Steve Heckel of Montgomery
Skillman Village is a fantastic opportunity for Montgomery to create a place that becomes a destination like no other. The local Republicans can’t figure out what to do about it so they have turned it, sadly, into a political football.
First they wanted to just turn the property over to a developer, ceding the entire site to an organization guided only by profit. Then, when the township undertook the demolition and cleanup, they said it should have been handled by a developer — a strategy that would have ceded control and timing of that sensitive issue as well as generating one of the lowest financial returns for the taxpayers.
Now, the Republican campaign line seems to be that the township should just leave the site vacant. This is the worst idea of all, because it would saddle the taxpayers with the entire cost of the acquisition of the site and its cleanup permanently, and would render the lake restoration, which adds tremendous redevelopment value to the nearby land (a fact acknowledged by all the prospective developers) pointless. To top it off, the Republicans have accused the Democratic-led Township Committee both of moving too fast and of moving too slowly. They have articulated no vision for Skillman Village, and have offered no truly constructive ideas for what it should be, much less help at getting to it.
Those who have worked on the project for years, Democrats, Republicans and independents alike, have striven to ensure that the Village would be a sensitive addition to its surroundings, would help redress the property tax imbalance, and would not add significantly to the peak rush-hour traffic on area roads or school population. These are not easy goals to quickly reconcile. The one constant consideration has always been: “What is best for the community in the long run, and what does it take to do this right?”
It was a bipartisan decision to buy the property. It has saved us (potentially) millions of dollars of school taxes over what might have happened had the state sold directly to a developer. We have cleaned up the site and made it extremely valuable for development. Holding the property until the economy turns around is a reasonable investment.
We should continue with a measured approach. Political hyperbole and opposition for its own sake are not sound bases for leadership, especially when one is trying, as Montgomery is, to achieve something complex, worthwhile, and cost effective in the long run.
The Democrat running for the Township Committee seat, Keith Hovey, is a homeowner and prospective parent who understands the issues affecting the township as well as the opportunities. An attorney who works with the development process regularly, he brings considerable skills and knowledge, and has the right experience to manage our wise investment in this property. He will continue the careful and productive approach that has guided this project thus far. He deserves our vote this November.
Steve Heckel
Montgomery

