To the Editor:

I am writing as a Princeton Council colleague of Jo Butler’s to wholeheartedly support her reelection. Jo is an outstanding council member. Having served as a Borough Council representative on the Transition Task Force, she worked effectively and collegially with citizens and staff to bring consolidation to fruition. Our successful first year as a new governing body is in no small part due to her thoughtful collaboration. In particular, she has carried forward to our new Council the focus on budget detail that saved us money in the Borough and has now saved us money under consolidation.

Jo is as responsive to constituents as she is rigorous in encouraging the Council to follow the highest standards of integrity in the governing process. She led the Council in calling for the creation of a written conflict of interest policy, which reduces confusion regarding an issue that has concerned many residents. She has been a consistent voice for fiscal prudence with a voting record to prove it. She has scrutinized our service contracts, identified billing discrepancies, and pressed us to conform to the New Jersey State Comptroller recommendations for best practices regarding legal services.

Jo has no agenda independent of what is best for the residents and voters of Princeton; she believes in the core democratic values of government that is open and responsive to citizen concerns. There are currently three people running for two seats on Council, all good Democrats, and we can all hope that this contest among friends and neighbors will show our party at its best through a positive discussion of the issues. I am supporting Jo because of her crucial contributions to Council’s work in our first year under consolidation that have served us all well. There is no good reason why she should not be reelected, and there are many compelling reasons to elect her to a second term.

Princeton residents are fortunate to have Jo representing them. Democrats who want to take an active role in the election process should join the Princeton Community Democratic Organization by March 16 in order to take part in its endorsement election on March 30.

Jenny Crumiller

Library Place