Table the decision

By: centraljersey.com
This letter was sent to members of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders Wednesday and submitted to the HVN for publication:
Thank you for allowing me and all the concerned persons to speak last evening (Tuesday) in regards to the Jacobs Creek Bridge project. It was greatly appreciated.
I wish to reiterate this primary request. Please table the decision on the allocation of funds for bridge design until the application for the Jacobs Creek Crossing Rural Historic Landscape has been determined by the state. In this case I am sure that you will agree that time is not of the essence but rather our, and all future generations’, patriotic history is of the essence.
You, as a freeholder, and I, as a mayor, understand the financial responsibilities set before us and that we must make every effort to utilize the taxpayers’ money properly. I understand there is an exceptional possibility for this application to receive the state’s approval, especially with the most recent archaeological findings. If you approve the funding and the state approves the historic registration of the Jacobs Creek area shortly thereafter, then your approved funding would have gone to waste and a new, additional contract with additional funding would have to receive approval from the freeholders. By waiting just a relatively short period of time the specific location of the Jacobs Creek Bridge would be determined and only one contract for design would be necessary.
Everyone has coped very well with the bridge closure for the last 15 months and can continue to do so until the state either approves or disapproves of this historic landscape site.
I request that you, the freeholders, table this decision and show your constituents that you are willing to put their tax dollars ahead of the time pressures that are being placed upon you at this time. By doing this I am sure you will agree that you will have made a win-win decision for all parties involved.
Jim Burd, mayor Hopewell Township
Kudos to all!
To the editor:
The Pennington Fire Company Auxiliary recently held a fundraiser featuring THE DADZ, a Pennington based band with ties to Yardley and Trenton. With the generous support of "the band," their following, the community and the Hopewell Valley News, our organization was able to raise close to $1,000. Kudos to all those involved.
The Pennington Fire Company Auxiliary is a local nonprofit organization under the direction of the Pennington Fire Company whose role and mission is to support the members of the company, to assist with food and hydration at fire scenes and raise funds for purchases not covered under the fire tax. We are a 100 percent volunteer organization.
Yearly fundraisers also include flower sales at Easters and Mothers Day. We hope The DADZ concert will become a yearly event – a fun time was had by all. Again many thanks.
On behalf of the organization, Emily Schwab, Pennington
Re-establish trust
To the editor:
I am hoping that sometime soon I can write a letter thanking the Hopewell Township Committee for acting in the near unanimous interests of the southern tier neighborhoods by removing us from the ELSA sewer district.
The committee is faced with a choice between an arrogance verging on cruelty to this financially vulnerable community by pushing the current proposal forward, and repairing a long-damaged political trust by removing us from the area to which ELSA sewer lines would be extended.
There are indications that the committee is poised to act in the interest of their southern tier constituents, and I strongly urge them to do so. Their good judgment will not go unnoticed in subsequent elections.
According to recent talk, businesses around the Route 31 circle would remain in the proposed sewer district, so removing our neighborhoods would not negatively impact business owners.
I am adamantly opposed to the sewer plan presented March 14. If it goes through, it would result in a string of foreclosures (perhaps mine), environmental degradation, traffic congestion and deterioration of quality of life for those residents who would remain. Many of us have tried to cooperate in various ways with past committees on this issue, leaving it, however, unresolved. Removal of our neighborhoods would be a big step forward in preserving our quality of life and re-establishing trust in local government.
Bill Piper Diverty Road Hopewell Township
Represent us all!
To the editor:
I am a member of the public who took the time to attend the March 28 Hopewell Township Committee meeting. I was greatly disappointed and offended in reading the letters that appeared in a recent Hopewell Valley News by Mark Iorio, Hopewell Township’s GOP municipal chairman, and Todd Brant, who has served as treasurer for the campaigns of Republican Committee members James Burd (our current mayor), Michael Markulec (our former mayor before Mr. Burd) and Kim Johnson. While both Mr. Iorio and Mr. Brant do seem to acknowledge that Mayor Burd could have been more inclusive in the way in which he handled the hiring of the township’s new judge, they spend the majority of their time chiding the two Democrats on the committee for complaining too stridently about Mayor Burd’s handling of this issue.
Mr. Iorio further states: "It is one thing to argue an issue in earnest and yet another to allow a meeting to dissolve into a scolding session." I contend that frustration often creates tension. I am left to wonder how many times a member of the committee should have to express concerns. At what point does the behavior concerned become an obvious ethical violation? Our current committee seems to be aligned by party. The minority might as well just be dismissed as their objections fall on deaf ears. What is worse is that the mayor, knowing full well that his selection would be approved, did not hear the pleas to evaluate the process further.
Mr. Iorio also states: "There were also several residents who came up to the podium to discuss their displeasure with the process. Some were civil and others were not." Well, I was one of those people.
