To the editor:
Eve Niedergang and Dwaine Williamson will fight to contain property taxes. Although local government spending is only 22 percent of the total amount raised by our property taxes, every increase in taxes is a potential threat to the continued economic diversity of the Princeton community.
Eve and Dwaine have pledged to build on the efforts of Princeton Council to reduce the budget in every responsible way possible. They have promised to question every service and program, for its need, scale and effectiveness. Nothing will be off limits.
Essential to these efforts is a transparent budget process featuring early involvement by council and maximum participation by the public. Eve and Dwaine will seek to expand upon the exceptional work of Princeton’s Citizen Finance Advisory Committee, using citizen experts to monitor spending practices. They will honor the principle that the choices inherent in spending decisions must be subject to public scrutiny.
Containing property taxes requires finding efficiencies while also growing our revenue base. Eve and Dwaine will continue the search for shared-services arrangements that will reduce operating costs. They will look to attract sustainable commercial development to lower tax rates by adding to our ratables. They will work to find sources of non-tax revenue that include not only support from our tax-exempt private community but also the county and state.
None of this is easy. It requires a mix of determination and skill. I submit that Dwaine and Eve have both. They have a long record of service in the community and are in touch with its many and sometimes contending needs. They will be effective advocates and consensus-builders.
Please join me in supporting Eve Niedergang and Dwaine Williamson, Democratic candidates for Council and A Princeton For All. I am proud to be associated with their campaign.
Walter Bliss
Princeton