LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, April 9
By:
Public library is truly a gem
To the editor:
I hope people appreciate what a gem we have in our Princeton Public Library staff. Recently, when our children had a break from school, Children’s Librarian Jan Johnson and her staff organized a terrific series of interesting science lectures/shows for children. Some of us attended all of them, and each one of them was special.
On behalf of all the parents and children who were lucky enough to attend, thank you to the presenters, and thank you to the library staff.
Deborah Kaple
Prospect Avenue
Princeton
Deer policy adopted in democratic manner
To the editor:
Once again, our local political discourse has been treated to yet another hypocritical fulmination from Carl Mayer. In keeping with his tradition, his spleen has been directed primarily at Mayor Marchand. His final paragraph sums up his current complaint about her, accusing her of "introducing violence and incivility to Princeton" and that she then walked away from negotiations with him and others associated with him in addressing the deer-control problem.
I have been an observer of and participant in Princeton Township politics for decades, and I have never seen from any other quarter incivility in local politics that approaches that brought to us by Mr. Mayer. It is doubtful that he has any concept of personal civility. As to violence, Mayor Marchand, whom I know and admire particularly for her steadfastness in the face of Mr. Mayer’s crude attacks, is a nonviolent person if ever there was one. As to his complaint that she (who was recently re-elected by a handy majority with her position on deer control being a prominent part of her public record) refused to negotiate with him, the township deer-control policy was adopted after lengthy hearings during which Mr. Mayer and his supporters made their points ad nauseam. It is arrogant to the point of being a delusion of grandeur that he thinks that the township must negotiate its policies with him after they have been adopted in a fully democratic manner.
Having read his many letters to the press over the past few years, it appears to me that he is motivated at least as much by animosity towards Mayor Marchand as by an interest in public policy.
David W. Blair
Kingston Road
Princeton
Mostoller’s expertise will provide continuity
To the editor:
Recent letters to the editor in support of the re-election of incumbent candidates to the school board have stressed the need for continuity on the board. To me, the primary goal is the continuity of the students’ education and the board’s focus on that.
Over the next three years, as all six of our district’s schools become massive construction sites, we can only hope that the disruption caused by the planned construction activity will be contained and minimized. The best possible outcome for the students, teachers and families of Princeton would be that the construction projects will be completed as planned, on time and within budget. The worst outcome, which is hard to contemplate, can best be imagined while sitting at the traffic light on the corner of Valley Road and Witherspoon. It would be a disaster on a different scale if the same thing happens at any one of our school sites. Already there are planned massive disruptions to the scheduling of classroom and athletic activities to accommodate the planned construction, and many important scheduling issues have not yet been adequately addressed by the board.
Now that we are committed to this massive undertaking, the primary goals of the voters should be to ensure the continuity of the positive educational experience of our students who will be caught up in this disruptive process. We should also be concerned with giving our teachers and coaches the facilities and resources necessary to educate our children, which they do so well, during this period. This can best be achieved through the expert management of the construction process.
In Michael Mostoller, we now have the opportunity to elect a candidate who has children in the Princeton Regional Schools, who cares deeply about education and who has solid professional experience in overseeing large construction projects. I urge voters to ignore the call for continuity at the board level and elect candidates to the board with broad experience and expert knowledge of the critical issues that the district will be facing in the years ahead. Pleaseconsider supporting Michael Mostoller for a position on the board.
Ruth Boulet
Cleveland Lane
Princeton
Bliss will ask the right questions
To the editor:
If this were an ideal world, local school boards would include a member with a strong background in state, regional and municipal law. He or she would also be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the school system. The need for such a member is greater now in Princeton because a massive physical development is about to be undertaken.
To our good fortune, a candidate has come forward with splendid qualifications. He is Walter Bliss of Moore Street. He is my ideal candidate. Walter is an experienced attorney who has concentrated in just the areas of law that are of the utmost importance to the present Board of Education. Public contract, land use, municipal governance and tax policy are within the scope of his expertise. The school board does have its own attorney who serves it well, but I believe we citizens need a member who can raise the right points and ask the right questions, and who shares our proper concerns.
Walter and Mary Bliss have four children who are either presently in the schools of Princeton or have graduated from them. They are among the most enthusiastic and supportive parents I have known in my many years in the community. How lucky we are to have a candidate who combines needed expertise with a devotion to the school system he wishes to serve. I am writing this letter because I believe that the addition of Walter Bliss to the school board atthis time of extraordinary public expenditure would do much to insure the success of the project.
Thomas B. Hartmann
Moore Street
Princeton
Mostoller’s talents will guide expansion
To the editor:
I am writing in support of Michael Mostoller’s candidacy for a seat on the Princeton Regional School Board. The reason for my support is simple our community is about to spend over $81 million on six sites for school improvements, and it will take significant expertise on the board to wisely oversee this work on our behalf.
