Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Oct. 20

Flu clinic postponement unavoidable
To the editor:
   
The Princeton Regional Health Department would like to apologize for the unavoidable postponement of the second flu clinic scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Princeton Senior Resource Center. I am also writing to make sure people know that the Nov. 1 clinic will take place at the Resource Center, as planned.
   However, we must ask all those who planned on attending either clinic to call us to pre-register for the Nov. 1 clinic. The first letter of your last name no longer applies. You must pre-register by calling (609) 497-7608 during normal business hours.
   Why is all this happening? Because the flu vaccine manufacturer shipped us only a partial order, which we hope will be adequate for the first flu clinic scheduled for Nov. 1. We will not have enough vaccine for the second clinic and hope that those who must go on a wait list for the second clinic will bear with us as we attempt to bring in enough vaccine so we can eventually reschedule.
   Over the past few years, vaccine distribution has become a real problem in this country. The vaccine supplies we order back in January often do not materialize 10 months later, as promised. And this problem is not localized to one health department. Municipalities across the country have felt the sting, and citizens bear the cost. This doesn’t bode well for the future, when we may be faced with a regional or national health emergency and the need for efficient tracking and distribution of critical medical supplies.
   This fall, we have seen a push by state and federal governments for expanded vaccine campaigns and we were promised prompt deliveries of vaccine. Unfortunately, the message the government sent out just a few weeks ago doesn’t seem to be reaching the manufacturers. Most certainly, the vaccine hasn’t reached us. With the resources and expertise that this country possesses, the public deserves a world-class vaccine production and distribution system.
Dave Henry
Health Officer
Princeton Regional Health Department
Monument Drive
Princeton
Schools celebrate with help of many
To the editor:
   
The Princeton Regional Schools Celebrations last Saturday was a "thank you" to the community for its comprehensive and continuing support of public education. With wonderful fall weather and a unique opportunity to tour the new buildings and experience the depth and breadth of community involvement in the schools, over 3,000 people attended the festivities during the day. Hundreds more attended the Friends of Princeton Athletics Banner Dedication and the evening Gala celebrating the opening of the Trego Biancosino Auditorium.
   With this letter, I would like to thank all those who came and helped to make it such a wonderful event. Your presence, your interest and your interactions in the schools and with the many student and community groups on Walnut Lane was just what we hoped for.
   I would also like to thank the many volunteers who helped to make the day and evening run smoothly. Your willingness to give of your time, talent and energy is truly remarkable. Thanks.
   Thanks, too, to the Princeton Borough and Township Police Departments, the Fire Department and First Aid and Rescue Squad for being with us and helping us feel comfortable and secure on what did, indeed, turn out to be a very enjoyable day.
   The district’s many community partners who set up on Walnut Lane and the student groups who joined them are to be commended not only for their participation on Saturday, but also for all that they contribute to the schools on a regular basis. Thanks to you all.
   Many on the staff of the Princeton Regional Schools are to be congratulated for an excellent job with the thousands of details entailed in readying the schools for the open house, preparing for tours, hanging exhibitions, doing demonstrations (often well beyond the scheduled time), helping students set up for the street festival, cleaning everything over and over again, wiring, checking, broadcasting, preparing signs, flyers and programs, watching over exhibits, the pool, the school store, the auditoriums and the classrooms, and providing lots of information and fun for all of our guests. Congratulations and thanks.
   Finally, I would like to thank the core planning group: Jo Singer, Joan Morelli, Jane Holland, Karen Klein Pinto, Eric Karch, Mark Freda, Karen Woodbridge, Holly Holcombe, Suzanne Carroll, Angela Siso, Linda Shaw and Judy Wilson. Thanks to you all for making the Princeton Regional Schools Opens New Doors celebrations happen — and for making the planning process so much fun.
Charlotte Bialek
Member
Princeton Regional Board of Education
Jefferson Road
Princeton
Carpenters proud to contribute their help
To the editor:
   
