Volume LXXI, Number 44
Gold Star Father, Murphy at ACP . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Looking for Lost New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Painter Ken Alexander is Back in the Game . . . . 22 PSO Pays Tribute to Reformation . . . . . . . 29 Yochim Has Big Debut as PU Men’s Hockey Win Season Opener . . . . . 35 PDS Girls’ Soccer Advances to 5th Straight Prep B Final. . . . . . . . 42
Sarah Brennan and PU Field Hockey Headed Back to NCAAs . . . . . 38 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 45 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 17
About 750 Princeton homeowners will receive checks this week, almost $2,500 per eligible home, in accordance with a settlement reached a year ago in a lawsuit over Princeton University’s property tax exemptions. The checks will be mailed from a property tax relief fund administered by the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) to which the University contributed $2 million this year and agreed to contribute $1.6 million a year for the following five years. Princeton homeowners who received a homestead benefit under the New Jersey Homestead Property Tax Credit Act in 2014 (the most recent year for which homestead benefits were paid by the state), and continue to own the home, will receive annual aid payments. They may use the checks for any purpose. Beginning in 2011 area homeowners had argued that Princeton University is a profit-making institution and should not be exempt from property taxes. A year ago, three days before the suit was set to go to trial, the University agreed to settle the case. Both parties asserted that they would have won the case in court. Lawyer for the plaintiffs Bruce Afran explained that the settlement, including the checks going out this week, “is the product of the tax exempt litigation. We settled the case to help take care of the most vulnerable homeowners. Many are working people, minorities, disabled, or seniors, and all of them have high taxes. The settlement was designed to protect this group of families.” Afran went on to express his satisfaction with the settlement. “I’m proud of
Music/Theater . . . . . . 28 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 34 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 44 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 19 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 45 Service Directory . . . . 48 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Voters Face Many Choices On Ballot Tuesday Princeton voters will head to the polls next Tuesday to vote for candidates for governor, State Assembly, State Senate, Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, County Sheriff, Princeton Town Council, and the Princeton Board of Education. They will also weigh in on two public questions. Council candidates David Cohen and Leticia Fraga, though unopposed in their bid for two seats to be vacated when Bernie Miller and Jo Butler step down on January 1, have been busy. Cohen, an architect, Planning Board member and Princeton Community Democratic Organization treasurer, emphasized the importance of planning for change and shaping “the kind of town Princeton will become over the course of the 21st century.” Noting the widespread local concern with housing affordability, Fraga, board chair of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF), vice chair of the Princeton Human Services Commission, and chair of the Princeton Civil Rights Commission, asserted her ongoing
commitment to “justice, equal rights, and access to basic needs for all.” Fraga pointed out some of the economic challenges for Princeton “in rentals, sales, and in the growing difficulty longtime residents have in being able to afford to age in place. Other complex issues confronting us include ensuring that our small businesses are able to thrive here, and that working people in our community can earn a living wage.” Elaborating on the unusual qualities of Princeton and the importance of attend-
ing to the needs and interests of its residents and neighborhoods, she continued, “Princeton is unique among New Jersey towns. It is a beautiful town with a strong sense of community. We thrive economically due to both the University and thriving business, but we also have a large economic diversity that needs to be paid attention to. We need to ensure Princeton continues to be a town that values the interest of its people and neighborhoods.” Fraga concluded, “From affordability to Continued on Page 10
IAS History as Refuge and Current Implications Are Focus of Lecture
After President Trump issued executive orders last January to enforce travel bans and curb immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, a group of scholars affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) was moved to take action. The History Working Group produced a series of articles and an exhibition focused on the Institute’s response to similar challenges in
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the 1930s. On Friday, November 3 at 5:30 p.m., the Institute will hold a public lecture and discussion on the group’s findings and how they relate to the current political climate. “A Refuge for Scholars: Contemporary Challenges in Historical Perspective” takes place in Wolfensohn Hall on the IAS campus. Continued on Page 19
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Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday at 2 a.m. Turn clocks back one hour.
HONORING ANNE REEVES: The Arts Council of Princeton celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Saturday with a gala fundraiser, Dining by Design, at Princeton University’s Frick Chemistry Laboratory. Founding Director Anne Reeves, third from left, shown above with her family, was honored at the event, including a proclamation from Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert proclaiming October 28 “Anne Reeves Day.” Attendees share what they love about the Arts Council of Princeton in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
Tuesday, November 7
VOTE for David E. C O H EN Leticia FRAG A
DEMOCRATS for Princeton Council
See our ad on Page 7
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
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PSRC Hosts Fall Conference . . . . . . . . . 8
University Settlement: Tax Assistance Checks Mailed to Homeowners
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Young Audiences Brings Arts to N.J. Schools . . . 5
www.towntopics.com
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