Goerner Will Not Seek Reelection

To the Editor:

Today I am announcing that I will not seek another term by running for Mayor on the consolidated governing body.  Having served for almost six (6) years, I have achieved everything that I set out to accomplish when I first ran for office in 2006.

I will instead serve the remainder of my term as Mayor and guide the town through a smooth transition without any political distraction.  Serving on the governing body since 2006 and working with a fantastic group of colleagues and municipal staff, I have been proud of what I have accomplished and it has been an honor to serve my community.  

When I first ran for Township Committee, I had set a goal of consolidation, increased transparency and fiscal responsibility.  As I stand here today, we've accomplished all of those things and more.  

Increased Transparency

• Established an open application process for our Boards & Commissions.  Residents wishing to apply for any vacancies can do so at our website.
• Passed Pay-to-play reform ordinances
• With our Citizens' Finance Advisory Commission, we developed a budget newsletter that created an easy to understand analysis of expenditures and revenues

Fiscal Responsibility

• - Established a citizens' finance advisory commission to aid the Township on budgeting and budget related communication with the public.
• Presided over zero or low increase budgets - last year's zero increase had not been seen in over 25 years in Princeton Township.
• Sought savings through consolidation of the Borough and the Township.  The preliminary analysis has shown that we will save $3.2 million dollars and actually achieve a local, municipal tax reduction - something that isn't happening anywhere in the state of New Jersey.

Consolidation

• Wrote numerous pro-consolidation op/eds since taking office (2006). (See attached 2007 Op/Ed)
• Developed the proposal to study consolidation under the Local Option Municipal Consolidation Act and led the way to get the Joint Commission formed.
• Member of the Joint Shared Services and Consolidation Commission, chaired the Finance subcommittee and campaigned tirelessly for consolidation once it was placed on the ballot. The towns approved consolidation by a significant margin and we established a repeatable process for other towns in the state. Princeton will serve as a model for towns across the state.
• Will now seek a smooth transition to a single governing body in 2013.

Of course, there are many other accomplishments since taking office and all of these could not have been completed without the work and contribution of my colleagues on township committee and borough council.  I want to thank them all for their service and I look forward to working with them for the remainder of 2012.  We have a lot of work yet to do and I am excited to bring it to a successful conclusion!

Chad Goerner

Mayor, Princeton Township