This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a reception at the Quark Park in Princeton. The reception was for everyone who helped develop and build all the components of the park.
   Our part was the construction of the roof truss structure over the performance stage. Over the course of two weeks, our members donated more than 200 hours building, rigging and setting in place the 3¼-ton structure. During that two-week period and at the reception, where I had the opportunity to meet some of the artists and scientists who contributed their expertise to the park, I was extremely impressed with all the enthusiasm and dedication everyone exhibited to this creative and unique project.
   More important, it should be recognized how hard Kevin Wilkes and Peter Soderman have worked to enrich the landscape and lives of those who live and work in Princeton. Princeton is very fortunate to have Kevin Wilkes and Peter Soderman and all those who participated in the building of Quark Park. I was proud to be included among such a distinguished group.
Ridgeley Hutchinson
Business Representative
Carpenters Local 781
Mount Airy Village Road
Lambertville
Council president supports Pfeifer
To the editor:
   
As an individual member of the West Windsor Township Council, I endorse and fully support the candidacy of Barbara Pfeifer for council.
   West Windsor Councilwoman Barbara Pfeifer is an independent thinker and serves as an outspoken advocate for all township residents. Barbara will continue to ask the tough analytical questions on issues before the council and will actively engage the township administration in finding the right solutions to our complex problems.
   Barbara believes it is a priority to have safer roadways and more pedestrian and bicycle paths. As open space is a core value in our community, Barbara supports not only the continuance of buying more properties, but also supports using a greater percentage of the open-space tax toward its recreational development. In addition, she recently asked for sign ordinances to be revised so that there will be stiffer penalties for all those unwanted temporary commercial signs that pop up around town particularly on the weekends.
   Barbara has the decisive leadership skills from her 15 years as an executive on Wall Street and now as an entrepreneur. She has valuable experience as a former member of the Planning Board and Ordinance Review Committee. She can clearly see and know how to move forward with issues facing our entire township. As the council anticipates the hiring of a planning consultant for the designated redevelopment area, Barbara will ensure that there is openness and inclusiveness in the process and in the integrity of her decision-making.
   Please join me in voting for Barbara Pfeifer for Township Council on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Linda Geevers
President
West Windsor Township Council
Hawthorne Drive
West Windsor
Vote for Anklowitz, against urbanization
To the editor:
   
After reading about the first debate, I believe even more strongly that Will Anklowitz should be elected the next councilman for West Windsor Township.
   I agree with Will Anklowitz that most of West Windsor, with its 25,000 residents and many commuters, want redevelopment that gives us an attractive and convenient suburban train station, not a city train station.
   Our schools are becoming increasingly crowded, our roads and intersections are clearly supporting a greater level of traffic volume than they were designed for, and anyone who commutes knows how chaotic it can be to drive into or out of the train station. Adding many more residents at the train station will only make these problems worse.
   Most people came to West Windsor because they want to live in the suburbs, not in a highly congested urbanized environment. With Will Anklowitz on council, we can have redevelopment without urbanization. I urge everyone to join me in voting for Will Anklowitz.
Brenda Mihan
South Mill Road
West Windsor
Electing Pfeifer will make major difference
To the editor:
   
Electing Barabara Pfeifer on Nov. 7 will make a major difference on the future of West Windsor.
   We have an opportunity to grow socially and economically to become a model town in the region. Out-of-the-box thinking could transform the 350 acres of land around the train station into all kinds of exciting possibilities benefiting West Windsor and the region. At present, the state and other agencies have genuine interest in investing in West Windsor. Any small but obstreperous group with very narrow local objectives can put major hurdles on what the mayor has been able to build up through years of relentless negotiations.
   We need a council member who can work with the mayor, who was elected by an overwhelming majority, and other members of the council as a team and help to make things happen. One doesn’t have to agree on everything others propose. But Barbara Pfeifer will bring constructive criticism and add significant value to all proposals. The genuine concerns of a small group of residents who fear any deviation from the status quo are quite understandable. But fighting the system to prevent any progress is not an option.
   I am convinced that Councilwoman Barbara Pfeifer will continue to support the key issues that are in the best interest of West Windsor. It takes a team for the village to grow. Years of neglect due to partisan interests cannot be changed overnight. A nonpartisan process has now been set in motion to serve our community and it is working well and we need continuity. Only Barbara will provide that continuity.
   I have been a resident of West Windsor for more than 36 years. I am really excited about the future of this town for the first time. Vote on Nov. 7 to elect Barbara Pfeifer.
Ram Ramachandran
Jefferson Park
West Windsor
Attack on business merits an apology
To the editor:
   
