By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The four Democrats running for Princeton Council will take the first step toward what they hope is a winning campaign by appealing to party rank and file for their endorsement on Sunday.
Member of the roughly 400-member strong Princeton Community Democratic Organization, the party club, will choose from incumbent Councilwoman Jenny Crumiller, Anne Neumann, Tim Quinn and Leticia Fraga, for the two seats up this year. The four of them will appear together to make statements and answer questions before the endorsement vote.
Democrats said this week that the PCDO endorsement is a piece of a larger process that helps influence who gets preferential ballot placement for the party primary in June. That decision is determined ultimately by Mercer County Democratic Chairwoman and state Assemblywoman Liz Muoio, who considers the PCDO vote and the vote of the Democratic municipal committee, scheduled for Tuesday, in making her selection.
Aside from the council candidates, Mayor Liz Lempert also will be up for endorsement at the scheduled 7 p.m. meeting inside the Jewish Center on Nassau Street. She has no challenger.
Despite the buildup for the vote, the weather might hold down turnout, however. Snow is in the forecast for Sunday night, the National Weather Service has said. But PCDO president Owen O’Donnell said Thursday that as long the synagogue can open and as long as a quorum of 20 people attend, the event will go on as scheduled.
The public is allowed to attend, but only club members may vote for the endorsement. Per club rules, candidates need to get at least 60 percent of the vote to get the full PCDO endorsement, although there would be a run-off if not.
This year, Democrats are in a contested race for council for the first time since 2014. Incumbent Patrick Simon, a Democrat, announced in January that he was not running for re-election, this after he flirted with running for mayor. That left Ms. Crumiller defending her seat with three others jumping into the race.
In an interview, Ms. Crumiller said Thursday that she hopes her incumbency sets her apart from the other candidates. She said residents are “happy” with how the town is run and thinks that her record “speaks for itself.”
Mr. Quinn pointed to his experience serving the community, as a member of the school board for two terms and as a member of the municipal planning board for three years. He said he has a “firm grasp” on land use and neighborhood issues facing the town.
“I look forward to it,” he said of Sunday’s event.
The buildup to the PCDO vote gives candidates a chance to craft their message, meet with voters and raise money for their campaigns, said a Princeton Democrat familiar with the process. All four Democrats running are from the former borough, although Ms. Fraga said earlier in the week that fact is not relevant and “we are all one Princeton.”
Ms. Fraga said Thursday that she is “not a politician,” but rather an “average person who comes from the heart of the community.” She said she has been talking with residents to learn what their concerns and priorities are.
Ms. Neumann, who has run for Borough Council, said Thursday that she is “passionate” about preserving Princeton’s neighborhoods. In how she’ll distinguish herself Sunday, she said she is “very knowledgeable” about how the government works and cites her past experiences serving on municipal boards and commissions.
On Sunday, the council candidates will get to vote for themselves, but they were not saying whom else they would vote for, reluctant to alienate someone they might serve with next year. Ms. Neumann said votes “are private,” while Ms. Crumiller said she would not disclose which of the other council candidates she will support.
For her part, Ms. Fraga is seeking to become the first Latina on the six-member council, which currently has five white members and one black member. She is not making that part of her appeal to voters, however.
“I’m not asking individuals to vote because I’m a Latina,” she said.
Yet in a town where the council puts a priority on having a diverse municipal work force, Ms. Crumiller avoided saying whether she thought the governing body as it looks today is diverse. She explained that she did not want to appear to be taking sides in the council race, in which Ms. Fraga is the only minority candidate.
Mr. Quinn said he brings a diversity of experience and income, as he describes himself as “solidly middle class.” He and his wife, a teacher, are both public sector employees.
Ms. Neumann said she saw diversity on the council, and touted her “close ties” to the local black community.
As for Mayor Lempert, she said she is not supporting any council candidate in the primary so that she can focus on her race, one in which she has no challenger. She said diversity does matter on council, and believes it is important to have a governing body that “represents the community.”