Michael has the experience, wisdom and vision. It is not the time to be learning on the job about the intricacies of the planning and building process. We now require a school board with the experience and expertise to guide projects at this scale, and people who are capable of seeing the implications physical, social and economic of the plans we are approving (and will be approving). Michael has these necessary qualities, and he is someone who can envision the results that all of us want for the environments in which our children learn.
I have known Michael for nearly 20 years, and he has been an educator and distinguished practicing architect for well over 30 years. He has tremendous integrity, and his credentials are exactly what we require. Even the most casual observer can see that the set of choices confronting the board isn’t simple with respect to the construction of multiple facilities that will house the next several generations of school children. We are constructing a daunting combination of new and improved spaces to inspire our children, we are undertaking desperately needed practical improvements and we have the opportunity to plan schools, which, in aggregate, have the possibility of being a facility greater than the sum of its parts. Michael is right for this position, and it may be desirable that others with his wisdom and experience help guide the process of rebuilding our schools to meet, and perhaps exceed, our goals for an outstanding school district.
Ralph Lerner
Parkside Drive
Princeton
‘Visionary leader’ backed for board
To the editor:
The Princeton Regional Schools have entered the new millennium with plans, goals and dreams befitting these times and this place. Whether the Princeton community succeeds in realizing this grand effort at renewal will depend upon the many players who are directly involved students, teachers, administrators and especially the members of the school board.
We are fortunate in the high quality of persons who are seeking election to the school board. Among those who have put themselves forward this year as candidates is one Michael Mostoller whom I urge fellow citizens to support. Michael is a superbly qualified person for membership on the school board. He would bring much-needed abilities, experience and vision to the board. As one who has voted in school elections in Princeton for nearly 40 years, I can think of few candidates who are or were as well qualified for election to the office as Michael Mostoller is.
As we all know, Princeton voted last year to invest $80 million in the redevelopment and enlargement of school facilities. This is a large sum of money, but the creation of a far better environment for learning will have a significant effect upon our children and grandchildren for years to come. The task of seeing to the wise and effective expenditure of these funds will place demands upon the school board that require the best talent available, if the outcome is to be successful in all respects.
Michael Mostoller is a seasoned educator, an award-winning architect, a successful businessman and a visionary leader who would be a superb addition to the school board. Let me cite a few of his qualifications: Michael is currently a professor of architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he also has served as the director of the undergraduate program. He holds degrees from Rensallaer Polytechnic University and from Harvard, and has taught also at Yale and Columbia universities. His extensive experience in teaching young people and his understanding of education are qualities that clearly are needed on the school board. Secondly, as the Princeton schools move from plans to actual construction and major renovation, Michael’s expertise in the hard work of assuring timely and cost-effective management of construction the nitty gritty of bringing "good" structures on line would be of enormous value. Our community has seen more than enough of grand paper schemes that, when built, have been found lacking and have cost more than budgeted. Michael knows how to build structures that are humane, filled with vitality and yet come in on budget. We need this kind of expertise on the school board at this time.
Michael also serves as the co-chair of the planning and design task force of Princeton Future the driving force behind the redevelopment of downtown Princeton. Similarly, he has led redevelopment projects in Middlesex County, Trenton and New York City. His ability to conceptualize what might be created, to articulate that vision in ways that mobilize communities and to translate that vision into humane, exciting and genuinely useful structure is widely recognized and badly needed.
Winton H. Manning
Morven Place
Princeton
Cast your vote for continued excellence
To the editor:
West Windsor-Plainsboro is an excellent public school district. Its students perform very well on standardized assessments and its graduates attend high-caliber colleges and universities.
West Windsor-Plainsboro students also demonstrate high achievement levels in the visual and performing arts and in academic competitions. At all grade levels, large numbers of students exhibit leadership ability, perform community service and raise substantial sums for charity. They challenge themselves by taking advanced placement courses, pursuing private lessons, playing on municipal teams and participating in state and national competitions. It is easy to see that West Windsor-Plainsboro successfully meets the needs of all students.
The richness of the WW-P academic programs, alternative options and extracurricular activities expands learning beyond classroom boundaries. Each school provides an educational environment that motivates students to learn and requires them to exercise imagination and sensibility in solving problems.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District defines itself in terms of "educational excellence." Maintaining educational and operational quality in a high-performing and rapidly growing school district correlates to increases in annual expenses. In 15 years, the student population has tripled, growing to over 8,600 in 2002-2003. A district committed to moving beyond conventional definitions of educational excellence and equity faces increasing challenges in constructing a budget. Budget increases above the maintenance level are necessary, essential and have been supported by our communities.
As a regional district, we face many challenges and I believe we have succeeded in meeting the demands of these challenges. I urge you to go the polls on April 16 to vote in the school board election. Together, we can continue an excellent educational program for the next generation of leaders in our country.
Cheryl Larrier-Jemmott
President
West Windsor-Plainsboro
Board of Education
Village Road West
West Windsor
Why does West Windsor have to pay more?
To the editor:
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District School mailed their budget numbers for 2002-2003. They forgot to include the most important numbers of all.
