To the editor:
I am writing to urge Princeton voters to join me in voting for Brian McDonald for the board of education. I’ve known Brian for more than a decade. He is someone I admire and respect immensely for his character, his strong analytical skills and his deep commitment to this town.
Brian is a man of great integrity. He asks probing, insightful questions, listens to others with an open mind, and has the rare ability to bring people with differing opinions together. He has a strong work ethic and looks for ways to do what is right for the cause without a personal agenda or ulterior motives.
Brian has the analytical skills and financial skills that the board needs to navigate the significant challenges that our school district faces. Municipal and school finances are very complicated. Brian’s professional experience in public finance, combined with his seven years as a member of the Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee for the town of Princeton, uniquely position him to provide critically important insights, analyses and meaningful contributions to the board’s governance and fiduciary decisions.
Significantly, Brian also spent five years on Princeton University’s Facilities Planning Group, overseeing facilities construction and maintenance projects totaling over $200 million annually, and working closely and successfully with architects and project managers. Among all the candidates, Brian alone has the experience and expertise necessary to make the most of the schools’ operating budget, to prevent or minimize tax increases, and to ensure that there is strong and effective oversight of the planned capital investments in our infrastructure and buildings.
Beyond this, Brian’s many volunteer activities demonstrate his passionate dedication to the town of Princeton. He has been a McCarter Theatre trustee for 17 years, 14 as a member of the finance committee and was board president for five of those years. He is also the treasurer of Sustainable Princeton, served on the board of the Watershed Institute and has advised local institutions such as the Princeton Public Library, and Homefront over the years.
If elected to the Board of Education, I am confident that he will be steadfast in his commitment to our schools and our children.
It is for these reasons and many more that I enthusiastically urge you to vote for Brian McDonald on November 6.
Julie Ramirez
Princeton