To the Editor:
We are supporting Marina Rubina and David Cohen for Princeton Council as a team that will help move our town forward while preserving the best parts of our historic heritage.
Fern comes from a family that has lived in Princeton for seven generations (!) and seen it all — the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s important because a clear-eyed view of the past is key to making the ideals we all share into reality — and Marina and Dave are committed to making that happen.
Fern got to know Dave as a School Board member dealing with the Planning Commission where he was a member, and credited the informed counsel that he brought as an architect with serious and intelligent support for affordable housing. Marina’s work also as an architect has also helped bring affordable housing into the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, where she now lives. Her life story as an émigré escaping from discrimination and repression in the Soviet Union resonates with both us and some of Princeton’s own history. Our beloved town is not perfect, but Marina and Dave are working to improve what needs to change!
On a personal note, after a lengthy career in the Princeton schools, Fern retired. But, too active to stay home, she has a second career, joining Dave until recently and all the good people who stand as school crossing guards. Rain or shine, they keep our children and grandchildren safe on their way to and from Princeton schools. Dave was a fixture on school days at the intersection of Valley and Jefferson. (He was the one with a cane.)
Princeton can’t stand still, yet must keep the special character that we love. These candidates are committed to these two imperatives. Both of us — Larry and myself — have found Marina and Dave to be good listeners with genuine, serious, and thought-through responses to any issues that we and others have brought to their attention.
And by the way, if you have any questions or topics to discuss, you will find them at the Farmers Market on Hinds Plaza on Thursdays from noon until 2 p.m. — among other venues.