To the Editor:
I am incredibly grateful to the residents of Princeton who cast their ballots in this exciting primary and participated in so many other ways: attending meetings and forums, reading articles and campaign coverage, commenting, communicating with candidates in person, by phone, and online, and of course putting up lawn signs. All of this shows how much we all care about our town, and it gives me enormous hope that we will find ways to work together on practical solutions to our shared goals.
Many thanks to the volunteers at Princeton Community Democratic Organization, League of Women Voters, Walk and Bike Princeton, district representatives at Princeton Democratic Municipal Committee, and local journalists for organizing in-person and online forums and working to get voters important information about the candidates.
I am deeply honored to be moving forward, along with current Council member David Cohen, to the general election in November. I have a lot of homework to do before I, with your support, hopefully join our Council in January. I would like to give you, the reader, a homework assignment as well.
As potentially the newest and youngest member of Council next term, I am going to need everyone’s help so I can learn quickly and be ready to ask the right questions. I need to hear what you are noticing as you go about your daily life. What is working and what is not working in our town? What catches your eye as you travel this summer? What issues come up in the operation of your business? Start asking yourself: what can I share to help turn municipal policy into results that work for me, my kids, local businesses, my current and future neighbors?
And since this is homework, there will be a QUIZ! Be on the lookout for a form on my website MarinaForAmericanDream.com in a couple of weeks asking for your thoughts. There you will also find upcoming events and can sign up for campaign updates on what I am learning and ideas I am formulating.
Last but not least, a huge thank you to the other incredible candidates, Leanna Jahnke, Jon Durbin, and David Cohen, who were on this campaign journey with me. I am proud that we ran such educational and issue-focused campaigns that elevated the needs of Princetonians. And to my small but absolutely mighty kitchen cabinet team: there is no way I could have gotten here without your expertise, ideas, and unwavering support.
This campaign has always been about coming together to discover the power we, the residents of Princeton, have to make a real difference right here. It sounds like we will have that chance. Now let’s plan the how.