By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Borough plans to convene a town forum next month as part of its ongoing effort to defeat an Assembly bill exempting private colleges and universities from land use boards.
Mayor Yina Moore, an opponent of the proposed legislation, said Tuesday that the forum would be Oct. 9, the date of a scheduled Borough Council meeting. Details have to be ironed out, although she said mayors of similarly impacted towns would be invited to attend.
Ms. Moore has joined with township Mayor Chad Goerner and others to defeat the bill. She even went so far as to ask the leaders of the four area private institutions to make a public declaration against the legislation that passed the state Senate but is stalled in the lower house.
So far, she said she had heard back from Rider and Princeton Universities, both of which support the bill.
”We’re 0 for 2,” Councilman Kevin Wilkes said at the council meeting Tuesday.
Officials also reacted to comments by Princeton president Shirley M. Tilghman in a letter sent to Ms. Moore last week. In it, Ms. Tilghman expressed concern about a discussion council members had this spring about trying to exert “greater political control” over the Regional Planning Board after the board opposed a proposed ordinance to preserve the existing Dinky right of way.
Council members felt Ms. Tilghman had mischaracterized their remarks, also noting that she did not attend the meeting where the conversation took place.
Councilman Roger Martindell said the discussion was about having greater communication between the council and the board, “not talking about political control.”

