Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert will not be seeking a third term.
Lempert made her announcement at the Princeton Council’s annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 2 at the Witherspoon Hall municipal building.
“This is an especially meaningful reorganization meeting for me because this will be my last [one] presiding as mayor, as I will not seek a third term,” Lempert said.
Her four-year term ends on Dec. 31, 2020.
Lempert is the first mayor of the consolidated Municipality of Princeton, which was created when the former Princeton Borough and the former Princeton Township merged in 2012.
The mayor is elected directly by the voters, and is responsible for the operation of Princeton municipal government. The mayor votes only to break a tie among the six-member Princeton Council.
Lempert served on the former Princeton Township Committee for four years. She was the deputy mayor in 2012.
Meanwhile, former Princeton Borough Council member Mark Freda announced plans last month to run for the Democratic Party nomination for mayor of Princeton. He served on the Princeton Borough Council from 1986 to 1999, including five years as its president.
Freda, who is a lifelong Princeton resident, helped to lead the municipal consolidation effort. He has volunteered with the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad and the Princeton Fire Department, and is the president of the nonprofit rescue squad.
Lempert, in her announcement, said she believes “it is healthy for governments to change hands and for officials to pass the baton. Princeton is an extraordinary community with an abundance of thoughtful, talented, community-minded residents, and I believe our future is bright.”
The mayor said that in the seven years since the former Princeton Borough and the former Princeton Township consolidated, much has been reaped – securing a recurring annual dividend from consolidation, preserving environmentally sensitive open space and formally recognizing the historic importance of the historically black Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood.
The town has developed a forward-thinking police department “grounded by strong, positive community relationships,” she said. The town also has emerged as a leader in sustainability efforts, and has committed itself to being a welcoming community “at a time when some of our residents have come under attack (for their lack of documentation),” she said.
“This isn’t goodbye for me yet,” Lempert said at the meeting.
“A year is a long time and I look forward to a supercharged year with this energetic Princeton Council,” Lempert said.