It seems to me that any time our political leaders (and their backers) chide the public for voicing their concerns, they do a disservice to democracy. I am a veteran of 25 years of voluntary service to our nation. In that time I have willfully defended democracy and freedom in Grenada, Korea, Europe, New York, Washington D.C., Afghanistan and Iraq. The enemies of democracy are both foreign and domestic. I am blessed to have made this Valley my home. My criticisms of local politicians and their policies were referred to as "uncivil," or "bickering" or "insulting." As anyone can see by looking at the footage of my statement (at www.HVDemClub.com), there was nothing rude in my comments to the mayor nor in my plea that he would at least reconsider his process before the vote took place.
On the contrary, I find their mischaracterization of my exercise of my fundamental political rights to be "insulting." I find the policy of excluding committee members from the selection process of our new judge to be "uncivil." I find the appointment of this new magistrate in our community, without adequate debate or analysis or plain old neighborly discussion, to be exactly what I fought against while serving my country at home and abroad.
Mr. Brant says: "The work of the members of the Hopewell Township Committee is to address the concerns confronting Hopewell Township, and not turn the committee meetings into a political theatrical event." On the surface, this seems reasonable enough. Of course, the concerns confronting Hopewell Township are what the Township Committee should be concerned with! But when the majority bulldozes the minority party’s representatives on the committee, when it prevents them from even being a part of the process of choosing our township’s new judge, there is little left for them to do but voice their concerns and dissatisfaction with the process.
Mr. Brant calls this creating a "political theatrical event." I call it representing the interest of the entire community. Both Mr. Iorio and Mr. Brant feel free to exercise the rights that our Armed Services protect with their lives. The Constitution is historically reaffirmed by those who give their lives to ensure all have equal rights. Mr. Iorio and Mr. Brant insist that some respect should be shown to those who disrespect the office and the community they are sworn to serve. That suggestion is as insulting as ignoring the community one swears under oath to serve.
The democratic process is too valuable to good order and peace to be selfishly pushed aside on an egotistical whim unless, you are one who does nothing to contribute to its protection. Politicians should see their representation of the people as an honor. It is disheartening to have proof in the mayor that we are not all represented and there is no interest in the concerns of the community. While you gentlemen may applaud the mayor’s lack of response, I contend that it was not civility that held his tongue, but his inability to explain his process’ link to the Constitution and democracy.
You gentlemen should highlight the process and examine it. All of us are not blessed to be eloquent in our conveyance of our perspective. We are, however, protected in our right to express our perspective. I think we all agree that we should expect our representatives to represent us all, not merely themselves.
Allen Cannon Titusville
A plan for Pennington
To the editor:
The following is an edited version of a proposal sent to the Pennington Borough Council. There are serious and legitimate concerns among the property owners in the current, and previously proposed, Pennington Historic District regarding the powers being granted to the Historic Commission, but it seems clear that the establishment of a Historic District would provide important benefits to the historic property owners, and the Borough of Pennington.
After discussions with both proponents and opponents of the current draft ordinance, I would like to suggest a solution to the Pennington Borough Council that would allow the property owners and the borough to benefit from a Historic District, while not impinging upon citizens’ property rights. To paraphrase former Borough Councilman David Garber’s comments during the March 7 Borough Council meeting, this proposal will focus on preservation, not on regulation.
Proposal: The Pennington Historic District Ordinance would be enacted with an Advisory Historic Commission. Pennington Borough already has a Planning Board in place, and the Historic Commission can serve in an advisory capacity to property owners and the Planning Board.
The establishment of The Historic District would provide property owners with the ability to take advantage of benefits to historic properties within a Historic District regarding current NJ building codes.
The Pennington Historic District would encompass all of the historic properties in the Crossroads area, including the historic homes at the crossroads of North Main and Franklin Avenue, and other historic properties in Pennington Borough whose owners would like to opt-in to the Historic District.
The establishment of The Historic District would provide the Borough of Pennington with the ability to apply for grants available for Historic Districts, and programs for eligible Certified Local Governments. None of these grants require a Historic District ordinance that includes a Historic Commission with regulatory powers.
NJ HPO: There is currently a total of $80,000-$90,000 per year available to be disbursed among the 45 eligible CLG communities in New Jersey. Bricks and mortar projects are not eligible for CLG grants. CLG grants must be matched by a 40 percent contribution by the community.
Main Street USA: There is no grant money or funding available through the Main Street USA not-for-profit organization. Funding for Main Street USA must be obtained from within the community. Main Street USA designation does not require a Historic District.
The NJ Historic Trust: There are five categories for funds or loans from the NJ Historic Trust. Pennington does not appear to be currently eligible for any of these funds or loans.
The Pennington Borough Council has a great opportunity to reach consensus among its constituents if it pursues a path of compromise and respect for the rights of the property owners in Pennington Borough.
Molly Sword McDonough The Cornell House Pennington