By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Instead of picking Maplewood or some other northern suburb, Geoff Aton and his wife chose Princeton when it came time seven years ago to leave Manhattan.
Mr. Aton, 42, the father of two young sons, says he loves the community his family relocated to, a community he wants to help lead as a member of the council starting next year.
”I think that we can do a better job of being the voice of the people in town,” said Mr. Aton, the only Republican council candidate. “I think it has gotten away from government in general, but especially around here, that the elected officials are there to be the voice of the people.”
In his view, the “town and gown” relationship between the municipality and Princeton University needs to improve. He said it is time to “stop the rhetoric, stop the rancor.” He proposed having a university committee or commission made up of the government, university staff and residents to meet on a bi-weekly basis.
”This is going to be a huge opportunity for us,” he said. “We’re consolidating, the university is getting a new leader, the town is going to have a new leader. This is the perfect time for everyone to come together.”
Mr. Aton said he supported the merger of the two Princetons last year.
”I think that it would be short-sighted to say that I expect, as a resident of Princeton, any tax savings, which is what everyone I think is kind of amped up for,” he said.
He calls it “short-sighted” to stick to a proposal for having a 51-member police force by year three of consolidation, a recommendation the Consolidation Commission made last year.
”I think that it would make a lot more sense to have this be an evolving process, with that perhaps as a goal,” he said. “I think that it needs to be looked at a macro-level instead of a micro-level.”
Traffic has emerged as another hot-button topic in town, as millions of tourists visit Princeton annually. Mr. Aton downsized to one car, a difficult transition. But he felt it important that Princeton be more of a “walking town” where “people will have a desire and a want to utilize the stores that are in town as opposed to driving to Wegmans or driving to a shopping center.”
A parking garage in the Nassau East end of town should be part of the traffic conversation, he felt. Asked if that was something the public sector or the private sector should pay for it, he favored exploring a combination of those two and the university.
As a local businessman, he is part of a group that will turn the Ivy Inn into a restaurant. He said Princeton needs to be a more “pro-business” environment.
Mr. Aton, born in Ridgewood, grew up in North Wales, Pa. He graduated in 1992 from Villanova University. He lost his only other bid for elected office last year as a candidate for Township Committee.

