June Primary Will Eliminate Two Candidates From Borough Race

Candace Braun

On Tuesday, June 8, Borough residents will have the opportunity to vote in the June Primary, a tally that reduces the number of Democratic candidates from four to two for the two open seats on Borough Council. Mark Freda, Andrew Koontz, Roger Martindell, and Anne Waldron Neumann are vying for the coveted seats.

Both Mr. Martindell and Mr. Koontz currently serve on Council, however both of their seats expire in November. Mr. Martindell has served four consecutive terms on Council, and Mr. Koontz is serving his first term, filling a seat that was vacated by Joe O'Neill in January when he became mayor.

Mr. Koontz went up against Jenny Crumiller and Mark Freda for his seat in January, winning by a Council vote of 3 to 2. Mr. Freda had received the other two votes.

All four candidates have been campaigning over the last several months. The Princeton Community Democratic Organization has endorsed Mr. Koontz, and his name will appear in a separate column on the ballot, indicating his endorsement.

One Republican candidate will be found on the ballot in addition to the four Democratic candidates. Evan J. Baehr, an undergraduate student at Princeton University, was recently endorsed by the Princeton Borough Republicans for this year's election.

With a tax increase of 14 cents per $100 of assessed valuation expected this year in the Borough, each candidate has their own ideas of how to bring the budget down.

"The only long term solution is to work with the state to get school taxes funded by some way other than property taxes," said Mr. Freda.

More contributions from non-profits, joint services with the county, and property tax reform at the state level all need to be part of Council's agenda, said Mr. Martindell. He also listed a reduction in services to Borough residences and an increase in non-tax revenues as key measures.

Ms. Neumann believes consolidating police departments and using a public relations stance to get more contributions from the University are tactics that should be used by Council.

Mr. Baehr said he feels that the University and other tax-exempt organizations should be forced to become more "responsible members of our community." He also suggested that Council should act on citizen input on spending projects, "an uncommon practice in recent years," he said.

Mr. Koontz said he feels that the Borough should stop looking outside to the University so much for tax relief, and start looking within itself: "Council should focus on reducing expenses and making our Borough government smaller and more efficient," he said.

Mark Freda

Mr. Freda is a lifelong Borough resident who served on Council from 1986 to 1999, and as Council president five times. He is an active member of the community, with two children in Princeton Regional Schools.

Currently, Mr. Freda is vice president of expense management and administration at Goldman Sachs & Co., and he has been a member of the Princeton Fire Department and the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad.

Mr. Freda has attended several budget hearings held by Council, making suggestions on ways to make cuts. He has suggested making the budget process a year-round process, asking municipal departments to report to Council on major plans and expenditures throughout the year. He would also like to see Council prioritize municipal services with public input, and would like residents to serve as a seventh member of Council on budget discussions.

Andrew Koontz

An 11-year resident of the Borough, Mr. Koontz has served as chair of the Princeton Borough Democratic Committee since 1997. He is also past president of PCDO, serving from 2001 through January 2004. He currently works as a television editor for CBS News Productions in New York.

At a recent Council meeting, he introduced a resolution to make spending cuts to help alleviate a significant tax hike in the Borough. The resolution scales back road reconstruction, makes cuts to the Borough Police Department, and seeks to share services with county government. Council chose to hold off on a vote until other areas for spending cuts were examined more thoroughly.

Roger Martindell

A member of Borough Council since 1989, Mr. Martindell currently serves as the Borough's finance committee chairman. A third-generation Princetonian, he is a self-employed lawyer in town. Mr. Martindell has been involved in various community groups, including the Civil Rights Commission, PCDO, and Princeton's United Way.

Mr. Martindell has continually emphasized the need for cuts to be made to the budget to decrease the current tax hike in the Borough. He has told Council that he will vote against the budget if it remains at its current level. He has led an initiative to identify non-tax revenues to help reduce the 2004 and 2005 tax woes. He has also requested multi-year budgeting.

Mr. Martindell has also been a strong advocate of affordable housing in the Borough.

Anne Waldron Neumann

Ms. Neumann moved to the Borough from Australia four years ago, and has lived in several different countries, including England, Germany, and Denmark. She is originally from the Borough, where her father served as municipal treasurer.

Ms. Neumann has a doctorate in English literature from the Johns Hopkins University, and teaches writing at the Arts Council and the Princeton Adult School. She has also served on Princeton Future's Community-Based Neighborhood Retail Initiative, which supports the interests of independent businesses in town.

Calling herself a "progressive Democrat," she said she would like to spend municipal funds on services to the disadvantaged by cutting nonessential services and raising revenues.

Evan J. Baehr

After a hiatus when no Republicans have run for a seat on Council or Republicans served in Borough government since 1991, the Princeotn Borough Republican Committee decided to endorse Mr. Baehr this year, as more voters, particularly students, generally turn out during a presidential election year.

Mr. Baehr is a student at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy at Princeton University, and president of the University's College Republicans. He has also been an elected member of the Borough Republican Committee for two years.

The college junior said he is a good choice for Council because he has a deep commitment to local politics, he understands community interests, and he has a firm grasp on the University's stance on key community issues. Mr. Baehr said he hopes that through his affiliation with the University he will be more able to secure a larger payment in lieu of taxes from the University to help alleviate the budget.

Designated polling locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8, for the primary elections. For more information, call Borough Hall at (609) 497-7622.