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Vol. LXI, No. 43
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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Vol. LXI, No. 43
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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Some people feel the political calling through civic involvement. Cindy Randazzo was drawn to politics over a bowl of chili.
Just having settled in Princeton after she and her family moved in from Michigan, Ms. Randazzo didn’t realize her ideas jibed with any voter base until she attended a friend’s backyard barbeque, and found that she, a Republican, could potentially enter into the all-Democratic Princeton Township government.
“I’ve always been a person who raises their hand when nobody else does, so for me, running was something that felt natural, but that’s not to underscore the hard battle that’s ahead here,” Ms. Randazzo said in an interview.
The odds became clear when she began campaigning door to door. “There’s a division here, and I don’t know why it’s so strong, but it’s time for people to start agreeing more and just overall blend better.”
Ms. Randazzo, 47, and her two children, moved to Princeton after her husband’s job was transferred to Edison. “I had a wonderful life in Michigan, and we thought for about two years about coming here, and it took us a long time to sell our house there, but we were so excited when we finally did, because we could concentrate on settling here.”
A self-described soccer mom who was also able to choreograph an occupational transfer from Edward Jones in Michigan to the company’s Princeton branch, Ms. Randazzo said, upon arriving in the Township, that she first became aware of the town’s solid community and amenities, and then became aware of the living expenses.
“My youngest child is about to finish high school, and I’m going to be an empty nester soon, and so we had to think if there was going to be financial recovery in coming here, or for the next 20 years are we going to be house poor?
“I mean, it’s serious. I’m an average person, and I’m not unique, but finding out that people are getting reverse mortgages to stay in their homes is sick stuff, and that’s partially due to the tax situation. This state is going to suffer unless people start waking up.”
Being a Republican in a town that’s been all Democratic since 1998 is also on Ms. Randazzo’s radar, but is not of pressing concern to her. “You have to choose which party, and I chose on the fundamentals: and, let’s face it, most of us are somewhere in between the two political parties.
“Also, these are local issues. I just think that sometimes you need a changing of the guard. Sometimes if you get all of the same ideals, you lose checks and balances,” Ms. Randazzo said. “I think some folks are warming up to the idea that there needs to be a mix.”
But it’s not just party affiliation and taxes that Ms. Randazzo has shaped her campaign around, it’s “potholes, gangs, green spaces, and trash removal.
“But we’re also divided when it comes to the two Princetons. The doughnut in the whole thing separates us too. Consolidation doesn’t happen overnight, but also not 20 years down the road.”
Two weeks ago, Ms. Randazzo attended a Princeton Future meeting at the Princeton Public Library, and said she was “surprised” by the general perception of Princeton University. “If you take a company and they’re employing residents, and they’re helping with housing and all these things, you can’t bite them.
“In this particular case, they’re obviously not going anywhere, but it happens with companies, and you can’t continually barrage them when they’re doing so many good things. Let’s count our blessings here,” she said. “Princeton University is a huge asset here and we need to be grateful for that asset. They cannot be blamed for everything to do with our taxes — that’s just too easy and unfair.”
Crossing municipal lines, Ms. Randazzo specifically pointed to the 2005 zoning change that saw a 100,000-square-foot increase in developmental space in the Borough’s E-3 zoning district, comprising the University’s Engineering Quadrangle. That move, Ms. Randazzo said, was essential in building a lasting relationship with the school. “Without the University, we would be just another little town.”
Encouraging small businesses to be established in the Township is also a concern for Ms. Randazzo, who said that the Township should make the permit and building process more accessible for small business. “If you’re going to allow someone to come into this town, then you need to encourage them. Do things to help them — it’s a business, it’s going to create revenue, and it’s a good thing.”
But Ms. Randazzo laughs when she discusses her problems with Princeton, because, she said, it was the town’s identity that ultimately allowed for her and her family to make the easy decision to move here. “The development here has been kept under control, and the open space has been managed smartly, but again, I worry about the long-term.”
She points to her job in the investment industry as something that has tuned her into some of the problems residents are facing in Princeton. “Being in the finance industry, one of the big things that I’ve heard from seniors is worry about taxes. Now, many seniors I’ve talked to feel that it is their right and privilege to pay to live in Princeton, but the property assessment is out of hand,” she said.
Ultimately, Ms. Randazzo said, if elected, she plans on “doing a lot of reading when I get up there. I mean, I’m not a polished politician, so I guess I should work on that,” she quipped.
“I’m the citizen’s pick, and I’m coming strictly from the perspective of someone who moved here three years ago — I’ve seen some things that are not right, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be fixed.”