Barbara Pfeifer, the appointee, to face off against William Anklowitz, the challenger
By: Courtney Gross
WEST WINDSOR After 10 candidates sought appointment to a vacant Township Council seat four months ago, only two have filed for the position in the November general election.
After a 4 p.m. deadline passed Thursday afternoon, township officials said no one other than the previously announced candidates Councilwoman Barbara Pfeifer and public defender William Anklowitz submitted the official paperwork to fill the vacant council seat.
Both Mr. Anklowitz and Ms. Pfeifer hope to finish the term of Kristin Appelget, who resigned from council in May. Both candidates were among the 10 who had previously sought to fill the seat during the vacancy procedure in May, which resulted in private interviews conducted in executive sessions.
The council selected Ms. Pfeifer to fill the seat beginning in June.
Both candidates have cited open space and open government as major issues, but they differ on their relationship with Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh’s administration.
Mr. Anklowitz, who is a lifetime resident of West Windsor, has criticized the council for agreeing with a majority of the mayor’s positions.
"We deserve to have a council that is in addition to the mayor, not just a copy of what the mayor is," Mr. Anklowitz said. "The government should be responsive to the people."
Mr. Anklowitz cites his experience, as an attorney and on the board of trustees for his homeowners’ association in Windsor Ponds, as integral to his qualifications to sit on the council. He also said another issue he would like to tackle is high property taxes.
Ms. Pfeifer, who volunteered on the mayor’s re-election campaign last year, has said she supports the mayor’s views on open space and redevelopment both priorities in her campaign. She had previously served on the Planning Board and worked on Wall Street for 15 years.
Ms. Pfeifer said she would like to see the township take advantage of the open space it has already acquired and examine each parcel to determine how it can benefit the community.
She also said the train station area redevelopment project will be key to the economic development of West Windsor and will create a sense of identity in the township.
"Basically, I am looking forward to running a campaign where we focus on the issues," Ms. Pfeifer said. "I think it is going to be clear, if it’s just myself and Will Anklowitz. I think there is a distinction between what our goals are."