My $250,000 house in West Windsor will have a school tax increase of $322 to $6,300, while a Plainsboro resident with the same value house will have a tax reduction of $31 to $4,800. Why should West Windsor residents pay 31 percent more school taxes that Plainsboro residents?
West Windsor homeowners always support our schools. I cannot understand why I should pay more than my share.
Donald Swanson
Stanford Place
West Windsor
Smith brings widsom to WW-P school board
To the editor:
As a resident of West Windsor for the past 10 years, I have attended numerous West Windsor-Plainsboro school board meetings and closely followed the board’s decisions over the years. In addition, I had the opportunity to serve on a WW-P redistricting committee a few years ago. Through these activities, I have come to appreciate just how difficult and complex the issues facing our school district really are. With that said, I believe Steve Smith’s re-election to the board is very important for the district for several reasons.
Steve Smith has been one of the most effective members of the Board of Education for the past five years. Especially in the last year of controversy and contention on the school board, Steve’s voice has been one of focus, fairness, reason, common sense and a sincere concern for our community as a whole and its children. I have a high respect for his integrity, principles and intelligence. Steve acts in accordance with the long-term goals of the district and our communities, using a thoughtful analytical approach to the issues at hand.
Steve and his wife, Roberta, have been residents of West Windsor for 20 years. Their two daughters graduated from WW-P High School in 1988 and 1990. Steve has seen our community grow and change, and is committed to maintaining it as a desirable and affordable place to live. Even long before open space became a widely used method for controlling growth, Steve served on the West Windsor Open Space Task Force Committee.
Having been a physics faculty member at Princeton University and Bryn Mawr College for 10 years, Steve has teaching experience and an excellent understanding of higher education. As a manager in high-tech industry for 20 years, Steve is aware of the types of challenges for which our children need to be prepared after high school. And as a taxpayer with no school-age children, Steve knows the importance of managing costs of education and understands the challenges faced by senior citizens to continue to live in a rapidly growing community.
West Windsor badly needs Steve Smith’s continued representation on the school board. Steve strongly believes that public education is a cornerstone of our community and that it is the key that opens doors for all people regardless of creed, color or other backgrounds. This is a belief that we all should be proud to share and support wholeheartedly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his past contributions to the community and to ask that West Windsor residents join me in voting for Steve Smith on Tuesday, April 16.
Mark Pepper
Providence Court
West Windsor
Plainsboro voters should choose Bocarsly
To the editor:
Plainsboro voters have the opportunity to elect a well-qualified, experienced candidate to the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education on April 16.
Pat Bocarsly is a longtime resident of the district whose three children have attended many of our schools. She has been a PTA officer at the Upper Elementary School, at Community Middle School and at High School North, and is currently serving as vice president of the WW-P Education Foundation (a private foundation that provides funding for school enrichment programs). As a tenured professor at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Pat is an experienced educator, while managing complex research projects.
Because of Pat’s long involvement as a parent and as a volunteer in our schools, she understands the curriculum and administrative issues facing our children. Her children have been through every grade level, so she is familiar with our educational programs and extracurricular activities.
As we move past discussing grade configurations and elementary school attendance areas, the board will be turning its attention to enhancing WW-P’s strong educational programs and upgrading older buildings that badly need attention. At the same time, we need to keep a lid on tax increases. Pat Bocarsly can help to achieve these worthwhile goals. Plainsboro voters should elect Pat on April 16.
Debbie and Randy Brett
Sherman Court
Plainsboro
Lessons to be learned from ‘Politeness Bridge’
To the editor:
In the hamlet of Griggstown, along the Delaware & Raritan Canal, a miracle happens every day. Drivers are polite to each other.
A one-lane iron bridge, dating from the early 1900s, crosses the Millstone River at Griggstown. This quaint structure has an official name, but I like to call it "The Politeness Bridge." Drivers wait their turn to cross it, and agree among themselves whose turn it is to cross. They show courtesy and self-restraint, qualities rare on New Jersey’s roadways. Griggstown, and the pedestrians and bicyclists who enjoy the canal towpath there, are all the safer and happier for it.
Crossing the Politeness Bridge gives us a second rarity, a brief time to reflect on these things. I often think about the fate of the other special places that lose the protection of their polite bridges. Too often they disappear into the sea of sprawl. They fall to that mania of mediocre traffic engineers who hide behind gray bureaucracies: faster and faster, more and more, ever and ever wider and wider. Where such shallowness is sown, the crop is always ugliness and rage.
Thankfully, some professionals know that good bridges can nourish our special places, just as bad bridges can ruin them. They see themselves as stewards of more than just traffic, and choose a wiser course. Such people are valuable beyond price, but far too few.
In recent times, our own village has lost three of the small wooden and stone bridges that had protected it. Many others are in the same danger. All that has kept them alive so far are the good people, in private life and in the government, who work and care for graces like tree-shaded hamlets and simple politeness.
Steve Masticola
Church Street
Kingston