Phyllis Marchand marks 20 years on governing body
By: Nick Norlen
Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand became involved in local government when her youngest child was 16, and when the majority of the Township Committee was Republican.
Now, she heads a committee of all Democrats, and her eighth grandchild is due on Election Day.
But she doesn’t entertain any plans of leaving her longtime post as township mayor.
"Sometimes people think, ‘Well, she’s been there so long.’ But my feeling is that I still have the same enthusiasm and excitement and commitment that I had when I ran in 1986. The issues some of them have changed, some have been resolved," she said. "But what’s wonderful about local government … it’s always a challenge and it’s always a learning experience."
Mayor Marchand’s learning experience in Princeton began in the mid-1960s when she moved with her husband from New York City.
Soon, the couple had three children, but not before she had serious doubts making the transition to a drastically different landscape.
"I was really not a suburban person," she said. "I was afraid we were moving to a desert with nothing."
But the avid Mets fan soon found involvement in the YWCA Princeton, the school district’s parent-teacher organization and McCarter Theatre.
While she "never expected to be an elected official in this community at all," her "name was sort of out there," she said, and requests for her to run for Township Committee followed.
"I figured, ‘What have I got to lose? I’ll do it.’ Never expecting to win," she said.
But her election in 1987 was the beginning of a long tenure in which she saw an increasingly Democratic Township Committee come to power.
Nevertheless, she said her desire to govern isn’t about politics it’s "definitely about the issues and about the community."
She added, "The community is made up of independents more independents probably than Republicans or Democrats and they’re the people who voted for me or voted people into office. I have always been very open about putting people on boards and commissions. The most important thing is that they have the qualifications, not what party they come from."
She cited that fairness as a probable reason her fellow committee members have appointed her as mayor for so many terms.
And while she tries to be balanced, she said she is not averse to taking a position that will upset some.
"I’m not afraid to express my opinion even though I know there will be a segment that will totally disagree with me and I could risk not winning an election," she said. "I think too many people are afraid of their electability if they take a bold step."
Having people know that her position is in the best interest of the township is more important than their agreement, she said.
"You don’t have to be loved," she said. "You just want people to understand why you did it."
That can be a challenge, she said, especially when dealing with issues that are seemingly irreconcilable.
"We can’t be a community of all open space. Nor can we be a community of all affordable housing," she said.
Fittingly, it’s those two areas where Mayor Marchand cites some of her most valued accomplishments.
The key is to balance a desire to maintain the township’s housing diversity with the challenge of preserving land, she said.
Along with such specific accomplishments, she cited the way the township conducts business as something she has been proud of over the years.
"We take advantage of everything," she said. "I think Woody Allen said half of life is showing up. We have been very proactive in looking for money other than taxpayers’ money, and we have been very successful in receiving it."
Her tenure hasn’t been without its controversies, including the construction of an expansive new township building that some called a Taj Mahal, a protracted dispute over the township’s deer management policy, and, more recently, a public debate about the cancellation of a parking subsidy for the Princeton Public Library.
The latter is among a number of issues that has recently raised questions about the township’s relationship with the borough a dynamic that Mayor Marchand said would be more of a challenge if not for the joint boards utilized by the two municipalities.
"There’s probably a less territorial feeling than there would be if the two governing bodies got together who were elected by one constituency and the other constituency," she said.
One person who has seen that relationship firsthand is former Borough Mayor Marvin Reed, who now serves with Mayor Marchand on the Regional Planning Board of Princeton, and whose terms as mayor of the borough overlapped with many of hers in the township.
The two are friends and Mr. Reed had high praise for his colleague.
"Once in a while there’d be some difference of opinion in terms of borough interests versus township interests, but I think we would recognize that and we would make sure that we didn’t go out of our way looking for things to dispute about," he said. "Some mayors rise to the bait if they get a particularly contentious constituent. I’ve never seen that with Mayor Marchand."
Similar sentiments were offered by Ray Wadsworth, chairman of The Spirit of Princeton, the community group that Mayor Marchand cited a special fondness for.
"She has been a great support of ours and the events we’ve had," he said. "She really gets in there and works."
However, members of another prominent Princeton organization, Princeton Future, cited disappointment that Mayor Marchand hasn’t attended its meetings.
"I think she’s a very strong leader, but … I’m disappointed in her lack of participation," said Chairman Bob Geddes.
While member Kevin Wilkes said Mayor Marchand "cares a lot about issues of planning and growth," he said "it’s unfortunate" she hasn’t taken interest in his group’s activities.
However, Mayor Marchand’s schedule leaves little room for new ventures.
Along with Township Committee and Planning Board meetings, Mayor Marchand serves on Princeton Public Library’s board of trustees, is a member of the township’s tax and finance and personnel committees, and spends time on the state sustainability committee and the state task force on gangs.
The second largest block of her schedule is spent returning phone calls and seeing constituents who request "five minutes" of her time.
"Sometimes people say, ‘Oh my gosh. You’re everywhere. You go to everything,’" she said. "It’s a very, very time-consuming job if you do it well."
Judging from the length of her tenure, she thinks it’s worth it.
"I think once in an editorial, a long time ago in an endorsement, they said, ‘Mayor Marchand is the cheerleader for Princeton Township.’ At first, I thought that was sort of a belittling thing. But I really don’t think it was," she said. "I am a cheerleader for the township. Because we have a lot to cheer about here."

