The race for seats on the governing body is just beginning to take shape in Princeton Borough.
By: Jennifer Potash
Borough Councilman Ryan Stark Lilienthal announced Wednesday that he will not seek another term.
Councilman Roger Martindell, who also is up for re-election, said he will run.
Mr. Lilienthal said that as the father of a young son facing increased demands from work, there is not enough time for Borough Council.
"It has been a great pleasure to serve on the governing body," he said prior to the meeting on the Princetons’ joint budgets. "There’s just not enough time in the day."
Mr. Lilienthal, a Maple Street resident, is an attorney in Lawrence Township focusing on immigration law. Married to attorney Rachel Lilienthal Stark, the couple have a 6-month-old son, Noah.
His term ends in January 2002. He was elected in 1998 following his appointment to fill the remaining months of Councilwoman Sandra Starr’s unexpired term. Ms. Starr died in October 1998.
When asked, Councilman Martindell said he will seek his fifth council term.
"I am running again because I want to participate in the deliberations and negotiations concerning the redevelopment of the downtown and the redevelopment of Palmer Square’s Hulfish North development," Mr. Martindell said.
There is no candidate yet to fill Mr. Lilienthal’s seat, said Andrew Koontz, borough Democratic municipal chairman. But Joseph O’Neill, a longtime member of the Princeton Regional Planning Board, told the party he would like to run last year if Peggy Karcher did not want to run, Mr. Koontz said.
"This year he did let me know if a seat was available he was interested in running," Mr. Koontz added.
Mr. O’Neill, a resident of Gordon Way, could not be reached for comment.
Jack Marrero, the new chairman of the Princeton Republican Association, said the party has not yet nominated its candidates in the borough but expects to do so soon.
Dorothy Koehn, a Green Street resident who ran as an independent candidate last year to promote moving the library and the Arts Council of Princeton to Valley Road, said this week that she is undecided about a second try.
The deadline to file a candidate petition with the borough clerk’s office is April 12. Based on the number of registered voters, Democrats require nine signatures to run and Republicans require four, said Borough Clerk Penelope Edwards-Carter.
Recruiting younger members of the borough to run for the Borough Council is a challenge, Mr. Koontz said.
"Ryan’s done a wonderful job and I think it’s a shame young people have found it so difficult to participate," he said. "It seems we’re dipping further into the retirement pool."
Several Borough Council members have resigned in recent years, seeking to spend more time with their families.
Mark Freda, a former council president, stepped down in December 1998, citing the competing demands of his two young children and his job, which required a weekly commute to New York.
Last year, Councilman William Slover declined to seek a second term, noting that he wanted to spend more time with his teen-age son. Mr. Slover resigned from the council a few months later as he moved to Princeton Township.
Since joining the council, Mr. Lilienthal has served on the borough’s Public Safety and Finance committees. He also has been an advocate for the protection of civil rights, most notably with his move in November to require a local Boy Scout Troop to write a letter stating the organization does not discriminate against homosexuals in order to obtain bags to cover parking meters for a Christmas tree sale.
Councilman Martindell, who ran with Mr. Lilienthal in 1998, said he will miss his colleague’s "sense of humor, intelligence and diligence."
"He and I thought alike on a number of issues including civil rights and civil liberties and legal issues," said Mr. Martindell.
Should Mr. O’Neill become the nominee, he would be "a wonderful candidate," Mr. Martindell said.
Mr. Lilienthal said he doesn’t plan to fade from public life with his retirement from Borough Council. He said he has an interest in working with the Historical Society of Princeton and will continue his involvement with the Princeton Human Services Commission, for which he now serves as council liaison.