Trotman Wins in Borough Primary

Matthew Hersh

Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman handily defeated Democratic primary challenger Kim Pimley Tuesday in the first primary mayoral election since 2003.

According to unofficial results, Ms. Trotman secured 686 votes, or 66 percent of the vote, to Ms. Pimley's 357, or 34 percent, in an election where the voter turnout, despite there being no major state or federal primary runoffs, was up more than 20 percent from the 2003 count.

"This election says that people have gotten to know me and my record, and they see me as someone representing all of the people," said an ebullient Ms. Trotman Tuesday night after receiving a concession call from first Ms. Pimley's campaign manager and then Ms. Pimley herself.

If Ms. Trotman, 66, wins in November's general election, she will have secured the full, four-year term she set out for when she was first appointed mayor for a special one-year term in October 2005, following the death of Mayor Joe O'Neill. In 2006, Ms. Trotman was elected to another one-year term to fill out the remainder of Mr. O'Neill's unexpired term.

Ms. Trotman's term would begin January 1, 2008.

For Ms. Pimley, 47, the defeat spells the end of a whirlwind campaign — one she admits she was effectively drafted into by potential supporters. "It's amazing what we have done over eight weeks. We started with nothing," she said at her concession speech Tuesday.

Ms. Pimley urged her supporters to take part in a continuing "inclusive dialogue that our citizens deserve."

Both Ms. Trotman and Ms. Pimley said they were encouraged by the level of turnout in what is regarded as a slow primary election.

Ms. Pimley, who ran on a second column ballot under the "Democrats for Change" label, launched her candidacy on the strength of a movement against a proposed historic district designation in the Borough's western section, where she is a resident. Though that item was not central to her campaign, she pointed to her involvement in that issue as the catalyst for her candidacy.

Ms. Trotman, who had been a member of Borough Council for 20 years prior to becoming mayor, and was, in 2005, elected to the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Hall of Fame, said Tuesday she would "continue to insist that all residents have their say, and do what we feel that would best represent the entire Borough of Princeton."

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