By Donald Gilpin 

When Princeton residents mail in their ballots or vote early October 28 to November 5 at the Princeton Shopping Center voting site or at one of the other sites in the county, or vote on Election Day, November 7 at their assigned polling sites, they will be making choices in seven local, county, and state elections, as well as voting yes or no on a bond referendum.

On the Princeton ballot are candidates for Princeton Council; for state Senate and general assembly in Legislative District 16; for Mercer County executive, sheriff, and Board of Commissioners; and for members of the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE).

Also on the ballot is a $13 million PPS bond proposal to improve security and technology infrastructure and address major maintenance projects. PPS is inviting community members to tour Princeton High School areas targeted for improvement on Thursday, October 26 from 7-8 p.m., and on Saturday, October 28 from 10-11 a.m.  Visitors can check out the cafeteria, which would be renovated to create more seating for students and allow for more efficient lunch lines. The guided tour may also include the athletic field and track scheduled for resurfacing and the EcoLab, another area in need of repairs.

For in-depth insights into the referendum proposal, the district recommends checking out the video of an October 18 virtual community forum,

available at princetonk12.org under “District.”

If voters approve the referendum, the state will contribute approximately $5 million in debt service aid toward the $13 million in facility improvements. The district estimates that the bond would have an annual tax impact of $104 on a home assessed at Princeton’s average of $848,037.

In the race for Princeton Council, Democratic Incumbents David Cohen and Leticia Fraga are running unopposed to reclaim their seats for a third three-year term.

Cohen has served on the Vision Zero Task Force, working for safer streets; the Planning Board; the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee; and the Flood and Stormwater Commission. Ongoing work on completion of the Princeton Master Plan and stormwater management continue to be high priority issues for
Cohen.

Fraga has served as liaison to the Board of Health and the Human Services and Civil Rights commissions, and as chair of the Public Safety Committee. She was Council President in 2021 and 2022. Fraga continues to emphasize her “equity lens” in making policy decisions, representing all voices in the community.

In the election for state Senate for New Jersey’s 16th legislative district, incumbent Democrat Andrew Zwicker is running against Republican Michael Pappas. 

Zwicker, a physicist and head of strategic partnerships and public engagement at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, won his Senate seat by defeating Pappas in the 2021 election. Before that Zwicker served for four years in the New Jersey General Assembly.

Pappas has served on the Franklin Township Council, as mayor of Franklin Township, as a member of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders, and as a one-term U.S. congressman for the 12th district of New
Jersey.

Two positions in the general assembly in the 16th district are up for grabs in this election, with incumbent Roy Freiman and Mitchelle Drulis running for the Democrats and Ross Traphagen and Grace Zhang for the
Republicans. 

Freiman, a former executive at Prudential Financial, is running for his fourth term. He serves as chairman of the New Jersey Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee. Drulis, a small business owner, has worked in New Jersey politics since 2000 — as a legislative aid to an assemblyman, as chief of staff to an assemblyman, and as political director then district director to U.S. Congressman Tom Malinowski.

Traphagen, a small business owner who lives in Clinton, has served two terms as councilman for the town of Clinton. His priorities include keeping taxes as low as possible and controlling overdevelopment. Zhang, a Princeton resident and certified public accountant, is the owner of a consulting and accounting business and an engaged volunteer and advocate in her children’s schools.

Running for Mercer County executive, following longtime incumbent Brian Hughes’ announcement in March that he would not be on the ballot for another term, are Democrat Dan Benson and Republican Lisa Marie Richford. 

Benson, a contractor and consultant, and a Hamilton resident, has been in the New Jersey Assembly since 2011. Before that he served on the Hamilton Council, then on the Mercer County Board of Commissioners.

Richford, an attorney for the past 31 years, is currently the chair of the Mercer County Republican Committee. A resident of Hamilton, Richford in her campaign has emphasized a need for greater transparency in the county budget and the need for change after 20 years of Democratic rule in the county.

In the race for Mercer County sheriff, incumbent Democrat John A. “Jack” Kemler is running for a fifth term against Republican Bryan “Bucky” Boccanfuso and Libertarian Drew
Cifrodelli. 

Kemler began his career in law enforcement in the Trenton Police Department before joining the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and eventually beginning his service as sheriff in 2010.  Boccanfuso, a lifetime resident of Mercer County, has served in various capacities in the police departments of Princeton and Robbinsville. Cifrodelli is a small business owner who has also worked as a real estate broker and project manager.

The election for two positions on the Mercer County Board of Commissioners pits two incumbent Democrats against two Republican
challengers. 

Democrats Lucylle Walter, a county commissioner since 1998, and John Cimino, commissioner since 2009 and twice board president, are taking on new Republican candidates Joseph Stillwell of Hamilton and Denise “Neicy” Turner of Trenton. Stillwell, a recent Catholic University of America graduate, is working towards his New Jersey teacher certification, while Turner works as a medical security officer and owns a home daycare facility.

The Princeton BOE race features two incumbents — Beth Behrend and Michele Tuck-Ponder — and three new candidates — Adam Bierman, Eleanor Hubbard, and Rene Obregon — competing for three available seats on the Board.

For BOE candidate information and perspectives, see page 1 of last week’s [October 18] issue of Town Topics.

Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello has announced that Mercer County has purchased new voting machines for the November 7 election. These are the same Dominion voting machines currently used for early voting. The clerk’s website at mercercounty.org includes further information on voting, as well as a video explaining how to use the new machines.