By: centraljersey.com
The shocking results of the revaluation have made this a challenging time for our community. Township Committee’s ability to address the situation is limited by strong state regulations that were put in place to prevent local elected officials from influencing tax assessments.
Having said this, I joined Township Committee to help Princeton become sustainable and to keep our town vibrant and diverse – values now threatened by this revaluation.
I am committed to doing everything in my legal power to ensure assessments are accurate and fair and to provide relief to those hardest hit.
At our next meeting, Township Committee will review two possible options for changing the way assessments are conducted, to guard against some of the huge increases we saw as a result of the current revaluation.
In the meantime, I, along with some of my colleagues on Township Committee and Borough Council, have met with our state legislators and recommended changing laws to provide us with more flexibility to help those who are most vulnerable.
Concerned citizens have raised serious questions about ASI’s methodology that deserve to be answered. I share these concerns and I will continue to push for answers.
I also advocate forming a revaluation task force to look at possible changes at the local, county and state level. The purpose of the task force would be to generate ideas on what can be done to assist those who are most negatively impacted and on how to conduct reassessments going forward to best ensure accuracy.
I invite you to share your ideas for solutions. I can be reached at 924-5704 ext. 1623 or [email protected].
By working together we can find a way to bring fairness to this process.
Liz Lempert Member Princeton Township Committee
Stealing campaign signs weakens our democracy
To the editor:
For the second time in as many weeks I woke up to find my "Rush Holt for Congress" signs missing from where I had put them, right in front of my house. (I know that at least one other Holt supporter has had signs swiped more than once.)
The first time the entire signs were stolen; this time the thief (or thieves) left me the skeletal metal frames and removed the cardboard messages from them. Now it looks as though my family and I are endorsing a phantom for Congress.
In fact, we are endorsing our congressman, Rush Holt, for re-election. Mr. Holt has fought on behalf of central New Jersey and has developed a reputation as a representative who gets real results for the people and businesses of his district. Mr. Holt’s campaign is grass roots; it pieces together the financial wherewithal to compete with the personal, Wall Street-derived fortune that his opponent, Scott Sipprelle, hopes will buy this election.
These acts by individuals who oppose Mr. Holt’s candidacy and presumably support Mr. Sipprelle’s weaken our democracy by making the campaign and election process even more expensive and rancorous than it already was. Moreover, these acts attempt to hide the truth: that the majority of Mr. Holt’s constituents are grateful for his selfless service.
I would like to hear Mr. Sipprelle, as a candidate for the United States Congress, denounce these criminal acts.
Carol Golden Princeton
American POW/MIAs are not forgotten
To the editor:
Sept. 17 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day as announced by the Department of Defense. It will also hopefully be proclaimed so by President Obama, as did his predecessors. Over the past several years, all or most of the 50 states have issued proclamations for this recognition day in conjunction with the national effort. We’ve been told Gov. Chris Christie will issue his own proclamation out of respect and honor for our missing.
Some of you readers will say, "So what" or "what is it?" Just ask most concerned veterans or the families of the approximate 88,000 current POW/MIAs. On this day, we salute those men and women who served our nation as prisoners of war as well as those who remain unaccounted for, missing from World War II (78,000), Korea (8,200), Vietnam (1,770), the cold war (120), Desert Storm (1), Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
You may have noticed the black POW/MIA flag that flies along with our great American flag on all government buildings, veterans’ posts, fire and rescue squads, schools and most post offices. This stark black cloth of remembrance is the only flag that has flown over the White House, other than "Old Glory."
This observance is one of six days throughout the year that Congress has mandated the flying of the National League of Families’ POW/MIA flag. The others are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The flag is to be flown at major military installations, national cemeteries, all post offices, VA medical facilities, the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the official offices of the secretaries of state, defense and veterans affairs, the director of the selective service system and the White House.
This flag was originally designed by the wife of a downed American flyer during Vietnam, and the Annin flag company in 1971. The flag stands as a reminder of our enduring commitment to those still unaccounted for. The commitment is to bring them home to their families. They are "Never Forgotten." It is to the brave men and women of America who sacrificed their freedoms and even their lives for our nation in the past, to those who remain missing from our past conflicts, and to those serving in harm’s way today, their comrades and their families, that we remember and honor on this day.
This is a fitting occasion to remind our members of Congress to support policies that encourage Vietnam and Korea to protect human rights and to account fully for the Americans listed as prisoners of war or missing in action from these wars. Try to imagine the torment the families of missing servicemen have experienced. Birthdays, holidays have passed, and still no word of their loved ones. We should demand policies that will ensure the families of future POW/MIAs will not suffer a decades-long delay in closure.
Local high schools should be encouraged to have a brief ceremony or moment of silence for our POW/MIAs at football games the evening of Sept. 17. Support, such as this, for these missing Americans and their families is deeply felt. America’s POW/MIAs should be honored and recognized rather than memorialized, with the focus on the need to account as fully as possible for those still missing, alive or dead. Strong, united support by the American people is crucial to achieving concrete answers. The American people can make the difference.
You Are Not Forgotten
Robert "Bob" Looby Commander The American Legion Department (State) of New Jersey
Take steps to prepare in case of disaster
To the editor:
September signals more than summer’s end and back-to-school for children. For the seventh year, September has been designated as National Preparedness Month (NPM) to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.
Of course, since we’ve just passed the fifth anniversary of hurricane Katrina, devastation from storms is at the forefront of our minds. And well it should be. New Jersey has been very lucky that we’ve not had a direct hit from a hurricane in many years. But we all know that one day it could happen.
Also, we shouldn’t be lulled when hurricane season passes. There are so many possibilities for disaster such as train accidents, ice storms or multi-car accidents on our major highways. We can’t dwell on what might happen but we can certainly take steps to avoid as much danger as possible and prepare for any eventuality.
Here in New Jersey, The Salvation Army has a dedicated Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) team that supports first responders and victims during times of crisis. We know how disasters can immediately turn lives upside down and how stressful it can be for individuals and families. I strongly encourage everyone to make preparedness plans now so that if the time comes, you’ll have everything in order to help cope with your situation.
Preparedness plans take only a short time to make but the repercussions of not having one can last for a long time. Please visit www.ready.gov or www.fema.gov then spend a few minutes following their guidelines for planning. Recording simple information such as phone numbers for relatives, friends, doctors and your pharmacy will help you notify people if you must leave your home. Carrying a card with your medication information will be invaluable should you be injured. There are many other simple items you can record in one place to be of help if you need to be evacuated or are stranded.
Please remember to make or update your preparedness plan today. And know that The Salvation Army is ready to be of assistance when disaster strikes. Financial support of all our programs is critical – please show your support by making a donation. Visit www.salvationarmynj.org and click on Donate or make a credit card donation by calling Tricia Pellegrini at (908) 851-8227.
Major Donald E. Berry N.J. State Commander The Salvation Army