My business and residence have become the object of one woman’s attempt to create a campaign issue for her candidacy to West Windsor Township Council. I am letting the good people of West Windsor and all of our valued customers know that the Village Pantry Deli is open for business.
   In a recent article (The Packet, Aug. 25), Barbara Pfeifer is pictured at the corner of my property, located at the intersection of Old Trenton Road and Edinburg Road, standing next to a damaged antique gas pump. Her main focus was to point out that my two red gas pumps are abandoned and should be discarded. Many of my customers were very upset by her comments because they love the history of the hamlet of Edinburg, including those red gas pumps, which are still photographed by people just passing through our quaint town.
   But, as the property owner, I personally was upset on two levels. Since she implied that the gas pumps were abandoned, she also implied that my business, as well as my residence, were abandoned.
   Think about it. I have been in business in West Windsor for 24 years and one person’s political self-interest degraded my hard work, good citizenship and my residence.
   The final nail in my heart was to hear people call my store or shout from their car window, saying: "Are you still open for business?"
   As a final note, I have never met Barbara Pfeifer. In the 12 years that she states she has lived in West Windsor, and a distance of about 1½ miles from my business, to my knowledge she has never been in my deli. As of this date, I have yet to hear from Barbara Pfeifer. She has not contacted me in any manner to offer an apology for attacking my business and the place I call home.
Larris (Lucky) Lee
Proprietor
Village Pantry
Edinburg Road
West Windsor
Pfeifer, a team player, will make things happen
To the editor:
   
I’ve known Barbara Pfeifer since I moved to West Windsor. Barbara’s dedication and energy to make a difference in what goes on in our town have always impressed me. As we look forward to the challenges facing West Windsor, we need a team player who will diligently work to make things happen for the benefit of all our residents.
   Most people who have worked with Barbara in town, in many volunteer capacities, value her thoughts and ideas. Barbara is a no-nonsense, independent, and intelligent thinker who has the unique capability to express herself and her ideas, while continuing to maintain a professional and team-oriented demeanor.
   Redevelopment, including improvements to the train station, open-space improvements and a reduction in our property taxes need to stay on course. I will vote for Barbara Pfeifer and I urge all of you to vote on Nov. 7 to get her elected as our councilwoman.
Patti Kuczmarski
Ellsworth Drive
West Windsor
Pfeifer right person at right time for WW
To the editor:
   
For the citizens of West Windsor Township, the next few months hold a golden opportunity to participate in shaping how this township will look in the months, years and decades to come. The township is undertaking critical major steps in bringing the Princeton Junction train station and the area around it, designated as the redevelopment area, online as a modern, accessible and sustainable focal point for commuters and citizens alike — in other words, a sense of community.
   Barbara Pfeifer has been a very active participant in this process. She knows the issues at hand. She has a vision in line with this opportunity.
   Critical to this process is the implementation, design and construction of the Vaughn Drive connector. In 2003, this was the one element that virtually everyone agreed on during the Penns Neck Environmental Impact Study process as mandated by former Gov. Whitman. A viable connection from Vaughn Drive and Alexander Road through the train station to Washington Road and Route 571 has to take place in the area in and around the train station in order to sustain this area and the township. This same Vaughn Drive connector forms one of the key elements in the redevelopment process, as well.
   Barbara Pfeifer will make certain that the transportation elements are dealt with properly, orderly and primarily in this process, because without adequate and proper traffic flow to and from the area, the redevelopment will not take place.
   This community needs forward-thinking, results-oriented leadership in achieving this goal. That is why I urge all voters in West Windsor Township to support this process and come out on Nov. 7 and vote for Barbara Pfeifer for councilwoman. Barbara has participated actively in the redevelopment process, both as a member of the township Planning Board and as a member of the Township Council.
   She knows the issues. She will ask the right questions. She will get the right answers. She will get the job done.
Richard Eland
Courtney Drive
West Windsor
Wilson’s charges are inaccurate, hypocritical
To the editor:
   
