ROBBINSVILLE: Council candidacies official

   ROBBINSVILLE — Former Township Committeeman and Mayor Vince Calcagno and Township Planning Board Chairwoman Sheree McGowan have formally announced their intention to seek seats this May on the Township Council.
   Two seats will be up for grabs May 12, with the expiring terms of William Lesniak and Sonja Walter, the latter of whom is challenging Mayor Dave Fried.
   Mr. Calcagno and Ms. McGowan, running on the “Proven Community Service” slate, are focused on leveraging their experience to develop an economic plan that will retain the current commercial base and encourage economic development especially in renewable energy sources and ‘green’ technologies all in an effort to stabilize property taxes, according to a press release.
   ”One of my priorities would be to add a conservation element to our township Master Plan and introduce the necessary ordinances to encourage more environmental sensitive design and the development of commercial and residential renewable energy sources,” said Mr. Calcagno, who also sits on the Planning Board, in the release.
   Both candidates say there is a need to design a more business-friendly plan for the south side of Town Center, continue to address the evolving recreational needs for township residents of all ages, and review open-space opportunities to ensure the proper balance between preservation, residential and commercial development.
   ”Given the economic conditions of our Nation and State, our township needs to invent creative approaches to reduce the cost of providing township services as well as review which services we should or should not provide,” Mr. Calcagno said.
   The Messenger-Press previously reported that Mr. Calcagno and Ms. McGowan had picked up candidate petitions, along with Sylvia Way resident Lance Brown.
   Mr. Calcagno has lived in Robbinsville for nearly 21 years. He is a graduate of Villanova University, and has a master’s degree from Drexel University. He is a principal data architect at Telcordia Technologies Inc., a global telecommunications software and consulting company.
   Ms. McGowan has lived in Robbinsville for more than 15 years. In addition to her leadership position on the Planning Board, she sits on the Rent Leveling Board. She has been a loan consultant with Princeton Mortgage Corp. for more than 20 years.
   She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting from Rider University as well as her master’s of business administration.