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Vol. LXV, No. 14
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 14
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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The membership meeting of the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) saw an unprecedented turnout on Sunday evening, largely owing to the vote in which two Borough Council seats and the position of Borough Mayor were contested for endorsement for the Democratic primary election in June.
David Goldfarb received 41 percent of the total votes cast while Yina Moore and Anne Neumann received 23 and 20 percent of votes respectively in the bid for the PCDO endorsement for Borough Mayor.
Since no candidate achieved the 60 percent majority necessary from their municipality (and 50 percent of the total vote) to garner the full PCDO endorsement as slated in the organization’s bylaws, and since Mr. Goldfarb gained more than 40 percent approval, he will receive the recommendation to be placed in the Democratic Party column on the primary ballot, but will not have the official slogan associated with his name.
With 200 PCDO members voting in the endorsement election, 113 hailed from the Borough and 87 from the Township. Mr. Goldfarb garnered 49 Borough votes and 33 from the Township, while Ms. Moore received 22 Borough votes and 23 from the Township, and Ms. Neumann accrued 22 and 17 votes from the Borough and Township, respectively.
The other contested race saw Heather Howard and Barbara Trelstad receiving the full PCDO endorsement for the two seats on Borough Council. Members were allowed to make two choices; Ms. Howard received 83 percent of the votes and Ms. Trelstad gained 60 percent. Challenger Thomas Zucosky received 37 percent of the total votes.
Two Township Committee seats are also up for reelection, but incumbents Bernie Miller and Sue Nemeth easily gained the PCDO endorsement since they were running uncontested.
Issues that candidates are expected to face this year include potential municipal consolidation or increased shared services; developments concerning Princeton University’s proposed Arts and Transit neighborhood; and negotiations over the University’s payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) contribution, which comes up for renegotiation at the end of this year, among other issues.
The filing deadline is Monday, April 11 for those wanting to run in the Democratic and Republican primary races on June 7. Petitions are available at each municipal clerk’s office and should be brought back to the respective offices upon completion.