HIGHTSTOWN: Gilmartin chosen as new council member

Patten, Archer seen as having baggage

By Evan Grossman, Staff Writer
   HIGHTSTOWN — Welcome to Big Skye Country.
   The Borough Council unanimously selected Skye Gilmartin, president of the local Republican Club, on Tuesday night to fill the GOP seat vacated by Mike Theokas.
   ”I believe it’s going to be a chore to fill his shoes,” Council President Larry Quattrone said.
   Ms. Gilmartin, 37, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat last year, was selected by a 5-0 vote over Kathy Patten and John Archer.
   Ms. Patten, a former principal who is married to Mayor Bob Patten, was the most qualified for the job “on paper,” according to Councilman Jeff Bond. But instead, he and the rest of his colleagues chose Ms. Gilmartin for her desire to seek re-election next year, as well as her “enthusiasm.”
   ”I am honored and humbled and still very caught off guard by this,” a teary Ms. Gilmartin said. “I would like to thank the members of the community, both within my party and within the community at large who encouraged me and supported me in this endeavor.”
   Councilwoman Isabel McGinty, who was the most vocal of her colleagues during deliberation, said Ms. Gilmartin had the fewest “complicators” on her resume. Citing potentially sticky situations and conflicts of interest that come with Ms. Patten being married to the mayor, and Mr. Archer’s holding a municipal job in Robbinsville, as well as his outspoken opposition to police outsourcing, Ms. Gilmartin was seen as the best choice.
   ”I don’t mean that as a criticism,” Ms. McGinty said. “These are not disqualifiers. These are complicators.”
   A clear sign the council is preparing to tackle the issue in the coming months, police outsourcing was referenced several times throughout the night. Ms. Gilmartin said she is reserving judgment on the issue until she has more information.
   ”In my assessment of the candidates, I’m looking to who seems most open to the deliberative process,” Ms. McGinty said. “Who is open to the discussion and who sitting on this dais is going to push the discussion, so that we really do have an informed discussion.”
   In the end, Ms. Gilmartin met that criteria, according to Ms. McGinty and the rest of the council. She was sworn in by Mayor Patten at 9:33 p.m.
   ”It’s going to be a pleasure working with you these next 15 months,” he said.
   The two-hour public interview process consisted of 15 questions delivered by the five council members. Mayor Patten took himself out of the process and sat in the first row of the council chambers while all three candidates was interviewed. The questions asked of the candidates ranged from their desire to run for re-election to their thoughts about Hightstown’s future.
   The most important issue centered on police outsourcing. The borough is in the process of weighing an agreement that would turn police responsibilities over to neighboring East Windsor with the goal of saving Hightstown money. This emotional issue, which would likely see borough police officers lose their jobs, has been a lightning rod for the council.
   Mr. Archer, a former Hightstown fire chief, also is one of the leaders of the Voices of Hightstown, a citizens group that has been vocal in its opposition to police outsourcing.
   The council’s decision attracted a wide spectrum of reactions from community members in attendance.
   J.P. Gibbons, also a VOH leader, expressed his disgust with the council for what he perceived as a “foregone conclusion” they would elect Ms. Gilmartin without satisfactory debate. He added that “people shouldn’t be disqualified on account of where they work.”
   Walter Connor, another VOH member, said he “would have liked to see more deliberation.”
   Esther Velazquez, who campaigned with Ms. Gilmartin last year for the seat won by Dimitri Musing, applauded the council’s decision and the interview process.
   Ms. McGinty and other council members said they had no previous conversations or caucuses to discuss whom they would be nominating.
   ”This is the third time I’ve sat through this,” Mr. Quattrone said. “And it never gets any easier.”
   According to the council, this is the first time such interviews were conducted in public. Approximately 25 residents attended Monday’s meeting.
   Ms. Patten expressed her support for Ms. Gilmartin after the decision.
   Of the three candidates, only Ms. Gilmartin said she would run for re-election at the conclusion of her term in 15 months. She replaces Mr. Theokas, who was on the record in support of police outsourcing, but left the council earlier this month to pursue professional opportunities out of town. Ms. Gilmartin who volunteers on the Hightstown First Aid Squad, said in her interview she would need to analyze the numbers before making an informed decision on the issue.
   ”I think it would demand a lot of thought,” she said.
   Ms. Gilmartin, who grew up in Montana and Washington state, is a health and wellness consultant at Trenton Municipal Alliance Committee and moved to Hightstown five years ago.
   She said she will bring “balance” to the council, adding her work experience and age better connect her to the social and economic difficulties many residents face.
   Councilman Walter Sikorski agreed.
   ”As being the oldest member, since the question of age came up tonight, I have always been inclined to get the younger people involved. It occurs to me there is a new Hightstown and Ms. Gilmartin represents the new Hightstown.”