By Allison Musante, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR The gavel has been passed to Kamal Khanna as Township Council president by unanimous vote at the township’s reorganization meeting Wednesday night.
Mr. Khanna swapped seats with former President Diane Ciccone, who was selected by the council as vice president. After being sworn into office with members of his family at his side, Mr. Khanna laid out his two primary goals: to improve the township’s quality of life and its affordability.
With the 2011 budget looming, Mr. Khanna has already set his sights on not only complying with the state-imposed 2 percent budget cap, but also in making the township more efficient in the long term. Since he joined the council in May 2009, he said he has asked the administration to conduct an efficiency study. The first phase, a comparison with similar municipalities, was recently completed.
”This will help identify areas which can be improved by cutting cost and providing better services,” he said. “In my opinion, the very culture has to change so that everyone, at all levels of government, understands his or her responsibility in doing their share to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”
He also pointed to the crucial role of the township’s redevelopment plan in attracting and maintaining a strong business community.
”Businesses look at predictability and stability before making site decisions,” he said. “Our redevelopment plan, along with a unified council and the mayor, will go a long way in convincing businesses to make West Windsor their home.”
A resident for 30 years, Mr. Khanna holds a master’s degree in engineering and management from the University of Florida and worked for 10 years as a business analyst, planner and efficiency engineer with Dupont, a Fortune 500 company. He is the founder, CEO, and president of Sante Classics, a clothing manufacturing and distribution company based in New York, with operations worldwide.
Members of the council congratulated Mr. Khanna and wished him well for his presidency.
”I hope that you run the council with a firm and balanced hand, and I wish you the best of success,” Ms. Ciccone said. “Mr. Khanna has the perspective of being a resident for 30 years and will be proactive in addressing issues of our budget.”
The term of council president is for one year. Ms. Ciccone served only six months, since she was selected by the council in April to fill the vacancy of former council member Will Anklowitz.
The Township Council terms of Ms. Ciccone, Charlie Morgan and George Borek will expire at the end of this year, with elections ah: held in November. In March, the council approved an ordinance to move nonpartisan municipal elections from May to November, beginning 2011, as permitted under state law. Mr. Khanna and Linda Geevers’ terms will expire at the end of 2013.
Other council comments concerned the budget, which is due to the council by Jan. 15.
”I look forwarding to having robust conversations about the challenges we face,” Mr. Borek said, addressing council members and the public. “We’re here for you, and we’ll work to keep West Windsor the way you want it while maintaining a vibrant community.”
Ms. Ciccone stressed the need to think outside the box to alleviate the tax burden. She suggested reducing personnel costs by looking into more shared service agreements.
”This council will work diligently with the administration to balance the taxpayer dollar with continued service,” she said.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said residents can look forward to the completion of many road projects, including the S-curve realignment, repaving at Penn Lyle and New Village roads, and to reach final agreements with InterCap for the transit village and the Windsor Plaza Revitalization Plan for the former Acme site.
”There is a clear vision to make the roads safer and to see the two town centers create a sense of community and a sense of place in West Windsor,” he said.
The meeting was attended by state Sen. Linda Greenstein and Mercer County Freeholders Dan Benson, John Cimino and Andrew Koontz.
The council appointed members to liaison positions: Ms. Ciccone as Environmental Commission liaison, Mr. Borek as Emergency Management Council representative, Mr. Morgan as Parking Authority liaison, and Mr. Khanna as school board liaison and Zoning Board of Adjustment liaison.
The following individuals were re-appointed to their positions on the township committees:
Parking Authority: Ron Rumack.
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Alice Ng, Susan Abbey, Gary Guleria.
Affordable Housing Committee: Florence Cohn, Jean Jacobson, Renu Khullar, Myra Swanson.
Agricultural Advisory Committee: Charles Appleget.
Human Relations Council: Firoozeh Vali, Fatima Aziz, Negela Moaddeb, Paul Van Autenried, Savin Roman, Liz Van Autenried.
Shade Tree Commission: Kevin Appleget, Drewe Schoenholtz.
Site Plan Review Advisory Board: Christopher Mangone.