The protestations by Louise Wilson alleging that Somerset County is "awash in pay-to-play" are not only inaccurate, they are also hypocritical. A check of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission reports shows that the Somerset County Democratic Party has received tens of thousands of dollars from other county political organizations and from 527 political action committees, which some legal experts contend violates "pay-to-play."
   Do we know who contributed this money? By "wheeling" this money from out-of-county political organizations to Somerset County Democrat candidates, the names of the donors never appear on the candidates’ report. But by reviewing the ELEC reports, we do discover from where some of the contributions to the Somerset County Democratic Party have come.
   The Somerset County Democratic Party has received over $140,000 from the Middlesex County Democratic Party and $36,000 from the PAC of former Sen. John Lynch, who recently pleaded guilty to corruption charges. Most recipients of the Lynch contributions are returning the money. Freeholder candidates Louise Wilson and Dennis Sullivan and the Somerset County Democratic Party have yet to indicate when or if they will follow suit.
   By the way, over the past several years, candidate Wilson has received $27,295 from the Somerset County Democratic Organization. Considering most of that money has come from the Middlesex County Democratic political organizations, it’s no wonder that the Montgomery pay-to-play ordinance that Louise Wilson talks so much about does not prohibit "wheeling." Montgomery residents should demand full disclosure and transparency and put an end to this hypocrisy.
David M. Bekus
Hunt Lane
Montgomery
Somerset County GOP faces day of reckoning
To the editor:
   
It is telling that Ken Scherer, in his letter to the editor (The Packet, Oct. 17), does not deny or defend the Somerset County freeholders’ practice of "pay-to-play" – the awarding of tens of millions of dollars of non-competitive contracts to his party’s major political contributors. These contracts and contributions are facts, right there on the public record for everyone to see.
   Instead, Mr. Scherer rails against a practice known as "wheeling," in which cash is transferred from one political entity to another in an attempt to disguise its origins or to evade contribution limits.
   Challengers Louise Wilson and Dennis Sullivan strongly oppose both pay-to-play and wheeling. They will support any and all efforts to ban both of these practices at any level of government. Their campaign is not accepting money tainted by either practice.
   As both sides agree on the subject of wheeling, it’s not really an issue in this campaign, is it? Rather, it is a smokescreen thrown up by a political machine that does not want to own up to the way it does business.
   Also telling is the silence of the Republican candidates themselves on this issue. How about it, Mr. Fontana and Mr. Ciatterelli? Do you defend the practice of pay-to-play? Do you think taxpayers get the best value for their hard-earned tax dollars when the freeholders give huge no-bid contracts to their campaign contributors? Could this practice be related to the huge increases in county property taxes in recent years?
   Somerset County’s Republican dynasty has lasted almost 30 years now, fed by the odious practice of pay-to-play. However, the day of reckoning is at hand. Voters and taxpayers have had enough and simply will not take it any more.
William W. Kole
Robin Road
Hillsborough
Caliguire, Geslak will stabilize taxes
To the editor:
   
