By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Princeton Borough Republican Party mayoral candidate Jill Jachera out-raised and outspent Yina Moore, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor, but it wasn’t quite enough to out-poll Ms. Moore in the Nov. 8 general election.
Ms. Jachera, however, came within striking distance of winning the election. She lost to Ms. Moore who was sworn into office for a one-year term Tuesday night by 100 votes. Ms. Jachera was the first Republican to run for mayor in many years.
The Friends of the Jill 4 Mayor campaign raised $36,904.45 and spent $31,452.10, according to the 20-day post election campaign finance report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). The report was filed Nov. 28.
The Committee to Elect Yina Moore for Mayor of Princeton Borough raised $1,806.97 and spent $494.68, according to the 29-day pre-election and 11-day pre-election reports filed with ELEC. The 20-day post-election campaign finance report had not been filed with ELEC as of Wednesday.
According to Ms. Jachera’s ELEC reports, the candidate raised $19,600 of the $36,904.45 in total contributions from 15 contributors each of whom donated $300 or more. The names of donors who gave less than $300 are not required to be listed on the ELEC form.
The Princeton Borough Republican Committee gave $2,900.
Karen Fullerton and Judy Scheide each donated $2,600, and Marianne D. McComb and Kim Pimley each gave $2,500. Ann M. Ridings, Barry M. Ridings and Peter Bienstock each contributed $1,000.
Contributions of $500 apiece came from Maria Yang, Vanzandt Williams, Denise Wood, Hank Siegel, Andrew S. Eristoff, Jonah T. Lansky and Robert Piasio.
The campaign also received $4,116.99 in in-kind contributions of $300 or more from Tracy Sipprelle, Bill Scheide and Julia Flesch for food and beverages for fundraising purposes. Ms. Sipprelle spent $1,416.99, Mr. Scheide spent $1,700 and Ms. Flesch spent $1,000.
Ms. Jachera also loaned her campaign $4,202.46.
The bulk of the money spent by the Friends of Jill 4 Mayor campaign was $10,928.39 for campaign literature and postage. This included money for lawn signs, doorknob bags and literature, palm cards, business cards and pens.
The campaign also spent $8,483.96 on newspaper advertising and $1,636.12 on fundraising expenses, such as a room rentals and food. It also spent $3,755.02 on get-out-the-vote efforts on Election Day.
The Committee to Elect Yina Moore for Mayor of Princeton Borough raised $1,806.97, including a $500 contribution from Robert William Dodge and $532.97 in funds transferred from a prior campaign. The remainder of the contributions came from donors who gave less than $300, and whose names do not have to be listed on ELEC reports.
Of the $494.68 spent by Ms. Moore’s campaign, $420.47 was spent on office supplies, $22.85 was spent on mailings and $51.36 was spent on food, according to the 29-day and 11-day pre-election reports on file with ELEC.
In addition to the Committee to Elect Yina Moore for Mayor of Princeton Borough, Ms. Moore was listed as a mayoral candidate along with Heather Howard and Barbara Trelstad as candidates for Borough Council under the banner of the Princeton Borough Democratic Campaign. It was a joint candidates committee.
The Princeton Borough Democratic Campaign received a $2,000 contribution from the Princeton Community Democratic Organization, according to a supplemental contributor information form filed with ELEC by the joint candidates committee.
But the Princeton Borough Democratic Campaign joint candidates committee was not required to fill out a detailed campaign finance report because Ms. Moore, Ms. Howard and Ms. Trelstad certified that the total amount to be spent by the committee on their campaign would be less than $11,000.
None of the other candidates for Borough Council or Township Committee filed detailed ELEC reports because they each certified that their campaign would spend less than the threshold amount required for such a report to be filed.
Peter Marks and Dudley Sipprelle, the Republican Party candidates for Borough Council, and Mark Scheibner and Geoff Aton, the Republican Party candidates for Township Committee, each ran a separate campaign. They certified that they would spend less than $4,000 on their campaigns.
The Committee to Re-elect Nemeth and Miller Sue Nemeth and Bernard Miller certified that it would spend less than $7,600 on the Democratic Party candidates’ campaign for Township Committee. Ms. Nemeth and Mr. Miller ran together.
