By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The quarreling over proposed pay raises for elected officials in this year’s budget has worsened among Township Council members and Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, as an ordinance advancing the salary plan was set to be introduced Monday night.
The ordinance — which enjoys the support of a majority of council members — serves to eliminate a system of vouchers and reimbursements, replacing them with higher total salary for Mayor Hsueh and the five members of Township Council.
It calls for their salaries to grow to $7,500 annually from their current $4,941 level, and for Mayor Hsueh’s salary to increase to $25,000 from the $17,685 the mayor currently makes, in addition to a vehicle allowance.
The raises would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2009 following the November election, according to the wording of the ordinance. That decision, according to Council President Will Anklowitz, was made to give voters time to organize a potential petition drive to put the raises on the ballot in November.
”If the voters feel this is an important issue, then they have an opportunity to do that (a referendum),” Mr. Anklowitz said.
Council member Charles Morgan said the raises are a move toward more open government. It will end what Mr. Morgan called a confusing and unfair process of submitting costs for reimbursement.
”It gets rid of politics and brings transparency,” Mr. Morgan said.
Mr. Morgan went further by leveling accusations of unfairness and favoritism at Mayor Hsueh’s administration involving the handing out of the reimbursement money on Monday. He accused administration officials of delaying reimbursement of his cost submissions because of disagreements and political differences.
”I have payments pending from last year,” Mr. Morgan said.
Mayor Hsueh attributed those delays to the fact that Township Council had failed to create a proper policy for reimbursing costs associated with the proposed redevelopment program at the Princeton Junction train station. Mr. Morgan’s two reimbursement submissions — cited by both Mr. Morgan and the mayor — were a $38.58 lunch date that included a redevelopment discussion with Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner, and a $57.14 conference call among officials about redevelopment finance meetings.
Further complicating the reimbursements was a council resolution involving redevelopment expenditures passed earlier this year, Mayor Hsueh said. The so-called “threshold” resolution required all redevelopment costs to be submitted to Township Council for approval. Mr. Morgan was the major supporter of that resolution, which was opposed by the administration because of the added paperwork involved.
”We have never played favoritism,” Mayor Hsueh said. “It just happened to be redevelopment-related, and Mr. Morgan submitted the vouchers the day after passing that resolution. The business administrator did not know what to do with that.”
Mayor Hsueh’s main ally on council against the raises on Township Council continues to be Linda Geevers, who has repeatedly spoken out against the raises, citing economic downturn and state and municipal fiscal woes.
As an alternative to the raises, Ms. Geevers said Monday that she intended to introduce a measure that would organize the reimbursement system in an attempt to clarify reimbursements for council members.
But most of the other council members have already voiced their support for giving themselves raises, which likely meant there was little hope for her measure, Ms. Geevers said.
Ms. Geevers said the salary ordinance’s delayed effective date and related referendum language were offensive, to both her and the public.
”That’s one of the most arrogant moves I have seen on council in the last three years,” she said. “It shows such disrespect for the residents. It says, ‘if the residents care enough, let them go through all of the effort of a referendum.’”
Concerning his potential raise, Mayor Hsueh said he would not accept the additional money, although he has not publicly declared his intentions on a possible veto of the salary ordinance.
Upon being questioned about a potential veto, Mr. Morgan said there were enough votes on Township Council to override such a move.
An override requires four votes, out of the five members of council.
