PRINCETON: Moore elaborates on decision not to run

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
   Mayor Yina Moore, who has declared her intention not to run again mayor of the consolidated Princeton but for the council, said she has not decided which candidate for mayor — Liz Lempert or Kevin Wilkes — she will support.
   In an initial email to reporters on Tuesday, she laid out her three reasons.
   After her statement, she was asked by the Packet to further explain how she came to this decision in an email interview.
   For her first reason she said was looking for “the opportunity to elect a mayor who has broad experience, has contributed to the Princeton community outside of the political arena, and who has the vision and fortitude to lead our community in a new era.”
   Q: Is the mayoral job more challenging than you expected? How so? Do you feel you have bitten off more than you can chew?
   A: No it is not. It is how I expected. I hit the ground running, beginning my job only days after the election by attending the NJ League of Municipalities annual meeting. I met with state officials on transportation, public safety, and affordable housing issues, and met with municipal service providers to better scope out opportunities for service enhancements and savings for the Borough of Princeton. We are facing many challenges head on and making progress on many fronts. Most know I rarely tire of the multiple meetings. It is invigorating and rewarding being able to approach issues from many different perspectives and solve a problem by bringing together stakeholders.
   Q: Do you feel we need a different vision as Princeton begins a new era as a consolidated community?
   A: We have a new vision. It is called consolidation. It should be articulated and memorialized immediately in the vision section of our community master plan and through our planning and implementation processes. The master plan currently stands as a statement of the past and current conditions and it is important that we take this time to revise it to form the basis of critical decisions to come.
   Q: You made a point of pointing out your many community contributions during your Packet editorial board meetings; have these experiences helped you in your mayoral role?
   A: Yes, my experiences have been very helpful in developing new approaches to problems and in coordinating resources to improve opportunities, conditions and services for the community.
   Q: Both candidates who have announced are “inside” the political arena, as sitting governing body members, so what do you mean by the second part of your sentence?
   A: While both are currently in elected office, each for only a short time, my statement referenced the community experience gained and time given outside of the political arena.
   In her second reason for her decision not to run she wrote: “I decided to run for office one year ago to bring my experience, leadership, and clear purpose to bear in addressing a myriad of community issues. Although I have been in office only 70 days, I have put forth several initiatives that I want to focus on for the next few months as mayor without the distraction of a mayoral campaign.”
   Q: What are those initiatives? What do you specifically want to focus on? What issues do you see arising during the rest of your mayoral term?
   A: Not in any particular order, and not exhaustive — increased availability of low, low-income housing, enhanced trash services for borough residents and businesses, sustaining and increasing affordable housing options and programs, establishing a community health initiative, preserving the character of our neighborhoods and architectural resources, improving institutional relations, providing a forum for addressing issues of the downtown neighborhoods, future facility and infrastructure planning, increasing community participation, improving communication and transparency of processes, etc.
   Q: Wouldn’t a campaign for council be distracting?
   A: Less is already implied in previous statement.
   Her third reason was “to continue the implementation of these initiatives and contribute to decision making as a voting member of council to ensure that benefits of consolidation accrue to the entire community.”
   Q: Why do you think the council voting position is so important? Isn’t setting the agenda as mayor just as, if not more important?
   A: In the borough form of government, the mayor does not vote. Consolidation results in a shift in the balance of representative interests and I am very concerned about the future of the downtown residential and central business district neighborhoods.
   Q: In the simplest terms possible, why did you decide not seek a second term as mayor or the mayor of the “new” Princeton?
   A: Already answered.
   Jill Jachera, Mayor Moore’s Republican opponent who came within 100 votes of upset at the polls last November is not surprised by the decision.
   ”I always believed that she was more interested in saying she was the mayor, rather than actually doing the job. Her failure to follow election law, participating in improper meetings, her lack of leadership thus far and her political appointments to commissions are an embarrassment to Princeton and are all reasons she is not even qualified to serve on council,” said Ms. Jachera in a statement. “I hope that the PCDO will right its wrong of having encouraged residents to vote for her by not giving her the endorsement March 25th.”
   Ms. Jachera is still considering her options for a run at the mayor’s office.