higher than what municipalities generally pay for legal representation, Barnes said.

The mayor disagreed.

“There are a variety of professionals involved in any development, including attorneys and planners,” Choi said. “What has traditionally happened is, a developer would come into Edison armed with a whole team of professional planners, attorneys, engineers, et cetera. And what are we doing? We have limited professional reviews of those proposals.”

Choi said that Clark Caton Hintz is one of the best planning firms in the state, and has represented many large projects, including the construction of the Somerset Patriots minor league baseball stadium, the New Jersey Meadowlands Sports Complex and the Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne Yard (MOTBY) redevelopment.

The mayor said that Clark Caton Hintz’ fees would also be paid for by Hartz Mountain through an escrow account, as would be the fees for McManimon and Scotland.

Clark Caton Hintz is expected to be available at the next public council meeting this month to answer any questions the council and public may have about their firm and how they plan to work with the township in the redevelopment of the Ford property.

“Finally, we are bringing in the best planning talent for a community that has lacked strong planning in our developments,” Choi said.

Ricigiliano said when Choi ran for office last year, he said he would be able to solve many of the township’s problems himself.

“[Choi] ran on the premise he had all of this expertise and would be saving the township money,” she said. “That was the basis of his campaign. Yet everything he’s done is hiring consultants. I’m waiting to see where his expertise is and where he’s going to save us money. So far, I haven’t seen it.”