"Many articles recently written by Republican activists have falsely accused me of making a campaign promise to stop the Walgreens pharmacy project. Below is a reprint of my article as published in the Aim Newspaper during last year's campaign. Clearly, no such promise was ever made. Indeed, the only promises I made during my campaign were ones that I could keep, like promising to do my best." - Mayor Bettina Bieri (July 13, 2008)   On Libraries & Walgreens   Residents may be aware of the current proposal before the Planning Board to demolish the Towne Centre building across from Radio Shack. If the plans are approved, a new Walgreens building would take its place. I have several issues with this proposal: 1) The Towne Centre building is only about 10 years old, is aesthetically pleasing, and conforms to the streetscape plans for our town center. Tearing this building down is both wasteful and unnecessary. 2) We certainly do not need another pharmacy, with four pharmacies within a two-mile radius of the proposal, one of which is a long-term, mom-and-pop store. In other words, there is no real community need for a pharmacy, and the proposal will likely cause great hardship (if not bankruptcy) for existing businesses. 3) The neighboring residents have serious and legitimate concerns regarding traffic, lights, deliveries, noise, and safety. These concerns cannot be ignored. Overall, I fail to see where the plan has much merit at all. Indeed, if I were on the Planning Board, I would NOT grant Walgreens any variances, waivers, exemptions, extensions, or leeway whatsoever. I would also require a developer's agreement that benefits the community rather than the developer. Perhaps Walgreens would find it more appealing to cut their losses and sell the property. Meanwhile, township residents have been anxiously awaiting a new library for years. While a voter referendum requesting additional funding for a new library failed years ago, it seems that most residents would be pleased to see a new library - as long as our taxes do not increase to achieve that goal. Indeed, the library board has significant funding available for a down payment. The library also receives guaranteed annual funding from the township, based on a per capita rate determined by the State - funding which creates an annual library budget surplus (which can be utilized to make future mortgage payments). Apparently finding an appropriate location for the new library has been the crux of the delay. My thoughts? Put the new library in the Towne Centre building, which is nearly three times the size of the existing library. Wow, what a concept - to have a single-story, handicap-accessible, new library in a pre-existing, 10-year young, beautiful building located in our town center. The old library building could easily be converted into sorely needed municipal office space. This plan might not be ideal, and perhaps it's not as grandiose as some would want - but wouldn't it be better than waiting another decade to get a new library? Who knows, maybe they could even incorporate the existing coffee bar (Café Neo) into the new design. If elected Mayor, I would not only serve on the planning board - I would continue to present new ideas for progress. Please vote Row B for Bieri, Nolan and Warden on Tuesday, November 6th.