HIGHTSTOWN: Four Dems, two GOP seek two council seats

By Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
   HIGHTSTOWN — The two Democratic incumbents for Borough Council will have two challengers in the June 2 primary, while two first-time candidates will run unopposed for the Republican nominations.
   Steve Kirson, 60, and Dimitri Musing, 33, both of Stockton Street, have filed petitions to challenge Councilmen Larry Quattrone and Dave Schneider. The challengers, running as a ticket, said they support consolidation with East Windsor and plan to make it their primary issue in the campaign.
   The Republicans — Esther Velazquez and Skye Gilmartin — hope to cut into the Democrat majority on the council. Democrats outnumber Republicans by 5-1, with Mike Theokas — the first Republican to sit on the body since 2005 — being the only GOP voice on the council.
   Mr. Kirson, a retired financial executive, was an eleventh-hour unsuccessful write-in primary candidate in 2008. A six-year borough resident, he is a graduate of Brooklyn College, and said he worked as the chief financial officer for various commodity trading firms in Manhattan. Mr. Kirson said he is running because he wants to move the borough in a new direction.
   ”It is evident that we need some folks on the council that want a change, and we want to expedite that change,” Mr. Kirson said Wednesday. “From my perspective the borough has been like an 800-pound rock that hasn’t moved an inch. We are going to try to move that rock a little bit.”
   Mr. Musing runs Musing Antiques in the Smith House on Stockton Street. He is a graduate of Boston College, and a former pharmaceutical sales representative for Johnson & Johnson.
   ”Our main message for the people is that if you are happy with the way things are going, don’t vote for us,” Mr. Musing said. “If you want change, that’s what we’re running on. Neither Steve nor I am politicians. We are just concerned businesspeople who want to enter this arena to achieve a goal. Not politics for the sake of politics.”
   The pair said they would make opening a dialogue about consolidation with East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov a top priority.
   The Borough Council voted in early March to appoint Democratic Council President Walter Sikorski to contact the Mayor Mironov about a joint commission to study consolidation. On March 31, the East Windsor mayor said she and several other Township Council members were agreeable to meet Mr. Sikorski and other Borough Council members to discuss the issue.
   However, Mayor Mironov also restated her long-held position that substantial benefits for township taxpayers would have to be identified to continue such talks. A recent private study— which prompted the planned discussions on the issue — found that a consolidation would result in a large tax decrease for Hightstown residents, and a nominal tax increase for East Windsor residents, with the state apparently poised to offset such an increase with a property tax credit.
   Mr. Kirson said he would not expect the township to consolidate if they could not work out an agreement where both municipalities would benefit.
   ”There has to be a way for us to sit down and a find a way where everyone benefits,” he said.
   Mr. Musing also said the two would concentrate on working with the Downtown Hightstown group, local business owners and the Economic Development Committee to promote the downtown area for businesses.
   Mr. Schneider argued this week that East Windsor has shown no desire to consolidate. A staunch opponent of consolidation, he said elected officials need to have more plans for improving the borough’s financial situations.
   ”(Consolidation) falls into the category of things that politicians like to say, but are not likely to happen anytime soon, and are very likely not going to happen at all,” Mr. Schneider said Tuesday. “In the meantime, what are your other plans? You have to have a plan on how to keep costs down with what we have.”
   Mr. Schneider, a 40-year-old Princeton restaurant owner, and Mr. Quattrone, 66, owner of Dom’s service station in Hightstown, announced their joint re-election bid in November. Both are seeking their fourth full three-year term.
   On the Republican side, Ms. Gilmartin lives in Wykoff’s Mill and works as a cardiovascular technologist in Monroe. She is a member of the borough Board of Health.
   ”I believe that the time has come to seek new and innovative solutions,” she said in a press release. “We need to seriously begin the process of consolidating — either through shared services or merger. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”
   Ms. Velazquez grew up in the borough and is a graduate of Hightstown High School. She holds an associate degree from Mercer County Community College, and a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Thomas Edison State college. She is a member of the Latina Women’s Council, the borough Latino Advisory Committee and the Downtown Hightstown organization.
   ”I love Hightstown. It is where I was raised and chose to stay,” she said in a press release. “I believe there are solutions to control costs and preserve and enhance the quality of life. We need a council what will take action.”
   Neither Ms. Velazquez nor Ms. Gilmartin responded to requests for interviews from the Herald.