Local Democrats Host Consolidation Debate

Photo by Margo Budline

A forum over consolidation, hosted last night by the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO), launched with a look at what makes this year's proposal different from previous attempts at bringing the Borough and Township together.

The debate was centered around four panelists: Claire Jacobus and Patrick Simon on the side of pro-consolidation and Kate Warren and Alexi Assmus on the side against consolidation. The panelists were asked to address the question of how this consolidation proposal is different from others in the past, as well as what type of action a progressive Democrat should take on the issue.

The tone of the room was cordial from the start. At the front of the room, debate rules were hanging from a life-size cardboard cutout of President Barack Obama, adorned with a ‘Yes We Can’ button. The cutout definitely suggested that although they came ready to argue, all were united under a higher political belief.

Commentary for the debate came from David Cohen, who said that he believed he was a good commentator because he was confused and very conflicted about the issue of consolidation, which he said everyone holds, “near and dear in their hearts.”

Jacobus began the debate by discussing what made this consolidation commission different from ones in the past, namely the 1996 commission. Jacobus said that this commission is a “stronger, broader, deeper organization.” She concluded her opening by stating, “You may feel at the end of the day, the game is not worth the gamble, but at least you will know that the game is not rigged.”

Simon opened by saying that his target audience was those who are undecided about whether or not consolidation is the best way to move forward. He then asked the group to imagine a Princeton with no government, and then to create a new one from scratch. He finished by asking the group if the government they imagined is the one in place now.

Jacobus and Simon began highlighting the following financial benefits of consolidation: financial savings for existing municipal services of $3.2 million, police staffing for traffic and community service police officers, over and above what is in place currently, and savings achieved by extending municipal garbage collection to Princeton Township residents, which works out to roughly $0.8 million, all of which were outlined in the pamphlet distributed at the beginning of the event.

The consolidation activists also stressed the importance of emergency management services, or what Simon called “better emergency preparedness.” Simon also placed a huge emphasis on accountability. He called for a United Princeton where citizens of the Borough are not affected by the decisions made by the Township government and have no say, and vice versa.

On the other side of the panel, Warren opened by warning the group not to take the consolidation report at face value, and urging them to investigate the facts. She said that the consolidation has been focusing on the positive and ignoring the negative, again warned the group not to just accept the “positive spin” that she feels has been put on consolidation. She said that she was very aware of the pressure of the State of New Jersey to consolidate the two municipalities.  She noted that the State has made laws incentivizing consolidation, promising money for equalization and transitional costs that she believes “don’t exist.”

Assmus pointed out from her experience as a small business owner who transferred power to a corporation that bigger does not always mean better. She was also mindful to say that she “never thought of us as not one since this whole consolidation issue came up.” She called upon the PCDO to recognize the “basic political fact” that Borough voters would be significantly outnumbered if consolidation were to pass. She also said that the “savings [of consolidation] are uncertain, [whereas] the costs are set.”

A question was asked of the panelists regarding the protection of culture in the Borough and the Township. There are different interests, Assmus said, to which a member of the audience retorted, “What different interests?” Assmus said there were no significant cultural differences, but differences in lifestyle. The only instance she stated though, of this lifestyle difference was difference in number of “walkable streets.” She urged the group to “have respect for history and the history of these two municipalities.” Simon responded by saying that Princeton used to be separated into the village and the farm territory, “and that’s not what we have now.” He also maintained that, “no Borough-ness will be lost.”

The question then came up of whether or not public officials should look past their personal agendas and do what is in the best interests of the public. Warren responded by saying that “it’s individual” and that she would not call anyone running for office to immediately announce their stance. Simon retorted, “Leaders need to show leadership, which means taking risks,” such as taking a public stance on the matter of consolidation.

Of the time of transition that would ensue, Jacobus said, “I think we’d all be foolish to say it won’t be a year of difficulties.”

In his closing statement, Simon said that consolidation represents “financial savings with practical improvements.” Jacobus closed by saying, “I’m not a literary-type, but I want you to remember what I’m about to say,” and proceeded to read aloud the poem “I May, I Might, I Must” by Marianne Moore. In her closing, Assmus reminded the group that the savings of consolidation depend on cutting staff members and laying off officials. If these things do not occur, she warned, taxes will increase for everyone and that in the end consolidation means higher taxes and decreased services. 

Both the pro- and con- sides of the debate are organizing to mobilize voters.   Unite Princeton publishes at http://www.uniteprinceton.org/, and the opposition group, "Preserve our Historic Borough", launched its website last week at http://preserveprincetonborough.wordpress.com/

The results of the Consolidation and Shared Services Study can be found at the CGR website.

The next public meeting on Consolidation will be a joint Borough-Township meeting on Tuesday, Sep. 27, in Borough Hall.  Princeton Future is also hosting a forum at the Princeton Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 9am.