To the Editor:

I have only been peripherally following the work of the Permit Parking Task Force and the Cannabis Task Force, but my hat goes off to our civic-minded and thick-skinned neighbors who volunteered their personal time to try to address the perennial parking issues we face and the opportunity to sensibly address cannabis regulation in light of its legalization.

Both task forces feature a broad cross section of Princeton residents who began their work without any particular unified perspective. Rather, they both took the time to hear from as many people as possible, conduct independent research, discuss among themselves (in public I might add), and collectively develop recommendations.

With issues of this scope, there are going to be many people who have objections to portions of the recommendations. As is usual in Princeton, small groups have formed to voice their discontent and attempt to scuttle the work the task forces have done. The majority of people, I’m sure, understand that there is a give and take with these public policy issues, and have trust that the task forces will work in good faith to best balance all competing interests.

I’m not objecting to people voicing their opinions — often the consideration of those opinions makes the final outcomes better, and I’m sure both task forces have moved from their initial views based on public input. But at some point, which I believe to be now, it’s up to the task forces to recognize that they’ve gotten all the input they need and to make final recommendations so we can move toward implementation.

In the case of Permit Parking Task Force, we should anticipate unintended consequences of any changes. Therefore, I suggest that part of their proposal be to have a limited task force established three years after implementation to review the results and propose changes as necessary.

Again, I extend my thanks to the members of both task forces. I hope that many Princetonians join me in honoring your service to the community by urging that your thoughtfully formulated proposals be carefully reviewed and hopefully implemented by town Council.

Jim Levine
Linden Lane