Princeton Township Committee Candidate Profiles

With local elections approaching, Patch asked the four candidates for Princeton Township Committee candidates a series of questions to help provide readers with a better understanding of why each is running. The questions included:

• Why are you running for Township Committee?
• What are the three issues most important to you and why?
• Why should residents vote for you?
• Do you support consolidation with Princeton Borough? Why or why not?

Patch has posted each candidates response to the questions in full (in alphebetical order).

The candidates are Democratic incumbents Bernie Miller and Susan Nemeth and Republican challengers Geoff Aton and Mark Scheibner. 

Why are you running for Township Committee?

Geoff Aton: I am running for Township Committee because I want to reestablish the town’s relationship with the university, and I am confident I can make important first steps toward this goal. The relationship with the university is paramount to the well-being of our town. It affects every aspect of our lives, from taxes and schools to keeping our diverse community intact. I bring a fresh perspective on this crucial relationship, a perspective that will enable the two parties to work together for the betterment of the Princeton community.

Bernie Miller: I believe in the value and importance of public service. I have lived in Princeton for more than 54 years and have raised my six children in Princeton. I retired from the world of business in 2002. Now that I’m retired I have the opportunity to give back to the community that has given much to me and my family.

Sue Nemeth: I’m running for re-election to Township Committee to carry on the fight for an affordable, sustainable, consolidated Princeton. In three short years, I’ve had the privilege of helping to stabilize taxes, negotiate the first $500,000 PILOT from Princeton University, save our community pool complex, develop senior housing, establish the Princeton Ridge Preserve and put consolidation on the ballot.

Mark Scheibner: I am running an issues-rich campaign based on the concept that ideas matter, not ideology. It’s well past time to introduce into the public dialogue non-partisan solutions critical to Princeton’s future prosperity and sustainability.

What are three issues most important to you and why?

Geoff Aton: I see two issues facing Princeton right now: 1) the need for a more efficient, transparentgovernment; and 2) the need to keep taxes under control. With more effective leadership,we can achieve these goals over time, but we must first address a third — the mostimportant — issue: reestablishing the relationship between the town and the university.

This long-standing stalemate simply will not mend itself. Especially in the currenteconomy, a fresh perspective is absolutely necessary to forge the collaborativeenvironment that will address the needs of all parties. Alongside the mayor, I can enable Nassau Hall and Township Hall to work together to support the growth and vigor ofeveryone in Princeton. Only together can we arrive at innovative, mutually beneficialideas and solutions to benefit the community now and for years to come.

Bernie Miller:

1. Holding the line on municipal property taxes so that we can maintain the diversity of our town.
2. Maintaining the quality of life that makes Princeton Township an attractive community in which to live, learn and raise a family.
3. Consolidation. It gives us an opportunity to slow or reverse the increases in municipal property taxes, and to unite neighborhoods that are now divided by the boundary between the Borough and Township.

Sue Nemeth: The issues most important to me are the issues my constituents care about: tax relief, public safety and preserving the high quality of life in Princeton. Both consolidation and a stable PILOT from Princeton University will allow us to ease the heavy financial burden on taxpayers, preserve and enhance the services our community relies upon, and plan effectively for the future. I urge voters to support consolidation on November 8th and join me in letting the University know that we expect them to be a full partner in contributing to essential services.

Mark Scheibner: Greater treatment of each of the following proposals can be found at Scheibnerforprinceton.blogspot.com.

• Establish an Economic Development Commission to create new jobs and revenue streams for our community because new revenue streams equals tax relief. Next year, Princeton will lose its second largest employer, the hospital. The status quo has cost us jobs and revenue for our community, all but guaranteeing that our tax burden will rise. 

• Establish a Standing University Commission to provide a regular forum and continuity of communications between the University and the municipalities. Given the fact that the University is the single largest landowner and employer in Princeton, it is essential that they be included in any plans for developing new revenue streams for our community

• Insist Upon Outcomes-Based Budgets, because our tax dollars should be used wisely. Outcomes-based budgets are a non-partisan best government practice, which requires departments to justify their budgets, and results in improved performance and services, and documented savings to the taxpayers.

Why should residents vote for you?

