By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Democrats are scheduled later next month to make their picks for Princeton Council candidates, with party insiders saying that only two candidates so far are definitely in the race.
Two seats on the six-member council are up this year, both held by incumbents Jenny Crumiller and Patrick Simon. Ms. Crumiller said Friday that she and Mr. Simon are running for re-election, although it’s not clear to her who the opposition might be.
”I haven’t heard anything,” Ms. Crumiller said in a phone interview. For his part, Mr. Simon did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The picture ought to become clearer in the next few weeks. Though the new council only took office 43 days ago, candidates will have to decide whether to run sooner rather than later.
The first major event on the political calendar will be when the Princeton Community Democratic Organization meets March 24 to endorse candidates.
Hopefuls have to appear before the party’s club members and give a speech in hopes of getting their backing. Last year, Mayor Liz Lempert was adroit in getting many of her supporters, including large numbers of parents from Littlebrook Elementary School where her children have gone, to back her mayoral candidacy.
After that, the regular Democratic committee will decide who runs on the party line in the primary, although there could be a contested primary. The Democrat primary is the de facto general election in town, given Republicans are vastly outnumbered; last year, Ms. Lempert won her race in November in a landslide, while only one Republican ran for council in a year when six seats were up.
Though the incumbents might enjoy an edge at this point, there’s been speculation about who else might enter the contest.
”I’m a fence-sitter,” said former Borough Councilman Mark Freda when asked last week about whether he will be running. Mr. Freda has served as the chairman of the Transition Task Force, the group that spent the past year working on the merger of the two towns.
Other names thrown about include Task Force member Scott Sillars and former Borough Councilman Roger Martindell, both of whom ran and lost last year in their bids to serve on the governing body of the consolidated Princeton.
Mr. Sillars said Friday that he was not running, while Mr. Martindell would not say what he planned to do.
In January, all six council members drew random term lengths by pulling slips of paper out of a hat; Ms. Crumiller and Ms. Simon drew one-year-terms. The winners in the November general election will get three-year terms.
