Letters to the Editor: February 23rd, 2012

Why candidates for mayor don’t run

The Princeton Packet editorial entitled “Wanted: Candidates for Mayor” lamented the lack of candidates for mayor and expressed the hope that the only declared candidate “won’t be the last.” A little reflection reveals why there aren’t more candidates.

First, the new mayor of the consolidated Princeton will have a full-time job. When I was mayor of the Township the position averaged 5.5 hours per day. If that is added on top of responsibilities for the Borough and the extra problems inherent in the transition period are thrown in it is clear that the new mayor will have to average nine to 10 hours a day on the job. It isn’t humanly possible to hold a job, even a part-time job, and perform the new mayor’s duties properly.

Second, the new mayor will have to preside over a difficult form of government. The old fashioned mayor/council form of government is less efficient than the Township committee form. The Borough always takes 50 percent more time and effort to do the same tasks as the Township Committee. As a former Borough Council president I know we went further into the night than the Township Committee dealing with exactly the same issues. The fact that the Borough Council is seven people and the Township Committee is five people slows things down tremendously. A group of five dedicated people can always get more done than a group of seven dedicated people. It doesn’t help that the Borough form of government is “weak mayor/strong council,” which means the Borough mayor isn’t always in sync with the Council — that hurts effectiveness, too.

I have been asked by several friends on both sides of the political aisle to consider running again for mayor. To get the ball rolling, I would be willing to run for the transition term as mayor. If you have any opinion on the matter, please share your thoughts at rcwoodbridge@yahoo.com. Regardless, I hope that more candidates jump into the race for mayor and Council and give Princeton some meaningful choices this fall.

Richard C. Woodbridge ’65

On Career Services

Regarding “Editorial: Expanding Career Services” (Feb. 17th, 2012):

The recent editorial, “Expanding Career Services,” contained misleading information that may create misperceptions among students about the resources and services available to them through Career Services and the way in which we establish relationships with employers.

Coincidentally, the editorial was published on the same day that we held the summer internship fair, an event that featured nearly 100 employers representing more than 25 different industries. Unfortunately, an advertisement for the fair, which had been confirmed to run in this newspaper on that day, did not appear as scheduled.

There is no bias in the way opportunities are presented to students, and Career Services does not attempt to direct students toward or away from any particular industry or career path. The Office of Career Services develops and maintains relationships with employers from a wide range of industries and fields, and works with hundreds of employers from diverse industries to facilitate their connection to our students.

Finance and consulting are among more than 40 other industries recruiting Princeton students via our on-campus recruiting program and our TigerTracks jobs and internships posting system. In addition to the employers who regularly recruit on campus or post opportunities within our system, we conduct extensive outreach to establish new employer relationships in the industries of most interest to our students. Last year, more than 2,000 employers participated in recruiting at Princeton, and a significant number of those employers represented newly established recruiting relationships.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

While we make every effort to include all industries in our system, it is important to note that employer organizations establish their own recruiting strategies based on budgetary and staffing needs, and these can vary greatly by industry. For this reason, Career Services offers a variety of recruitment opportunities that help raise the visibility of industries with limited recruiting budgets, such as small businesses, start-ups, nonprofits, the public sector and organizations in the arts. For example, we host a nonprofit career fair each spring that is free of charge to participating nonprofit and public sector organizations.

Furthermore, because of the reality of the “hidden job market,” in which many industries do not advertise their job openings or recruit on any campus, we advise students to extend their search beyond the opportunities posted within our system and other formal job listings. Students, who are looking for opportunities in industries that may be under-represented in TigerTracks are encouraged to schedule an individual career counseling appointment for assistance in developing highly customized strategies for identifying additional opportunities in the fields in which they express interest.

In addition to individual career counseling, we offer more than 250 career education programs each year to enhance students’ understanding of the wide range of career options available to them. Upcoming programs that are listed on our website include careers in energy and the environment, careers in Hollywood, careers in social entrepreneurship and careers in communication.

The career development process involves education, self-reflection and exploration. The role of Career Services is to help students discover and explore their individual career interests and to assist them in developing and executing a strategy for achieving their goals. We encourage all students to attend our programs, utilize our comprehensive resources and schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable career counselors.

Beverly Hamilton-Chandler

Director of Career Services