PRINCETON: Goerner aims for cooperation in 2011

By Stephanie Vaccarro, Staff Writer
   Newly elected Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner began his tenure stressing the need for cooperation between the two Princetons in the coming year.
   ”So much of what we do is connected that when we don’t work together, we end up failing the constituencies in both municipalities,” Mayor Goerner said.
   The Princeton Township Committee also elected Sue Nemeth as deputy mayor. Both won by unanimous vote at the first committee meeting of the year held on Sunday.
   Liz Lempert and Lance Liverman were each sworn in for another three-year term. Both were re-elected in November.
   ”In 2010, it was a very challenging year,” Mayor Goerner said. “We had a lot on our plate. From a municipal finance perspective, we adopted a 2010 budget that required the lowest tax increase Princeton Township in 25 years.”
   ”Last year, we also refinanced a large portion of the township’s debt to take advantage of favorable interest rates, which saved taxpayers $850,000,” Mayor Goerner said.
   He highlighted the committee’s accomplishments, among them a perfect financial audit. Also, the committee reached an agreement with Princeton University for a voluntary payment to the township of $500,000 for 2011.
   In addition work began with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, the Friends of Princeton Open Space and other groups on the process of preserving a large swath of the Princeton Ridge. The township switched electricity providers, which will result in an estimated $50,000 savings for taxpayers in 2011, he said. Princeton was named by The Wall Street Journal as being a premier walkable community. He also noted that after a four-year process, the police department gained accreditation 2010.
   The township is in the process of rehabilitating the dams and dredging Mountain Lakes, the project is 50 percent completed, and thanks to an anonymous donor, it will be done at no cost to the township, he said.
   For 2011, Mayor Goerner said the committee would have many goals and many challenges. “This year we’ve challenged our staff for a zero increase in our municipal budget, recognizing the difficult economic times.”
   He said the committee would continue to work with the board of education to come up with a solution for the Valley Road site. It will continue to work with the borough on the Community Park pool complex, which he said, “isn’t an expensive amusement park, but a practical new complex that balances long-term community needs with the goals of keeping usage fees low so that all families of all incomes can use it.”
   He said the committee will work with Princeton Borough on Princeton University’s plan for the arts and transit complex.
   The committee will also work to see Princeton Township become a certified sustainable community, he said.
   A final challenge he mentioned was the work of the Joint Shared Services and Consolidation Commission with Princeton Borough, which will be completed early this year.
   ”Depending on the recommendation, there may very well be a referendum for voters to consider in November,” Mayor Goerner said.
   ”Today in Princeton Borough and Princeton Township it’s far from certain whether consolidation would pass. I hear pros and cons from residents in both municipalities. What is clear is that we are connected and we do have common bonds.
   ”Currently, we share 13 services with Princeton Borough. Many of our residents in either municipality do not know the exact borders between borough and the township. We have one library located in the downtown, that I think all of us see as our downtown. However, despite the many common bonds we have, something has happened over the last 14 or so years since our last attempt at consolidation. We’ve experienced a communication breakdown of sorts. And while we’ve continued to try to improve it, much work needs to be done. John Lennon said, ‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.’” the mayor said.
   ”In order for consolidation, the community park pool or the university’s arts and transit neighborhood to move forward in any way, shape or form, we must actively engage with our counterparts in the borough, and we must work closely with them. I call on them to do the same…Working with my colleagues on Township Committee, I plan to expand this effort in 2011.”
   He closed his speech by paraphrasing rock star David Bowie: I may not always know exactly where I’m going, but I promise you it will not be boring.
   Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth said, “I appreciate your support and look forward to serving as deputy mayor in 2011. My experience on committee has been rewarding and challenging, frustrating and at times even fun. Thanks to the lively civic-minded people of Princeton. You all know who you are.
   ”Behind the scenes,” she continued, “I enjoy the support of family, friends, co-workers, volunteers and staff, as do all members of committee, and I thank you for all of the little things that you do that help me balance it all. It gets a bit overwhelming at times. While we have accomplished much over the past year, we have also grappled with uncertainty and are heading into a new year with lots of looming questions.”
   ”We’re all concerned about the possibility of that shifting housing markets, gentrification and challenges to affordable housing will take an irrevocable toll on the diversity of our community, and that is at the top of our list,” Deputy Mayor Nemeth said.
   ”The urgently needed renovation of the pool complex has stalled,” she said. “I urge my borough colleagues to pass the bond ordinance in the coming weeks to allow the design process to continue in time for reconstruction to break ground in September 2011.”
   ”We pledge to work in partnership with the residents of the township and neighboring municipalities, the university, county and state governments, as well as the private sector to achieve the right balance of sustainable, affordable, smart growth on every development issue that comes before township committee,” Deputy Mayor Nemeth said.
   Former mayor Bernie Miller addressed the committee and those in attendance with some thoughts on his time as mayor.
   ”We’ve worked as one on a number of policy issues, and we have worked hard on behalf of the residents of Princeton Township, and many times on behalf of the residents of all of Princeton on issues such as creating Princeton Ridge reserve, the greenway across the ridge, which we are now very close to realizing,” he said. “We’ve worked hard to bring about the first age-restricted housing in either Princeton that is now working its way through the engineering review of Princeton Township. We’ve worked hard to bring about shared services and consolidation and made progress in the direction of additional shared services with our colleagues in the borough.
   ”So, I’d like to say thanks to all the members of the Township Committee for their constructive work on behalf of the residents of our community,” Mr. Miller said.
   ”The things that make working as mayor in Princeton Township an easy job is having great staff, a staff that has the ability to help focus attention on the issues and provide support to the governing body as they work their way through the issues.
   ”I would be remiss if I left it at that. What makes Princeton Township a great community is the work of all of the volunteers that sit on our boards and commissions who give many, many hours of their time, their effort, their energy, during the day and during the evenings on behalf of our community.”
   After listening to the discussion of the challenges facing the township, Mr. Miller was reminded of an ancient Chinese curse he learned while working there in the 1980s and 1990s: “May you live in interesting times.”
   ”And we do indeed live in interesting times,” he said. “Interesting times at the national level with an economy that has floundered at the state level where our governor has tried to come to grips with a difficult financial situation…at our community level with the challenges that Mayor Goerner outlined, which affect not only Princeton Township but Princeton Borough as the Princeton community that we are. While we’re two different political entities, we are, in my mind, one community.”