PRINCETON: Liz Lempert’s remarks at consolidation celebration

   The following are Liz Lempert’s remarks at the consolidation celebration on Tuesday.
   Happy New Year everybody!
   First, I want to thank the Transition Task Force volunteers who organized today’s celebration: Mimi Omiencinski, Carol Golden, Roger Shatzkin, Bill Zeruld, Anton Lahnston, Linda Mather and, especially, Teri McIntire. I’d also like to thank the Princeton merchants and businesses that provided the services and refreshments we’re enjoying. It’s another great example of the terrific volunteer and community spirit Princeton embodies.
   Second, I want to invite you all to stay for the reorganization meeting and official swearing-in in the main meeting room, starting at noon.
   Today we ring in the New Year, as we do every January 1st . . . but this New Year’s Day – January 1st, 2013, will always have special meaning in Princeton: today is the day we ring in our new, unified government.
   Consolidation has been a group effort involving hundreds of volunteers over the span of six decades. Today we honor all those who helped bring us to this point: the volunteer members of the Consolidation Commission and Transition Task Force, the Unite Princeton campaign team, the dedicated staffs of the Borough and Township, the staff at the NJ Department of Community Affairs, and all those Princetonians who contributed to this effort at consolidation, and the efforts from previous decades. This has been an instance of real democracy in action – democracy with a small “d.” I’m grateful for all the participants’ hard work on behalf our community.
   That hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Several months ago, at a meeting of the consolidation commission, Eugene McCarthy said something that I’d like to share with all of you. Eugene is the liaison to Princeton from the state Department of Community Affairs. He has been providing guidance throughout the consolidation process, especially since Princeton is breaking new ground as the first major municipal consolidation in New Jersey. At the meeting, Eugene leaned into his mic and said, “You people have restored my faith in government.” That means a great deal coming from the DCA.
   Princeton has become a model of good governance for the state of New Jersey and the nation – all eyes are on us. Today is a day for all Princetonians to celebrate with an extra dose of civic pride.
   The coming together of the Borough and Township marks a new chapter in Princeton’s rich and storied history. We enter the New Year in a strong fiscal position with an opportunity to improve government services, and a chance to bring together the best of both municipal traditions.
   We must always remember our connection to the past, but I am here to celebrate my belief that Princeton’s best days lie ahead.
   Later this year, we’ll be honoring our past by installing a set of gates in the library plaza to commemorate Albert Hinds, one of Princeton’s greats. He was a remarkable man – wise, caring, and dedicated to this town. Born in 1902, Mr. Hinds lived to be 106, and saw Princeton through many changes. He had a favorite saying, from Martin Luther King. It’s a wonderful saying that never grows old, and perfectly sums up what the citizens of Princeton have achieved with consolidation.
   He liked to say, “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.”
   For too long we have been one community with two governments. Coming together and joining forces for the future is the right thing for our town – and this is the right time.
   And that’s worthy of celebrating — today, through all of 2013, and into the future.
   Thank you and have a great New Year!