a safer place.
But at this stage, I don’t think anyone is willing to commit unconditionally to consolidation, including for the historical reasons cited in the editorial. Fortunately, unconditional commitment is not necessary at present. A constructive first step in the right direction would be for the two Princeton governing bodies to begin a dialogue concerning police consolidation.
That dialogue might be broken down into several steps: an expression of intent to consider police consolidation; an expression of a willingness to study it; defining the scope of a study; and engaging the study team.
If the study team were to recommend police consolidation, further review may be had, including: negotiating the terms of consolidation; public discussion of the merits of consolidation; and final approval or rejection of police consolidation.
Right now, the question is: Can the community take the first step by having the governing bodies express their intent to consider?
For all those concerned about municipal taxes and public safety, including emergency management, the answer must be yes.
Roger Martindell
Member
Princeton Borough Council
Prospect Avenue
Princeton
Article honors a magical woman
To the editor:
Thank you for publishing the wonderful front-page article about Natalie Cruickshank, Johnson Park School’s beloved "Miss Natalie" (The Packet, Jan. 17). Miss Natalie is a favorite of ours and richly deserves the recognition you provided.
Kudos to your reporter, Marjorie Censer. She captured Miss Natalie’s warmth, impish sense of humor and passion for working with our schoolchildren. Ms. Censer’s article was a delightful read and an accurate characterization of a wonderful character.
For those who wish to enjoy Miss Natalie’s charm, they can catch her doing her storyreading at the opening of the Johnson Education Center at Greenway Meadows the park opposite the access drive to Johnson Park School tentatively set for Sunday, April 30. Children at that event will be as enthralled as our Johnson Park pupils have been.
Thanks again for honoring this magical woman and the volunteer work she does.
Robert A. Ginsberg
Principal
Johnson Park School
Rosedale Road
Princeton
Communities show support for education
To the editor:
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, voters in West Windsor and Plainsboro approved both questions in the school district facilities referendum. We would like to thank all the people who made that happen.
The Board of Education and administration crafted a plan to meet the needs of our students with an understanding of the tax realities we face. They did so in time to gain approval for 40 percent state aid for the majority of the work. We thank them, on both points.
PTAs and PTSAs invited us to their meetings to share information about the referendum with their membership. School principals opened their schools to the public for information sessions and tours. Community groups hosted presentations to inform their members about the details of the plan. Parents listened carefully and then told their neighbors what they had learned. Residents who couldn’t yet vote expressed their support by signing the referendum petition. Students asked hard questions and then wrote articles and letters. We thank them all.
Most of all, we would like to thank the members of our community. Thank you for taking the time to learn about the plan and then come out to vote. The overwhelming support for the first question really shows that people in West Windsor and Plainsboro do care about their neighbors, supporting the needs of others for the good of the whole.
Thank you, board, administration, staff, parents, students, friends and neighbors. It is wonderful to live in a community that values education and cares for one another.
Anthony Fleres
Diane Hasling
Andy Lupo
Chris Yan
Co-Chairs
Citizens Referendum Team
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Relentless campaign led to diversity course
To the editor:
The Montgomery Township Board of Education has approved the Diversity in America course (The Packet, Jan. 27). Initially, we thought of this elective as a step in the right direction. However, we would we have liked more of an involvement in the actual process. We would have liked for the scholars who have worked with our organization for the last two years who were recommended by us to the board to have been included in the designing of this course as well, especially where black history is concerned.
It is also important to note that the district did not make this journey alone. They did not simply come to the conclusion one day that African-centered studies was needed. The APIECE organization A Parents’ Initiative for Every Child’s Education began making requests to have African-centered studies implemented into the curriculum in January 2004. In April, we interviewed members of the school board (those running for office as well) on their thoughts concerning African-centered studies in our district among other things of interest to APIECE. And by May 2004, we petitioned the community around five points, hand-delivering more than 100 signatures at the May 25 board meeting.
In June 2004, we did a 90-minute presentation for then-Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Christopher Manno and then-supervisors of the social studies department, Larry Krieger and Thomas Barclay, titled "Why Montgomery Needs a Black History Elective in the High School."
Through our relentless campaign, events and programs, we captured the attention of several notable people and scholars in the field of education including the new executive director of the Amistad Commission, Karen Jackson Weaver, in 2005.
To a degree, we feel somewhat comforted by some of the comments from board members who voiced their opinions shortly before the vote, saying they "would like to have further opportunities to look at more curriculum improvements," and "Diversity in America should be the start of bringing new courses to the district." We would also like to thank Dr. Jane Plenge for her recognition of our part in this two-year-long struggle.
Perhaps, somewhere down the line, there is a chance for African-centered studies, a much greater visibility, inclusion of black history to our textbooks and daily lesson plans. And if the course will be as comprehensive in content as it promises, then the children in our community can only benefit. And bear in mind if you will as we do that had our organization not asked that African-centered studies be added to the curriculum to begin with, then maybe the Diversity in America elective would not have been placed among the district’s program of studies.
To learn more about the APIECE organization and this two-year-long effort, please visit our Web site at www.apiecenj.com.
Renee Carr
Parsons Court
Montgomery
Take advantage of free tax preparation
To the editor:
Many low-income wage earners who teeter on the brink of poverty are unaware that they are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and we at Mercer Street Friends want to get the word out.
The EITC is "refundable," which means that workers who do not owe income tax and file a tax return can receive a refund from the IRS. If they do not file a tax return, they cannot receive the credit. The amount of the EITC is dependent upon the number of children in the family and the amount of income earned through work. For 2005, the EITC is worth up to $4,400 for workers who earn less than $35,263 (or less than $37,263 if married filing jointly) and have two or more qualifying children. Families with one qualifying child who earn less than $31,030 (or less than $33,030 if married filing jointly) are eligible for a credit of up to $2,662. Single workers without a qualifying child who earn less than $11,750 (or less than $13,750 for married workers) are eligible for a credit of up to $399.
Many families either are not applying for the EITC or they are losing a big percentage of their refund by paying high fees to commercial tax preparers. In 2002, according to estimates, low-income taxpayers lost more than $1 billion in fees related to commercial tax preparation. In addition to paying fees for such services as tax preparation, documentation preparation and electronic filing, a low-wage earner may be encouraged to take out a Refund Anticipation Loan. The wage earner pays a fee to obtain an RAL, which is based on his or her anticipated tax refund. Interest continues to accrue until the wage earner receives the tax refund and repays the loan. However, if the IRS denies part of the refund for any reason, or even withholds it temporarily for audit purposes, the wage earner continues to be responsible for the cost of the loan. These fees leave many workers worse off, thus undermining the intention of the EITC to assist low-income families.
Our policy advocate, Terry Kiely, analyzed statistics for Mercer County, which show that Princeton Borough and Township are among the areas where many low-wage earners have not taken advantage of the EITC. During February and March, Mercer Street Friends and other nonprofit organizations will provide free tax preparation for Mercer County residents who are eligible for the EITC.
For more information, please call Terry Kiely at (609) 396-1506.
Barry H. Cole
Executive Director
Mercer Street Friends
Mercer Street
Trenton