West Windsor council advisory group continues to stir disapproval

A question of acting without consulting the full membership of the council

By: Greg Forester
   WEST WINDSOR — An unofficial advisory group whose existence was made public Monday has continued to cause disagreement in West Windsor Township Council.
   Township Council members Linda Geevers and Heidi Kleinman as well as Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh were strongly critical of the announcement by Councilmen Will Anklowitz and Charles Morgan and Councilman-elect George Borek of the group’s formation Sunday night.
   The two councilwomen said they were not consulted about the group’s formation — as it was announced in a press release drafted by Mr. Morgan — or informed about its first meeting until Monday afternoon, hours before it was set to meet for the first time.
   Sunday’s press release said the group would meet publicly as an informal advisory group to three members of the 2007-2008 Township Council until it was formalized by a resolution to be voted upon at the council’s July 1 reorganization meeting.
   Mr. Morgan and Mr. Anklowitz said the other council members and Mayor Hsueh were aware of the creation of a committee like the Document Advisory and Review Committee, as the group is formally called.
   "During the recent campaign there was a debate where Charlie announced he wanted to create an advisory committee, and it was met with great enthusiasm from the public," said Mr. Anklowitz. "There was even a draft of an ordinance circulated among council members that would have formalized this type of committee."
   Mr. Morgan and Mr. Anklowitz said the meetings of their now-public advisory group, still unofficial at this stage, was an example of them making government more open for residents.
   Ms. Geevers and Ms. Kleinman had previously engaged in dialogue about the Document Advisory and Review Committee with the council members who announced its formation Sunday, and even provided input, Mr. Anklowitz said.
   Mr. Morgan echoed Mr. Anklowitz’s sentiments, saying the other council members had been present during the debate where the document committee was discussed, and had also seen the draft ordinance circulated in May.
   The mayor has a similar group of advisors who do not meet publicly or have minutes, Mr. Anklowitz said.
   Mr. Morgan added the committee is an informal advisory group for the members who announced its formation Sunday, made public to allow for more open government.
   He said part of criticism it received from the other council members was because of the timing of the official announcement of the advisory group’s formation and its first meeting.
   Mr. Morgan said he had meant to issue notifications, including a press release and a meeting notification earlier, but he had an extremely busy weekend that delayed the releases.
   "I feel we are all victims of the time constraints that we’re stuck with," said Mr. Morgan, referring to the timing of the releases announcing the committee.
   About the actual creation of the committee, he said, "No one can really complain they didn’t have notice of this committee, as this was discussed before the election."
   Council President Geevers said she remembered previous discussions of the committee, even suggesting something similar on her own in the past.
   She said the shock and the negative reaction came because of the way the other council members went ahead with the creation of the committee — whether an informal advisory group or not — without consulting or informing her or Ms. Kleinman.
   "At no time was any vote taken or permission granted to approve any document committee, and there has been no public comment on this," said Ms. Geevers. "Without the consent of the council there can be no such committee.
   "This self-annointed committee is another example of the unfortunate backroom policies of the newly-elected council members."
   She also said the new committee represented a "phantom arm" of township government.
   "It’s shocking that members of this committee are breaking new ground by doing policy work when they are not officially sanctioned by the council to do so," Ms. Geevers said.
   A member of the advisory group, former Councilwoman Alison Miller, said the group would have originally met for the first time after the July 1 reorganization meeting when it would be formalized by a Township Council vote.
   They met earlier than the July 1 date because of the need to work on a resolution outlining the guiding principles of the redevelopment around the Princeton Junction train station, Ms. Miller said.
   "They wanted to get the redevelopment guidelines we worked on Monday prior to the reorganization meeting," Ms. Miller said. "We’re just acting as the legislative aides the council doesn’t have.
   "I’m disappointed the initial reaction to the committee is to the minutiae of formation instead of the function and usefulness of the committee," said Ms. Miller, who lost the mayoral race to Mayor Hsueh in 2005.