Volume LXXVIII, Number 2
Arts Council’s “ART OF” Fundraisers Designed to Be More Inclusive . . . . 5 Area Events and Service Opportunities for MLK Jr. Day . . . . . . . . 9 New Chamber Concert Series Features PU Students, Alumni . . . . 10 Robert Donat and J.D. Salinger — Two Knights Without Armour . . . . 13 Freshman Belker Emerging As a Star for PU Women’s Hoops . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Brophy’s Versatility Helps PHS Boys’ Swimming Produce 9-0 Start . . . . 23
Xaivian Lee Stars as PU Men’s Hoops Routs Harvard in Ivy Opener . . . . . . . 20 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .15, 16 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 17 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 29 January Happenings . . . 2 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 3 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 New to Us . . . . . . . . . . 18 Obituaries . . . . . . .27, 28 Performing Arts . . . . . 14 Police blotter . . . . . . . . 8 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 29 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Labyrinth Books Owners Agree to Recognize Their Employees’ Union The owners of Labyrinth Books have announced that they will recognize their workers’ choice to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), following a December request from the Labyrinth workers that their union be recognized and a January 19 date set for a formal vote on unionization. “Since they announced just before Christmas that they wanted to unionize, we have been in a process of deep reflection and conversation, especially with our management team,” wrote Labyrinth owners Cliff Simms, Peter Simms, and Dorothea von Moltke in a January 9 press release. They continued, “The past two weeks have convinced us that the majority of the staff that’s eligible to vote is in favor of unionizing. By voluntarily recognizing the union, we are stating our sincere intention to use this organizing moment as an occasion to listen to everyone, make positive changes, and form a united Labyrinth that can do all the work we do better together.” Labyrinth Books would be the second bookstore in New Jersey to unionize after Barnes & Noble College Bookstore at Rutgers in May 2023, and the first independent bookstore in the state to unionize. Labyrinth currently employs 19 workers. RWDSU representative and Communications Associate Maria DiPasquale stated on January 9 that the RWDSU had not yet been contacted by the Labyrinth owners, but that collective bargaining would be the next step after management and workers come to a recognition agreement. “The workers look forward to management signing such an agreement with the RWDSU so we can move into the collective bargaining phase,” she wrote in an email. The Labyrinth workers have been in communication with RWDSU for several months. “They are focusing on how best to have a seat at the table,” said DiPasquale, as quoted in last week’s Town Topics. “The workers have expertise and they want a say in how Labyrinth is run, making it the best it can be for themselves, for the customers, and for the community they serve.” Labyrinth workers have mentioned Continued on Page 8
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Council Wants to Consolidate Boards, Commissions At its meeting Monday night, Princeton Council voted to introduce an ordinance that would eliminate the Affordable Housing Board, Human Services Commission, and Civil Rights Commission, streamlining them into one entity called the Community Services Advisory Committee. A second ordinance would dispense with the Sewer Committee, moving sewer-related issues into the Infrastructure and Operations Committee. While public comment is not permitted at an ordinance introduction and must wait until the official public hearing (January 22 for these two proposals), some members of the existing boards and commissions have expressed their concerns about the first ordinance in letters to the editor and an email to Council. In a memo to Council explaining the reason for the proposals, Jeff Grosser, the town’s deputy administrator of health and community services, called the first ordinance “a catalyst for change in the Princeton community, promoting affordable housing, accessible human services, and the protection of civil rights as essential pillars of a just and inclusive society. With a broader, more dynamic framework, this consolidated committee will analyze the material conditions and relational components upholding complex systems of inequity in Princeton to improve the quality and depth of services for all residents.”
Grosser wrote that the current configuration represents “an outdated paradigm, where boards, commissions, and committees are siloed and compartmentalized within narrow focuses that attempt to address complex, multifaceted problems without taking into consideration the broader range of influences and variables which underpin them.” Having 29 members presents a significant challenge in recruitment, coordination, and demands on municipal staff, he said.
The new configuration would consist of seven regular and two alternate members. Also at the meeting, Council passed a resolution formally authorizing an agreement with Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton for “behavioral health and community services,” representing a new arrangement for the addiction and mental health treatment service known as Corner House. Councilman David Cohen questioned why the $48,968.09 budget is so much lower than in the past. Continued on Page 10
PPS Board Prepares for 2024 Challenges; Kendal, Foster Comment on Growing Schools
With two new members and a third newly sworn in for a third term, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education is looking to focus on teaching and learning as it addresses the challenges of space limitations and a growing student population. The public weighed in last Saturday, January 6, at a meeting at the Princeton Middle School (PMS) to discuss expansion plans that are under consideration. Another meeting, which will take place virtually by Zoom, has been rescheduled for this Thursday, January 11, at 7 p.m. The current plans, which will be reviewed and discussed at Thursday’s meeting, propose expansions at Community Park
and Littlebrook schools, a new addition at PMS, additional work at Princeton High School, and demolition of a section of the district’s Valley Road building. A referendum estimated at $85 millions is anticipated in the coming year. “As we look to the future, not just this year, but in the next five to seven years, we recognize that our community is growing and we will be welcoming more students into our schools,” wrote Acting Superintendent Kathie Foster in a January 9 email. “PPS is committed to providing the learning spaces students need to succeed. These spaces include classrooms, learning labs, large group and small group instruction spaces. Other factors include Continued on Page 8
THREE KINGS DANCE CELEBRATION: Fiesta del Día de Los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, is celebrated throughout the world to mark the culmination of the 12 days of Christmas. On Saturday, a dance performance by students in the Arts Council of Princeton’s Flamenco program, led by Lisa Botalico, center, featured multiple dances as attendees learned about this cultural holiday. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
PLANNING YOUR SUMMER EARLY? SAVE THE QR CODE BELOW
ALL SUMMER ART COURSES ADDED IN APRIL ‘24
e n r o l l m e n t @ p r i n c e t o n a c a d e myo f a r t . c o m
609-454-3721
ACADE MY OF ART
138 Nassau St FL 2, Princeton NJ 08542