Geoff Aton: The residents should vote for me because I have an unparalleled enthusiasm and passion for Princeton. What a great place to live! But we have had one-party rule in this town for too long, and over time it has created complacency and reinforced the status quo. I believe we can do better. With a fresh perspective, I can envision and develop new ideas that will add value to our town from Day One. Let’s put Princeton before politics.

Bernie Miller: Through my 45 years of experience in the business world, and my nine years of experience on Princeton Township Committee, I bring a unique perspective to the planning and implementation of Princeton Township government. Prior to joining Princeton Township Committee in 2002, I served on the Princeton Township Housing Board during the construction of Griggs Farm and as Chair of the Joint Princeton Cable TV Committee. I led the team that negotiated our current cable TV franchise with COMCAST. In 2010 I was a member of the Township team that negotiated the first voluntary “fair share” payment to the Township by Princeton University of $500,000. In 2011 I was a member of the Consolidation Study Commission that has recommended that the consolidation question be placed on the ballot this November. And in 2011 I was a member of the team that negotiated the Memorandum of Understanding with Princeton University that provides the framework and funding for the planning for future mass transit in our community, the improvement of our connection to the Northeast Corridor line linking us with New York City, and Philadelphia, and the development of a beautiful new arts campus in the vicinity of McCarter Theater.

Sue Nemeth: Residents trust that I share their concerns, and know I’ll tackle the toughest issues on their behalf and deliver measurable results. I ask voters to support me and Bernie Miller on November 8th!

Mark Scheibner: People should vote for me because I offer creative, long-term solutions to some of our community’s biggest problems. I want to reduce our crippling tax burden, and I realize that we need to do it by generating new revenue streams. And no, more tickets don’t count as a new revenue stream.

Do you support consolidation with Princeton Borough? Why or why not?

Geoff Aton: Yes, I support a united Princeton. However, I would amend the Consolidation Commission’s report slightly. Adding wards would appropriately distribute representation within the community. The current governing body is reluctant to add wards, but Princeton has a great opportunity now to show the state how well a municipality can operate. We can be the benchmark for efficiency, transparency, and fiscal responsibility. Let’s throw out the borough budget, throw out the township budget, and start over from scratch. The taxpayer cannot continue to be the fallback plan for rising costs and mismanagement. Consolidation will be a challenging task — there’s no getting around it — but new leadership can rise to the challenge, and a combined Princeton will be better for it.

Bernie Miller: I am a member of the Consolidation Study Commission that has recommended that consolidation be on the ballot on November 8th as a referendum question. Through my work on the 2011 Consolidation Study Commission I am convinced that consolidation offers an opportunity to save more than $3.2 million per year in municipal expenditures when our two communities are fully consolidated. Consolidation also provides an opportunity for further savings on facilities and equipment, as well as the potential for more cost-effective delivery of government services. Many of our neighborhoods such as John-Witherspoon, Riverside and Littlebrook  are divided by a municipal boundary that was drawn more than 100 years ago when the Borough was a small village and the Township was mainly farms. Now both communities are nearly fully built out. Consolidation will give us stronger neighborhoods with an enhanced voice in the governance of  our community. I fully support consolidation and am working to UNITE PRINCETON!

Sue Nemeth: I wholeheartedly support uniting Princeton. Both the Borough and Township have taken steps to ensure a successful merger by sharing services, reducing staff levels (18% over the past 5 years in the Township alone), and trimming operating budgets. The next important step is full municipal consolidation, including police and public works. The plan crafted by the Consolidation Study Commission is much more than a simple add and stir recipe. It is a thoughtful reorganization plan that will:

• save residents $3.2 million a year;
• preserve and improve services for all residents of Princeton;
• better utilize limited resources in a tough economy;
• facilitate long-term planning and smart growth;
• improve emergency response and enhance public safety; and,
• strengthen our bargaining position with the University. 

Consolidation will protect our Princeton way of life and showcase Princeton as an example of good government in action. We don’t need to wait for the state to provide property tax relief. The power to make this important change rests in our collective hands.

Mark Scheibner: I oppose consolidation under the proposed, partisan borough form of government, because partisanship places vested political interests before the rights of the people. I believe Princeton deserves better, and that we would be unified best by consolidation under a non-partisan form of government. Second, fully two thirds of the putative savings are coming from a 19 percent reduction in the police force, well below the recommended FBI minimal coverage for our community. Yet we are willing to raise our taxes to provide garbage pick up for the township.