By: Dick Brinster
EAST WINDSOR The mother of a high school student who died last summer from tainted heroin says she hopes her personal experience will be useful as a member of the Municipal Drug/Alcohol Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse.
Jill Johnston was appointed to that volunteer group which prepares and presents intervention and education programs promoting drug and alcohol prevention within the community by the Township Council at it’s meeting Tuesday night.
"I’m just very glad to be a part of this," Ms. Johnston said Wednesday.
Her son, Brian Landry, who would have been a senior at Hightstown High School, died in August.
"I think my firsthand knowledge could be helpful in making contributions to the alliance," Ms. Johnson added.
She and her husband, Glenn, have started the Brian Foundation, which seeks to have a teen center established in the East Windsor-Hightstown area. She said she began attending Municipal Alliance meetings last fall and applied last month to become a member.
Also appointed to the alliance was Evelyn McCleod, president of the Oak Creek Estates Homeowners Association. Her son, Marcus, is a student representative on the East Windsor Clean Communities Committee.
"We always try to appoint people to our committees who have an interest and background that could be of help to our boards," Mayor Janice Mironov said.
The Municipal Alliance generally holds its public meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the municipal building.
In other business Tuesday night, a group of about a half-dozen parents some accompanied by children asked the Township Council to support the East Windsor Regional School District in its budget crisis. Superintendent Ron Bolandi repeated at a press conference Monday that the district will lose $4 million in funding should the governor sign a bill that would cap the amount of money districts can raise through taxation.
Mayor Mironov recommended that the district and area legislators identify other districts impacted by the proposed legislation, enabling them to band together to create wider support in their bid for possible remedies.
"We share the extremely important goal for a high-quality, effective school system for our children," said the mayor who added that she has been in contact with legislators and the state in support of the district.

