Councilman Goldfarb recuses self from Arts and Transit talks

As the Borough Council continues heated debate with the University over the Arts and Transit Neighborhood, 20-year Council member David Goldfarb — who announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Borough mayor earlier this month — recused himself from discussions due to a conflict of interest.

Recusals aren’t unusual for the government of a small town like Princeton, Borough Councilman Roger Martindell noted. “It comes up from time to time when there’s a conflict of interest,” he said.

In Goldfarb’s case, the conflict lies in his position at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, the law firm representing the University in the ongoing Arts and Transit Neighborhood negotiations with the Borough.

Goldfarb excused himself from Council discussions and votes relating to the University’s request for a zoning ordinance that would allow it to redesign the Alexander corridor and continue with the Arts and Transit Neighborhood plans.

“I’m not going to participate in discussions and I will not vote with other members of the Council,” Goldfarb said of his plans to avoid the potential conflict.

Goldfarb added that his relationship with Drinker Biddle & Reath, and his occasional recusals, would not pose an obstacle to his duties as mayor. The conflict would likely not be an issue in most of the Council’s negotiations with the University, he said.

“I would expect that, if I were elected, I would not serve on the Planning Board,” Goldfarb said.

Drinker Biddle & Reath, at which Goldfarb works as a legal assistant, represents the University’s interests on land-use issues, work which typically only brings it into contact with the Council’s Planning Board.

Two council members serve on the Princeton Regional Planning Board, the joint Borough-Township committee that governs community planning.

The Arts and Transit Neighborhood proposal and consequently the law firm have been coming before the Council as a whole because the zoning request requires legislative action.

“If there were issues where I had to recuse myself [as mayor], I would,” Goldfarb said, adding that the sitting mayor, Mildred Trotman, has occasionally done likewise.

Trotman said she recused herself from discussions in three Council meetings in 2002 when the University Medical Center was seeking zoning changes because her son was employed by the medical center. She explained that her recusal was “unanticipated” at the time of her election.

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When asked if Goldfarb’s relationship to Drinker Biddle & Reath would interfere with mayoral duties, Trotman said, “As far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out on that. It could be a problem.”

“People recuse themselves all the time, and well they should, so it doesn't make it impossible, but I could see the potential for some concern,” she explained.

Trotman further explained that “right now we're going through some heavy things with [the University], but the University owns so much land and they're always doing so many things [requiring negotiations with the Council], it could potentially be a problem.”

Goldfarb is currently the only candidate running in a June primary for the Democratic nomination for the November ballot. If elected as mayor, he will serve a four-year term as chair of the Borough Council, a six-member legislative body.