Committeeman's Wife a Former Honeywell Employee

Morris Township Committeeman Jeff Grayzel announced that the potential conflict that delayed the scheduled hearings on the Honeywell redevelopment zoning ordinance is his.

This potential conflict, Grayzel said in a statement Wednesday morning, is that his wife is a former employee of . Grayzel said his wife holds a pension fund and retiree savings plan with the company.

Although Grayzel said his wife has no voice in the management of the funds and is unable to divest them, he said that he and township attorney John Mills are still concerned about the public perception in his participation, and he may recuse himself from future proceedings.

"Since even the hint of personal gain is sufficient to undermine public trust, I am weighing this request against my legislative obligations to the voters of Morris Township who elected me to this position just 9 months ago," Grayzel said in the statement. "Many of these residents surely voted for me to be their voice in these hearings specifically."

"My discussions with Mr. Mills are ongoing, and I have asked him to ensure that the same standard of absolute absence of financial conflict with Honeywell be applied to the other Committeemen."

An announcement on Tuesday . In that announcement, Township Administrator Timothy Quinn said the Wednesday and Aug. 8 hearings were no longer happening, and that the zoning ordinance–which was  and would help the company move along in its redevelopment plans on the 147 acre property–would have to be reintroduced on Wednesday for a special meeting because of a potential conflict.

Grayzel was one of the several residents at the latest meeting who argued for later hearing dates. He and the residents said that the timing of the hearings are unfair because of the condensed time during August, when many people are on vacation.

The first public hearing will now be on Aug. 15, at the next township committee meeting, where residents will have chance to comment or question the ordinance.

At Wednesday night's meeting at 7 p.m. at the , committee members will vote again whether to introduce the ordinance to move along with the master plan of developing 235 townhomes and office and lab space on the company's headquarters.

This meeting follows after over two years and 40 public hearings about the proposed redevelopment project on the Fortune 100 company's property. The plans have already scaled back its number of townhomes and uses on the land.

"We hope to have a resolution by the time the township committee convenes on Wednesday evening so we can attend to the business of the township as we have pledged to do," Grayzel said.