I find it quite interesting that we keep seeing a flurry of letters from Montgomery Democrats scurrying to defend the financial record of the current majority on the Montgomery Township Committee. They all have one thing in common: They all seem to leave out some pretty important facts concerning spending policies that may make for good politics in the short run but, in the end, will come back to bite Montgomery taxpayers.
   They just don’t mention that, over a three-year period, municipal spending was increased by 45 percent. That is indefensible. They then just dismiss a plan that Republican Committeeman Mark Caliguire has been advocating for reasonable caps on spending as having been rejected by a "bipartisan" commission appointed by local Democrats and headed by the now-candidate deputy mayor. So just how do they define "bipartisan"?
   Montgomery is becoming too expensive, and we just can’t afford to have elected officials in place who refuse to see the direct correlation between spending and taxes. It’s great they have had the luxury of using the float on school district tax receipts to put off tax increases, but my understanding is that gimmick covers poor management choices for a little while. The mayor and deputy mayor were quoted in The Packet as saying a tax increase will be coming next year.
   Republicans Mark Caliguire and Walter Geslak advocate a restrained approach that over the long haul will keep taxes truly stable. I wish more politicians all over New Jersey had taken that sensible look at things over the years.
Mike Arons
Opossum Road
Montgomery
Wilson, Birge, Fay all deserve support
To the editor:
   
I would like to commend Mayor Louise Wilson for her recent activities in my neighborhood. She was kind enough to attend a gathering of approximately 20 to 30 people at a local home, where she provided a wealth of information on topics of concern to all Montgomery residents.
   I was particularly struck by Mayor Wilson’s comments regarding the Hillsborough Bypass. For the first time, I truly understood the circumstances that led the New Jersey Department of Transportation to adamantly support a bypass plan that was not in their own best interest or Montgomery’s. More important, I learned that the years-long efforts of Mayor Wilson and others on our Township Committee have finally borne fruit, and the DOT is now considering alternate alignments for the bypass, which would save taxpayer dollars as well as avoid problems on Montgomery’s roads.
   Mayor Wilson also provided many details about Montgomery Promenade and other forthcoming construction projects that will affect my neighborhood. I was pleased to hear of Mayor Wilson’s and Montgomery Township’s continuing commitment to preserving open space and managing growth. I was especially pleased with her focus on ensuring that these new projects include sidewalks, walkways and other features to enhance pedestrian mobility, reducing the traffic congestion and air pollution associated with short driving trips.
   I am confident that Mayor Wilson will apply, at the level of county government, the same good sense, persistence and emphasis on quality of life that have marked her stewardship of Montgomery Township. I, like many of my neighbors, strongly support Wilson and Sullivan for Somerset County freeholder.
   I am equally confident that Deputy Mayor Cecilia Birge and candidate Brad Fay will carry on the good work that Mayor Wilson has performed in Montgomery. I urge your readers to support Birge and Fay for Township Committee.
Steven Saporta
Sycamore Lane
Montgomery
Stender will truly be environmental advocate
To the editor:
   
Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-7) puts on the facade of an environmentalist, but his record clearly suggests otherwise. The League of Conservation Voters puts him in the bottom 15 percent on their list of legislators. Contrary to the environmental concerns of the people of the 7th Congressional District, he consistently votes in favor of legislation that puts more money in big oil’s checking account by giving those companies huge tax breaks. Time after time, Rep. Ferguson voted to damage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by allowing big oil companies to expand the Alaskan pipeline and begin drilling. He proves that he cares more about the interests of those funding his campaign than he does about preserving one of the only pristine environmental sanctuaries left in our nation.
   It is time for real energy solutions. His opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, will work in Congress to ensure the sanctity of our environment. Throughout her career in government, she has been a stringent environmental advocate. She will fight for higher accountability standards for the oil industry and will work to transfer tax breaks from big oil to the makers of hybrid cars and alternative energy development. Linda will not stand idly by and watch Rep. Ferguson perpetuate an environmental crisis. Your support for Linda Stender is vital to stopping this catastrophe and sending a genuine advocate for the environment to Washington.
Tom McFarland
Brookside Drive
Montgomery