By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Mayor Liz Lempert will enter her re-election race with a decided financial edge against her Republican opponent, who has indicated he will spend no more than $4,500 in the contest.
Challenger Peter Marks filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission paperwork indicating his campaign would stay below that spending threshold. In the same sworn statement that ELEC received Wednesday, Mr. Marks also acknowledged that he would file additional documentation with the agency if he spends more than that amount.
He could not be reached for comment Friday.
“Republicans generally have a low budget,” said Princeton GOP chairman Dudley Sipprelle on Friday. “In Princeton, the amount spent by Republicans does not necessarily equate to electoral success at the polls.”
He noted that in 2012, GOP mayoral candidate Dick Woodbridge raised a large sum of money in a race in which Mayor Lempert beat him handily.
As for the incumbent, she emerged from her uncontested race in the Democratic primary with $12,121 still available to spend in her bid for another four-year term, her campaign finance reports showed. She did not return messages seeking comment Friday.
It was not immediately known if Mayor Lempert will limit how much donors can give to her general election campaign the way she did for the primary. The cap then was $300 for individuals, as opposed to $2,600 that state law allows, and $600 for couples, a move that the self-described critic of big money in politics touted last year.
“I feel like it is important for Princeton to have our elections not be big-money affairs and to hopefully show that you can run an effective campaign that does not require tons of money,” she said in December in discussing the donation cap.
In a town where about half of all registered voters are Democrats, Mayor Lempert is seen as the heavy favorite to retain her seat on Nov.8. But Mr. Sipprelle said he gives Mr. Marks a shot.
“It depends on the mood of the electorate, and how they feel about the mayor and whether they feel there needs to be a change,” Mr. Sipprelle said. “It’s all good. I am optimistic.”
