Three of the four newly reelected East Windsor Township Council members were sworn into office for four-year terms, and the mayor and deputy mayor were chosen from among their ranks, at the East Windsor Township Council’s reorganization meeting on New Year’s Day.
The reorganization meeting was held at the East Windsor Township Senior Citizens Center, down the street from the East Windsor Township Municipal Building.
Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello certified the election results, affirming the reelection of council members Janice S. Mironov, Marc Lippman, Peter V. Yeager and John H. Zoller. All four are Democrats.
Mironov was sworn into office by state Assemblyman Daniel Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex), and Yeager was sworn into office by Mercer County Freeholder Lucylle Walter. Zoller was sworn into office by state Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Mercer, Middlesex).
Lippman was absent.
Mironov was elected to her 25th consecutive term as mayor, and Yeager was elected to be the deputy mayor. The term is for one year.
The oath of office was administered to Mayor Mironov by Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler, and then Mironov administered the oath of office to Yeager.
Nominating Mironov to serve as mayor, Zoller said she has shown a personal commitment to the betterment of the community in her 20-plus years of leadership. She has established good relationships with county and state officials, and with the business community.
“Mayor Mironov is building the type of community that meets the needs of the people for now and in the future,” Zoller said.
East Windsor Township Council member Alan Rosenberg nominated Yeager for the deputy mayor post. Yeager is intelligent, committed and informed, he said.
Once the mayor and deputy mayor were chosen and sworn into office, the council focused on routine, administrative matters.
Each of the East Windsor Township Council members offered some remarks and reflections on the new year.
“It’s nice to see you all here,” Rosenberg said.
Mironov and the council are “quality people” who care about East Windsor Township, and they will do everything they can do to keep it on the right track, Rosenberg said.
East Windsor Township Council member Perry Shapiro agreed. He said the township government has been able to maintain its services, but it cannot be achieved without the help of the township employees.
Zoller reminded attendees of all that the mayor and township council had achieved in the past year – from paving roads to acquiring open space parcels, all while keeping municipal property taxes low.
There was a net increase in new businesses, which makes it convenient for residents to meet their needs, Zoller said. They can live and work in East Windsor Township, and they can choose from starter homes to luxury homes and everything in between, he said.
East Windsor Township Council member Denise Daniels said she has “a lot of hope” for 2020. She thanked the volunteers and township employees, and said “we couldn’t do this job alone.”
Yeager thanked the residents for voting for him again. He said he will work for the residents “with honor, with integrity and with excitement.”
Yeager thanked the township employees “for making us look good all the time,” and also expressed appreciation to the township’s emergency responders – police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians – who put their lives on the line every day.
Looking back on 2019, Mironov said she was proud that the municipal property tax rate had not increased in seven years. The township council works as hard as it can to keep property taxes in check so that the township remains affordable, she said.
The township has earned a AA+ bond rating, which means it costs less in interest when the township borrows money by issuing a bond. “That is no gimmick. We are fiscally prudent,” she said.
The mayor reeled off a list of accomplishments, such as the realignment of Conover Road and Hankins Road on Route 130, and the numerous road improvements and resurfacing projects that were completed last year.
Shifting gears and advising the attendees that she was about to offer some “editorial comments,” she said the tenor, the atmosphere, the actions and the words that are being said around the country are disturbing to her.
Mironov pointed to the increase in hate crimes. “Nearly every day when you wake up,” she said, there is news about hate crimes. It can happen anywhere – even in East Windsor Township.
So at the end of the day, she said, it is up to everyone in East Windsor Township to decide what kind of town they want to live in.
“As we enter 2020, we have got to be responsible to make our neighborhood, our town, our county, our state and our country live up to basic values,” she said. “My hope is that every one of you goes into 2020 thinking about what you can do to put us on the right path. We all have a responsibility to do what we can.”
