At a gathering of the Princeton Community Democratic Club on Sunday evening, members voted on which candidates to endorse for two open seats on Princeton Council. But none of the four hopefuls С Anne Neumann, Leticia Fraga, Tim Quinn, or incumbent Jenny Crumiller С were able to win the 60 percent of the votes needed for an official endorsement, even after a runoff vote.

Ms. Crumiller, Mr. Quinn, and Ms. Neumann were able to secure the support of the PCDO, but not a full endorsement. Ms. Fraga did not win the 40 percent needed for that designation. The local Democratic municipal committee was scheduled to vote on the candidates at a meeting Tuesday night, March 22.

A total of 166 members of the PCDO cast votes at the March 20 meeting, which was held at the Jewish Center of Princeton. In the first ballot, Ms. Crumiller received 80 votes, Mr. Quinn 79, Ms. Neumann 54, and Ms. Fraga 52. The runoff results showed 93 for Ms. Crumiller, 88 for Mr. Quinn, and 68 for Ms. Neumann.

The forum began with a brief statement by Mayor Liz Lempert, who is running unopposed for re-election. Ms. Lempert cited two guiding principles that have steered her through her first four years in office: doing more with less, and a responsibility to “lift all boats” and work on policies that keep a commitment to future generations.

Moderated by Nicole Plett of the League of Women Voters, the program continued with statements by each of the four candidates. High on the list of priorities was the issue of affordability.

Ms. Crumiller said one of her goals is to enhance Princeton’s small town character and finish the work she has been doing to help merge the ordinances of the former Borough and Township. She also stressed that Princeton’s zoning needs re-examination. “We have a teardown epidemic,” she said, adding that keeping the tax rate low and continuing to provide non-market affordable housing will make it possible for residents to remain rather than moving away.

Ms. Fraga cited her experience leading a movement to establish an independent civil rights commission in Princeton, and mentioned food insecurity, the achievement gap, and affordability as major concerns. “We need to create a local tenant bill of rights,” she said. “I know of many families who have been displaced in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. Just this year alone, 20 families had to move out. They didn’t know their rights.”

Ms. Neumann won applause with a statement that Princeton University should pay more of a share in taxes, referring to a pending lawsuit against the University focused on taxing of certain campus properties. She said Princeton should have an economic development commission to attract new businesses and keep existing ones. On the issue of affordability, she said property taxes should be lowered. “Maybe the penny-pinching old Borough can teach us something about cutting costs,” she said.

Mr. Quinn also cited taxes and teardowns among major areas of concern for middle class residents. “Many wonder whether there will be a place for them in the new Princeton,” he said, adding, “What happened to the duplex in Princeton?” Past president of the school board, Mr. Quinn said one way for the town to streamline its operations would be to share services with the school district, among other departments.

There were groans from the audience when Ms. Plett asked the candidates what they would do with the former Valley Road School building, which is in deteriorating condition. “Not this again,” one audience member was heard to say. But the question was submitted and each candidate answered.

“Does anyone in the room tonight have between $10 and $15 million?” Mr. Quinn asked the audience. “That’s the price tag for adaptive reuse. The rehab of that building would clearly be a want and not a need.” He added that anything proposed for the site needs to pass the Board of Education’s standard. Ms. Fraga said, “It’s a shame to have such a beautiful building not being put to good use,” adding she could imagine it being used for a youth center.

Ms. Neumann said she could imagine the building as single room occupancy affordable housing, or another civic purpose. “It belongs to the school board but the school board belongs to us,” she said. Ms. Crumiller said the building could be used for municipal offices or affordable housing for seniors “in a perfect world.” But the school board “has dropped the ball,” she said. “The building is falling into more disrepair. Every time I ask the administrator about it, he talks to the superintendent, who says the school district has a plan for it but they don’t have the money. That is not a plan. A plan without money is the same as no plan.”

On the issue of increasing town revenues without raising taxes, Mr. Quinn suggested some revenue could be gotten from the Institute for Advanced Study. Its housing is not on tax rolls and faculty members send their children to public schools, but the Institute makes no payment to the town. “It seems to me the Institute is getting a free ride while the University keeps its residential properties on the tax rolls,” he said. Ms. Neumann broached the idea of a special improvement district that would include downtown businesses and Princeton University.

Ms. Crumiller said she would not want to create such a district unless local merchants were in favor of the idea. The town should participate in more private-public partnerships, she added, including more work on projects with the University. Ms. Fraga said her focus would be on shared services with the county or other municipalities.

The candidates were also asked about a complete streets policy to encompass motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Mr. Quinn said, “We need to build a culture of cycling friendliness in this town. We need it to grow from the residents that bikes are expected here.” Ms. Fraga noted that biking is the only transportation option for some residents of Princeton, and the town needs to make cycling safer. Ms. Neumann said she is in favor of sharrows, or road markings, over dedicated bike lanes. Ms. Crumiller agreed with the other candidates that the town needs to make streets safer for cyclists.

The Municipal Committee was scheduled to meet Tuesday evening with each of the four candidates and then vote to recommend which is placed in the Democratic column, which will receive the official party logo and slogan next to their name, and the order of candidates in the column. The recommendations are then passed to Mercer County Democratic Party Chair Liz Muoio for final approval before ballots for the June primary are printed.