Mayor cites her expertise as justification for his Historic Preservation board choice
By: Vic Monaco
HIGHTSTOWN Former Borough Councilman Dan Buriak ripped the local Historic Preservation Commission this week, calling it a "social club" that accomplished "absolutely nothing" last year and claiming that the membership of Kathy Patten, Mayor Bob Patten’s wife, represents a violation of state law.
The latter claim was disputed by the mayor late Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Buriak, a longtime political and personal enemy of Mr. Patten, made his critical comments Wednesday while telling the mayor and Borough Council that he wants Mr. Patten to appoint him to the commission next week.
"An appointment to the HPC should not be based on who is in which political party, who is friends with who, who is not friends with who, or who is married to who." Mr. Buriak wrote in paperwork submitted at Wednesday’s special meeting of the Borough Council.
"Rather, an appointment should assure that the HPC contains the town’s most qualified people who have a proven track record of developing historic preservation strategies and turning them into reality for the betterment of Hightstown."
Mr. Buriak claimed that state law prohibits Ms. Patten whose term on the commission expires Dec. 31 along with one other member from serving on the HPC because she also sits on the Housing Authority.
"For the class of HPC members which is designated for the local citizens who are serving on the commission, the law is very clear in stating that these local citizens are not to serve in any other positions other than the Planning Board, the zoning board and the HPC," he said, reading from a prepared statement. "Kathy Patten was appointed by this council to the Housing Authority in 2006, which is clearly a departure from the law as she is officially serving as a borough appointee to the Housing Authority concurrently while serving on the HPC, and therefore this mistake should not be perpetuated in 2007."
"The Municipal Land Use law was written this way so that the Historic Preservation Committee could be its own separate organization outside of the government," he added Thursday. "Who thinks the mayor’s wife is not going to carry out the interests of the mayor?"
Borough Attorney Fred Raffetto said late Thursday afternoon that Mr. Patten had informed him that his wife serves as a Class A member of the HPC, which by law means she is knowledgeable in building design and construction or architectural history. Mayor Patten told the Herald his wife, who was out of town Thursday, has expertise in construction by virtue of her longtime position as vice president of Patten Construction Services Inc., his former business of 18 years.
Mr. Patten had declined Wednesday to comment on Mr. Buriak’s statements. Asked at that time about his appointment decisions, to be announced Monday, he said, "I’m still working on that."
Mr. Buriak read off a litany of things the commission allegedly failed to do in 2006. Among them was bestowing an historic preservation designation upon Stockton Street, where Mr. Buriak lives.
"The HPC and you as the government of Hightstown have now achieved the distinction of taking longer than the federal government of the United States to declare the Stockton Street Historic District as a local area worthy of historic preservation," he said. "The federal government acted in less than six months."
Stockton Street also has received such a designation from the state, and Mr. Buriak was in the forefront of that movement along with reducing the speed limit on the street and writing a successful grant application for $42,000 for the district from the New Jersey Trust.
He said Thursday that he had set up a meeting with the trust this past spring in an effort to obtain a piece of $10 million in funding, but Mayor Patten canceled the meeting at the last minute. Mr. Patten said Thursday he had no recollection of that.
Mr. Buriak a Democrat who served on Borough Council in 2002 and stepped down in early 2003 after Mr. Patten, a Republican, was elected mayor began his comments at Wednesday’s meeting by saying,
"The Historic Preservation Commission was not formed to be a social club for members to catch up on local gossip or for members to bring their knitting to their infrequent meetings as was the case in 2006."
Amy Aughenbaugh, chairwoman of the HPC, could be reached for comment.
Borough Council’s annual reorganization meeting, at which time appointments are announced, is scheduled for noon Monday.

