Two slates seek voter backing for May 8 election
By: Nick Norlen
WEST WINDSOR With slates filled and petitions filed, candidates for West Windsor Township Council are already on the campaign trail for the May 8 election.
The six candidates, who have formed two bipartisan slates consisting of three candidates each, have a little more than a month left to campaign for three available seats.
Incumbents Will Anklowitz and Charles Morgan are running with newcomer George Borek under the collective moniker "Best 4 West Windsor."
Incumbent Franc Gambatese is running with Planning Board members Chuck Chang and Diane Ciccone under the name "West Windsor Together."
Mr. Anklowitz said he will focus on taxes, open space and "open government. Those are the three big issues," he said. "It’s important to listen to what residents have to say about them and … try to synthesize it." He said he would work with state officials to find solutions to the "tax problem" facing township residents.
Also, he said would pursue open space for both passive and active recreation, and said he would attempt to balance open space funding among improvements, maintenance and the purchase of new lands.
Mr. Borek said "the core issue" is preserving and maintaining open space.
Another important issue, he said, is gauging "the residents’ sentiments" about the Princeton Junction train station redevelopment and finding out who is "going to foot the bill for it."
As far as taxes, Mr. Borek said he would focus on getting businesses into the township to help offset the tax burden, as well as communicating with state lawmakers to ensure that West Windsor tax dollars come back to the township.
Mr. Chang listed traffic safety and circulation as his top priorities and said the township should identify "the high risk spots and make those corrections."
Along with encouraging environmental sustainability, he said he would work to reduce property taxes by bringing ratables to the township.
He said the redevelopment is also a key issue especially aspects such as housing type, parking garages and shuttle service.
"Those are the things I think we need to evaluate," he said.
Ms. Ciccone said road safety including steps to make the township bike- and pedestrian-friendly is the most pressing issue.
In addition, she said she would "press Trenton to come up with solutions to the really high property taxes," as well as encouraging passive and active open space.
Closely watching the redevelopment process including the number of housing units and parking spaces is crucial, she said.
"We have to ask thoughtful questions. We have to ask questions that are not obstructive questions to get to a consensus," she said.
Mr. Gambatese said he is most concerned about road and pedestrian safety.
"It’s really something that I’ve been working on for the last four years," he said. "That’s probably what I put the most energy into."
He also said he would try to stabilize taxes by working to increase the number of businesses in the township. Along with keeping an eye on the number of housing units and parking spaces proposed for the redevelopment area, he said he would focus on maintaining an "open government" in the township.
Mr. Morgan said "the two biggest issues in West Windsor are the transit village and taxes. We need fundamental tax reform and people on council in West Windsor need to be working hard with their representatives in Trenton to make stuff happen."
He said his other priority, open government, is closely related to the redevelopment issue, and noted that he would strive to ensure that the public’s voice is heard in the process. In addition, Mr. Morgan said he would continue to recommend that the township pursue private funds for open space preservation. Both slates are planning fundraisers in the coming weeks.
A candidates’ night featuring all six individuals will be hosted by the Village Grande Civic Association 7 to 9 p.m. April 12 in the clubhouse ballroom.

