TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JANuARY 17, 2018 • 12
Thanks to Local Rent Increases It’s “So Long Charm, Hello Chains”
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To the Editor: As I was walking up witherspoon Street, a little sign in the window of Lisa Jones brought home the hard fact that the greed so evident in the workings of the world at large, a greed we tend to associate with the unscrupulous acquisitiveness of mega-corporations, was at work on our little Princeton streets. Does a rent increase of 33 percent amount to an eviction notice for these four businesses who have thus been slapped for their contribution to the charm of our town? Ah well, so long charm, hello chains. So long the pleasure of uniqueness, hello the ennui of sameness. when out for a stroll a year from now, let’s pray the aroma of coffee wafts in the witherspoon air. And turning the corner onto Nassau, let’s hope there’s a bookstore where the delight of discovery is within a glance’s reach. PAtRICIA DONAhuE Hamilton Avenue
Letters Do Not Necessarily Reflect the Views of Town Topics
PRS Costs and Our Town’ s Fiscal Crisis: Four Observations and Seven Priorities
In 2016 I wrote, “Princeton School Board (PRS) Election/Huge Tax Increases Pre-ordained.” As the town now enters 2018, it is evident that predictions re: PRS cost growth will be exceeded and the problem will become a tax and fiscal crisis for our town. How so? First and foremost, PRS per student costs are totally out of control and far exceed those of other high performing districts, even those in Mercer County. Costs up to 38 percent more on a $100 million budget. This grievously impacts the town’s ability to fund other priority needs. PLUS, the percent of real estate taxes allocated to PRS keeps growing. Second, PRS current demographic projections and related plans to accommodate predicted growth will mandate a major bond issue to fund school construction for hundreds of additional students in several schools. Teachers and administrative personnel required will increase concurrently. Third, actions that might eliminate or reduce both forecasted increases in enrollment and the scope of capital investments are not being fully explored and certainly not being aggressively pursued. Cranbury High School sending district, non-resident, and various ineligible students comprise a list of hundreds PPS is not required to admit. Fourth and most important, the demographic data and trends used to justify the huge expenditures being planned are flawed. They ignore or place no credence in the possible impact of macro-scale programs which are being initiated or expanded at the federal level by the new administration’s secretary of education, including school choice, vouchers, charter schools, etc. These programs may reduce PRS future enrollments significantly, as there are large numbers of empty seats in area private schools of diverse character, plus under-enrollment and closure of many financially troubled schools, especially those with religious affiliations. Vouchers and school choice options alone could significantly increase enrollments and financial viability of many schools and enable reopening of several in our area. Personally, I have spent over 30 years, most often as a pro-bono volunteer, involved in and strongly supporting both public and private education at all levels. In Princeton, I have always supported ensuring continuity of their treasured traditions of excellence! I am reminded of my first election campaign for PRS Board in 1992 and trying to “foster a climate for constructive change.” I recall very welcome and detailed, fact-based coverage of all candidates in our local media including my seven priorities listed below: • Restore Board’s proper role — GOVERNANCE • Get educational priorities straight • Stop Board’s preoccupation with raising revenues (taxes) • Start reducing and controlling costs • Stop explosive growth in salaries and benefits • Downsize administration • Focus on performance and accountability JOhN ClEARwAtER, Governors lane
Princeton Charter School
Victim Displaced by Griggs Farm Fire Thanks People of Princeton for Helping
To the Editor: having been a victim of the recent fire at Griggs Farm (Building 33 on 12/27/17) I want to express my sincerest, heartfelt thanks to all the people of Princeton for their help and support for not only myself, but all the people displaced by this terrible tragedy. we are all sorry to have lost our homes, many possessions, and the life of our neighbor, Larisa Bartone, to the fire and now we face the enormous task of rebuilding our lives. Because I came to this country 16 years ago with nothing but my talent, I am no stranger to starting over. Bless Princeton University for giving me the chance to capture their beautiful campus in my watercolors when I first arrived in Princeton and to be able to share them with the world. I am grateful to be alive and still have my ability to paint, although I have lost my art studio as well. I was uninsured and have no savings, but I am confident thanks to the help of our landlords, Princeton Community housing (PCh), Griggs Farm Condominium Association, Princeton Human Services Department, and the other local agencies that have cooperated in the organization of donations for our immediate needs. I also want to thank the Princeton Police and Fire Department, as well as the local Red Cross for their efforts that terrible night in the bitter cold. Out of every tragedy comes a lesson for each of us. Personally, I never want to be without renters insurance again and I encourage everyone renting apartments or houses to make sure that they have this coverage. This has taught me that you never know what life will throw at you and even though we can’t predict the future, there are some practical things we can do that will help if a disaster, like this fire, should happen. I lost some of my original art that I will only know in the future from the pictures that I took and it saddens me that I will never have them again. Because of this, I am going to be reaching out to the professional and amateur art community at large with the message, and hopefully the means, to raise awareness of the need to be covered by adequate insurance for their artworks, materials, and studios. I also want to thank again those people, friends and strangers alike, who donated to me personally and PCH on the gofundme.com website (marina-ahun-artist-fire-fund). Bless you Princeton, you are the Best! MARINA AhuN formerly of Billie Ellis Lane
ist who covers national security and foreign policy topics for The Atlantic. Her writing has previously appeared in The Columbia Journalism Review, the washington Putin’s New Russia Post, the New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Forbes, the New ReDiscussed at Library Labyrinth Live at the Li- public, Politico, and Russia! brary will host Shaun walker magazine. talking with Julia Ioffe about “Enrique’s Journey” Topic walker’s book The Long Hangover: Putin’s New Rus- At Library January 21 Enr ique’s Jour ney by sia and the Ghosts of the Past on Tuesday, January Sonia Nazario will be the subject of a discussion with 23 at 6:30 p.m. librarian Janie Herman at Accord i ng to T i mot hy the Princeton Public Library S nyder, t he R ichard C. on Sunday, January 21 at 2 Levin Professor of History, p.m. Yale University, and author The author herself will be of On Tyranny and Bloodat the library on February 1 lands, “The heroes of our age of postmodern myth are to discuss her best-selling the investigative reporters. book about a 17-year-old Shaun walker has not only boy from Honduras who done the hard and neces- travels to the United States sary work of reporting from in search of his mother. Sonia Nazario’s appearRussia and Ukraine, he has also reflected, with remark- ance will be the start of able historical and literary the Princeton Migrations sesensibility, on what it means ries, a community-wide inwhen a great power gives vestigation of the theme up on its own future and of migration taking place decides instead to market throughout the region from Fe b r u a r y t h r o u g h M ay. its past.” The Long Hangover dis- Spearheaded by Princeton cusses Russia’s troubled Universit y A r t Museu m, relationship with its Soviet the project includes exhipast. walker not only ex- bitions, readings, lectures, plains Vladimir Putin’s goals film screenings, and perand the government’s official formances by more than 20 manipulations of history, but community partners and a also focuses on ordinary host of campus organizaRussians and their motiva- tions and departments. Sonia Nazario won the tions. He charts how Putin raised victory in world war Pulitzer Prize for her series II to the status of a national about Latin American chilfounding myth in the search dren and the dangers they for a unifying force to heal a face while journeying across divided country, and shows Mexico to reunite with parhow dangerous the ramifica- ents living in the United States. tions of this have been.
Books
Shaun walker is the Moscow correspondent for The Guardian. he has worked as a journalist in Moscow for more than a decade. Previously, he was Moscow Correspondent for The Independent. Julia Ioffe is an American journal-
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