Marathon session brings charge of filibustering
By: Courtney Gross
WEST WINDSOR Giving the final nod for Hillier Architecture to proceed with plans for the 350-acre redevelopment area surrounding the Princeton Junction train station, the West Windsor Council approved a 10-month contract with the architectural firm Monday after a lengthy and delayed search process.
But Monday’s 4-1 vote approving the contract did not come easily and it once again emphasized alliances that have recently surfaced within the nonpartisan council.
In what one council member described as a "filibuster," the council’s newest member, Will Anklowitz, questioned Township Attorney Michael Herbert for nearly an hour and a half on the ins and outs of the contract.
From whether the area was titled appropriately to what was included in the public record and what venues would be used for public meetings, Mr. Anklowitz, who was the lone dissenter in approving the contract, said his constituents have appreciated his inclination to question the redevelopment process including the $330,000 set aside for the Hillier consultancy.
But other council members were plainly less appreciative.
Appearing frustrated while his colleague questioned the document, Councilman Franc Gambatese said, "This is a filibuster. … It’s got to do with politics."
Arguing that council members should have their doubts or inquiries individually addressed by the township attorney prior to a business meeting, Mr. Gambatese said the line of questioning pursued by Mr. Anklowitz was a waste of time and money.
Despite obvious impatience on the council, Councilman Charles Morgan followed Mr. Anklowitz with nearly an additional hour of questioning on the validity and accuracy of the contract.
Concerned about the contract’s timeframe, Mr. Morgan pointed out the document’s payment schedule was not based on monthly payments, but on the completion of certain tasks. Mr. Morgan, who raised questions similar to Mr. Anklowitz’s, said as a result of the timeline he was concerned the architectural firm would fast-track the charrette process.
"One of the things that scares me," Mr. Morgan said Monday, "is the expense that goes beyond this (contract)."
Both the township attorney and Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh told the council Hillier was acting in good faith, and the firm would also not be able to receive more funding without approaching the governing body for an additional appropriation.
Councilman Morgan suggested the township attorney draft a letter to the architectural firm that would detail all of his concerns which was a condition of his vote to approve the contract.
Although the council approved the document, which will allow Hillier to begin the design and public process in January, division on the council was also apparent prior to the final vote.
Rehashing a discussion that prolonged the approval of a bond ordinance earlier this month that contributes to the contract’s funding, Mr. Anklowitz again suggested the council include a resolution outlining "guiding principles" at its next agenda session scheduled for Jan. 8.
The principles, which Mr. Anklowitz drafted, include provisions mandating that a minimal number of residential units be included in the project, improving traffic and parking and stipulating that the project must better the surrounding neighborhoods.
On Monday, Mr. Anklowitz, with Mr. Morgan, suggested the council include these principles, as written.
"I just want to get it out there," Mr. Anklowitz said of his draft. "If it’s on the agenda, it’s there to discuss."
But the majority of council, including Council President Linda Geevers, Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman and Mr. Gambatese, preferred to start with a clean slate.
"I don’t see the guiding principles as principles at all," Mr. Gambatese said of the current draft. "I see them as conditions."
As part of the discussion on the drafting of guiding principles, Hillier Architecture’s founder, president and chairman, J. Robert Hillier, will appear before the council at its next meeting to answer any outstanding concerns it may have on the public or architectural process.

