Borough candidates debate

Two Borough Council incumbents discussed their views on the future of the relationship between the University and Princeton Borough in a debate hosted by the American Whig-Cliosophic Society on Thursday evening.

The sparsely attended event was a rare opportunity for students to meet with local politicians on campus.

"We're here to discuss issues of mutual concern between the Borough and the University," said Democrat David Goldfarb, one of the two candidates. "The Borough and the University are obviously very closely tied. Our reputations go together, and I think up until now, the relationship has worked fairly well for us."

The two candidates, Goldfarb and Mildred Trotman, have been serving on the six-member council together for 15 years. The third candidate, an independent challenger named Josh Liensdorf, was scheduled to attend the event but did not show up.

Goldfarb and Trotman both mentioned the issue of campus alcohol abuse, calling for stricter enforcement.

"The status quo is not acceptable," Goldfarb said. "It's going to lead to a tragedy sooner or later, and even if it doesn't, it leads to all sorts of ancillary problems."

Goldfarb discussed a proposed ordinance that would "allow the existing state [liquor] laws to be enforced on private property," emphasizing that the ordinance would not allow police to enter private property just to "see what is going on" without probable cause.

Trotman cited the University's AlcoholEdu policy as a step in the right direction, but said it was not aggressive enough.

"They can put out as many programs out there as they want," she said. "We'd just like to do something to try to avoid it coming to severe measures."

Asked what one thing the University could do to improve its relationship with the community, Goldfarb turned to alcohol policy.

"[Deputy Director of Public Safety Charles] Davall has shown an interest in getting more sworn officers who can put the entire arrest process on campus," Goldfarb said. "If the University could do that, it would relieve a lot of pressure on the town."

Currently, arrests must be completed at the Borough police station.

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Trotman's answer to the question was less straightforward. "I can't think of a one thing. If they gave us money, if we had more money, we could go in so many directions," she said. "I do want to point out that it isn't that the University isn't kind to Princeton Borough in letting us use facilities and giving us donations and so on. It just isn't kind enough."

Another issue raised during the debate was the University's tax obligations. The University, which is tax-exempt, occupies 40 percent of the land in the Borough.

"So, we bear burdens that none of the surrounding towns have to bear," Goldfarb said. "The University has the means to rectify the situation's unfairness. If it didn't, we wouldn't be as adamant about asking Princeton to step up and do what's right."

Goldfarb cited the Connecticut state government's practice of reimbursing municipalities that host tax-exempt institutions for a portion of the tax money they lose.

This is the fifth time that Goldfarb and Trotman have run together.

At one point in the debate, candidates were given the opportunity to ask each other questions. Trotman burst out laughing. "Are you kidding?," she said. "After 15 years, I can't think of anything I want to ask David!"

Matthew MacDonald '07, president of Whig-Clio, was undeterred by the sparse attendance. "It's important that students engage in local politics, because what they do affects us," he said.

Aaron Spolin '08, co-president of the Whig-Clio Senate, said in an interview, "It's important, whether or not these people are a likely win, because this [debate] brought up policies relevant to the University."

The event ended with closing statements. Goldfarb noted in his closing remarks that this was the first time in his 15 years on the council that he had been invited to speak directly to a Princeton University organization.

"The fact that that's true, although I may have been able to take initiatives I didn't take, is a symptom of the problem," he said. "There needs to be much better communication between the Borough and the University."