It’s time to have one Princeton

Casey Lambert of Princeton
    No matter where in the world I find myself, when asked where I’m from I reply Princeton, New Jersey. It would never occur to me to say “Princeton Borough” or “Princeton Township.
   Take a good look at the main street map of Princeton Township, with Princeton Borough in its midst, and be amazed at the borough line — running smack down the middle of many roads, cutting other streets in half, snaking through the back yards of people’s property. Do neighbors on either side of these lines, drawn in 1813 before there were neighborhoods, feel differently about their lives? Do they even think about it, except at tax time or perhaps when a snow plow absurdly turns around mid-block?
   Why then do some people feel that combining our governments will somehow alter the way we live? Which neighborhoods would change with consolidation? What particular lifestyles would be endangered? What is the basis for the concerns?
   The l995 Consolidation Commission, of which I was a member, was co-chaired by Don Stokes, who lived on Fitzrandolph, and Margen Penick, who lived on Elm Lane, off of Elm Road. It always came as a shock to people that Don was the township chair, while Margen was the borough chair. The situation perfectly reflects the illogic of the borough boundary.
   One objection to consolidation that pops up almost reflexively is that it won’t save us money. But we have absolutely no idea whether that is true today. We need the 2009-10 analysis that a new study would provide. It seems inconceivable that combining services, departments, and agencies would not result in savings.
   When consolidation was last proposed, and voted down by borough residents, the report projected financial difficulties ahead for the borough. These projections have come true, and the borough today has no clear path to fiscal stability. Raising meter fees is not an economic strategy.
   What about the efficiencies that would lead to better services? What about the logic of neighbors sharing the same municipal goals? What about the fact that we already have many joint agencies but must watch our separate governments support them differently? What about the greater impact a single Princeton would have in dealing with the state and other governmental entities?
   And what about basic safety? Having separate police departments causes enough confusion and delay that we are lucky there has not yet been a tragedy. I was recently witness to a dreadful moment when a 911 call from the Institute grounds went first to West Windsor, then to the borough police, and finally — correctly —- to the township police while an elderly woman lay bleeding on the sidewalk after a fall.
   I think it is time for the residents of our very small community to come together at last. A combined government would be financially stronger, more efficient, and more influential in state and regional affairs. The moment for one Princeton has come.
Casey Lambert
Princeton