By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Democrats Heather H. Howard and Lance Liverman were re-elected Tuesday to the Princeton Council in a landslide victory over their Republican challengers.
Ms. Howard and Mr. Liverman received 3,207 and 3,116 votes, respectively, while Republicans Lynn Irving and Kelly DiTosto received 1,211 and 1,117.
The outcome will leave the six-member council in Democratic hands again in 2016 when the two winners will take their oaths of office in January.
Mr. Liverman said Tuesday that he was thankful to his supporters, and promised that he and Ms. Howard would continue “to do a great job.”
They two have helped lead the consolidated town since 2013, having previously served on Borough Council, in Ms. Howard’s case, and on Township Committee, in Mr. Liverman’s. They touted the strides the police department had made under new leadership as some of the achievements of the past three years.
“I’m honored to be re-elected to another term and pleased that I’ll be serving with Lance Liverman and all our terrific colleagues on council,” Ms. Howard said by phone.
Looking ahead, she said the town would have to come up with an affordable housing plan that meets the approval of a Mercer County judge.
But for the GOP, the outcome had a familiar ring to it.
The two Republicans ran for political office for the first time to break the grip that Democratic Party has on municipal government, where all six council members and the mayor are Democrats. Yet their message of having two-party representation did not resonate in a community where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans in registered voters.
“We ran a good race,” Ms. Irving said by phone Wednesday.
She used her post-election comments to call for political change in Princeton. She said the community needed to switch to a nonpartisan form of government, one in which party affiliation would not play a role in elections.
In an interview Wednesday, Ms. DiTosto echoed that view and said the community should look at what towns like West Windsor and Robbinsville have done by going to nonpartisan government.
