PRINCETON: Boro extends prosecutor in police probe

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   The Princeton Borough Council has agreed to extend the contract of Arthur R. Thibault, the man who served as independent prosecutor in an administrative proceeding involving Borough Police Sergeant Kevin Creegan, despite the misgivings of Councilman Roger Martindell.
       The action came during the council’s meeting on Tuesday night.Sgt. Creegan resigned from the borough police force a month ago as the administrative proceeding against him was set to commence. His resignation ended his case, which went back a year, when he and two other borough police officers — Kenneth Riley and William Perez — were suspended with pay.
   Mr. Martindell has said that borough council should have exerted greater oversight and control over the case as it progressed, and could have saved money it paid for Sgt. Creegan’s salary over the past year if it had done so.
   ”I’m sure he is an excellent attorney,” Mr. Martindell said of Mr. Thibault. “The concern I have is to whom does he report,” he said, adding that Mr. Thibault’s reports on his work on behalf of the police force “don’t get to us.”
   Mr. Martindell’s motion to table the amended professional services agreement for Mr. Thibault and turn the matter over to the borough council public safety committee failed to gain a second.
   ”I am satisfied with Mr. Thibault’s work,” Councilman David Goldfarb said. “I share some of Roger’s concerns but not enough to want to deny staff with the ability to work with Mr. Thibault,” he said.
   ”I’m satisfied, and perhaps my reaction to Mr. Thibault is even stronger. I was very impressed” with his work, said Council President Andrew Koontz.
   The council adopted Mr. Thibault’s professional services agreement — agreeing to pay him $160 an hour, as needed, for work going forward, not to exceed a total outlay of $20,000 — with Mr. Martindell the only nay vote.
   Mr. Martindell said his only interest was in changing the dynamic in oversight of the police department, which in recent months “has not been appropriate.”
   ”I agree with you,” said Councilman Kevin Wilkes. “My hunch is staff has been getting the message in the past four weeks that we are deeply concerned with the direction of the police department,” he said, but council should not deprive the administration and police of the tools they need to do their work.
   Although budgetary matters and property taxes were not on Borough Council’s meeting agenda Tuesday, council members were still given a reminder of the import of the subject for citizens when borough resident Eleanor Lewis stood up and scolded members for not formally committing to a zero-percent tax increase in its coming budget at a past meeting.
   ”As we all know, our economy is in very bad shape,” said Ms. Lewis, a resident of Linden Lane, during the public comment period at the meeting. “You really don’t get it, you have to make a commitment to the taxpayers of this borough,” for a zero percent tax increase, she said.
   ”But you continue to spend,” Ms. Lewis said. “$850,000 to Harrison Street Park, we don’t need the Taj Mahal of parks,” she said, referring to a recent Borough Council decision to go forward with a renovation of the park.
   ”No new cars, no new parking management vehicles. We can not afford it. If a vehicle breaks down, fix it, don’t replace it,” Ms. Lewis said, referring to a tabled motion for the borough to replace three police cars and one traffic vehicle. “You have to get the message,” she said.
   Despite borough residents being in straightened financial circumstances themselves, often having to live on an equal or smaller budget than previously, Ms. Lewis faulted Borough Council for not unanimously committing to doing the same when it came to their property taxes.
   ”It has to end, and I think you need to make a commitment to the rest of us,” she said.
   At a Jan. 29 special budgetary meeting, borough council voted 4 to 2 to adopt a motion to make a zero-tax-increase budget for 2009 its goal, albeit a non-binding one. Councilmen Roger Martindell, David Goldfarb, Kevin Wilkes and Councilwoman Barbara Trelstad voted for the motion, and Council President Andrew Koontz and Councilwoman Mararet Karcher voted against it.
   ”It is a new paradigm, the state is laying off people, the county is laying off people,” Ms. Lewis said. “What island are we?”
   ”You are not the first to address this, but you are one of the more eloquent,” Mr. Martindell said following Ms. Lewis’ remarks.
   At the Borough Council meeting, Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman announced that council would be holding another special budget session on March 17 at 7 p.m.
   At the meeting, council members also heard an annual update on the community programs of the Arts Council of Princeton. Jeff Nathanson, executive director of the ACP, listed many of the programs the Arts Council conducts, both in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood where it resides and in the larger Princeton community, and said the arts non-profit was determined to maintain and expand those programs — which span art programs at the Henry Pannel Center; art exhibits at the public library; public music programs; as well as Communiversity — despite the challenging fiscal climate.
   Mr. Nathanson acknowledged that the Arts Council has experienced funding problems in the current down economy, and has been forced to make budget cuts and lay off staff. “If anybody knows where there’s another quarter million dollars lying around we’d be very very appreciative,” he said.
   ”What we’ve tried to do is tighten our belts, run a very tight ship,” and seek to increase fundraising and revenues from ticketed events, classes and other sources, he said.
   ”We are confident that between now and the end of this calendar year, that we will be out of the red and into the black,” Mr. Nathanson said.