Three have formally submitted names, and more are expected
By: Marjorie Censer
With the installation Wednesday of Princeton Borough Council President Mildred Trotman as mayor comes an immediate vacancy on the council. Though the council has 30 days to appoint a new member, speculation about who will fill the spot already has begun.
Borough Councilman Andrew Koontz, chair of the Princeton Democratic Municipal Committee, said three candidates Anne Waldron Neumann, Barbara Trelstad and Kevin Wilkes have formally submitted their names to the committee. Mr. Koontz added, however, that several potential candidates are still considering entering their names, and he expects the number of possible nominees to grow.
Ms. Neumann sought the council seat vacated by Mayor Joseph O’Neill in 2004 but lost in the primary to Mr. Koontz and Roger Martindell. An Alexander Street resident, she said she has many new ideas she’d like to contribute to the council.
Ms. Neumann holds a doctorate in English literature and has taught at The Arts Council of Princeton and the Princeton Adult School. She serves on the Site Plan Review Advisory Board of the Regional Planning Board of Princeton, the Princeton Environmental Commission and the Community-Based Neighborhood Retail Initiative of Princeton Future.
Ms. Trelstad, a resident of the borough for nearly 25 years, said she is committed to public service. A member of the Princeton Environmental Commission, she has also served on the borough Shade Tree Commission and the Site Plan Review Advisory Board.
Mr. Wilkes, a landscape architect with the Princeton Design Guild, recently helped found the Princeton Parks Alliance. He worked on Writers Block and is a member of the Witherspoon Street Corridor Study advisory group of Princeton Future.
He could not be reached for comment.
Jenny Crumiller of Library Place and Mark Freda of Fisher Avenue were two of the candidates nominated by the Princeton Democratic Municipal Committee in 2004 to fill the spot vacated by Mayor O’Neill when he became mayor, and both are considered potential candidates again. Mr. Koontz, the third candidates nominated in 2004, was selected to fill Mayor O’Neill’s seat.
Mr. Freda, a former councilman, was unsuccessful in his bid for a seat in the 2004 Borough Council primary.
He said he is considering making a bid to fill the current vacancy but is concerned about the time commitment because of his involvement in local nonprofit groups.
"I’m thinking about it. I just don’t know that I have time to do it right now," said Mr. Freda, who works as vice president for facilities at Goldman Sachs & Co. "I might have to give all the other things up."
He is president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and past chief of the Princeton Fire Department.
Ms. Crumiller could not be reached for comment.
Anne O’Neill, wife of the late mayor, has also been mentioned as a possible nominee. More than one Democrat has said Ms. O’Neill would be an outstanding council member but whether Ms. O’Neill is interested remains unknown. She could not be reached for comment.
Former Mayor Barbara Boggs Sigmund wanted to appoint Ms. O’Neill to the Planning Board in 1986. When she declined, Mr. O’Neill jumped in, beginning his municipal career.
Another potential candidate, Ryan Stark Lilienthal, has declined to run. A former councilman and immigration lawyer, Mr. Lilienthal said he does not plan to submit his name. He said he wants to spend time with his wife and children, as well as on his law practice.
"I’m very interested in, at some point, returning to council," Mr. Lilienthal added.
Mr. Koontz said the committee will meet Monday to decide upon the three names to be submitted to the council. The council will then vote to appoint one of the three nominees.
He praised the qualifications of the candidates for the position.
"It’s a testament to how vibrant and how deep the bench is for the Democratic Party in Princeton Borough," Mr. Koontz said.

