44 minute read
Affordable Housing Ordinances
At its meeting on Monday, June 22, Princeton Council voted unanimously to introduce three ordinances that need to be in place before the town gets final approval for its affordable housing plan. A second round of ordinances will be up for introduction at the governing body’s next meeting on Monday, June 29. One of the sites introduced is for 12 affordable units in a complex of market-price apartments to be built by AvalonBay next to Princeton Shopping Center, at the corner of Terhune Princeton Council Votes to Introduce Affordable Housing Ordinances means building in areas that were walkable to services and also have access to transit. Everything going in front of Council tonight meets that. The reason is it makes the town more livable for all the residents who are going to be in this housing, and provides a benefit for the entire community by making transit more reliable and functional. And for businesses, too, it’s important to have customers nearby.” The three overlay zones on Nassau Street include the site now occupied by Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser reported that Princeton Care Center and Acorn Glen are now allowing visitors, in accordance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s most recent ruling on long-term care centers as related to the COVID-19 pandemic. —Anne Levin United Way Kicks Off Strike Out Hunger Campaign With the number of families in New Jersey who can’t make ends meet and need help to feed their growing children, United Way UWGMC is asking that individuals join the #bagchallenge. The purpose of this event is to create environmentally friendly bags at home using a clean T-shirt and to then fill the bag with nonperishable food items including canned meats, vegetables, healthy cereals, etc. Drop off sites include select Starbucks and Investors Bank branches as well as the WPST radio parking lot. Caring citizens from community organizations, corporations, and volunteers have already started to join the challenge online. Strike Out Hunger will provide non-perishables to food pantries, churches and soup kitchens, delivered by Mercer Street Friends Food 9 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WE d NES day, J u NE 24, 2020 Road and Harrison Street. Another is for overlay zones on Nassau Street, in three separate categories for slightly different density and parking. The third is the service district on Route 206 going toward Mont gomery, including a 100 percent affordable building at the site where SAVE animal rescue was formerly located. In Febr uar y, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson approved a settlement agreement between the municipality of Princeton and the Fair Share Housing Center, ending almost five years of litigation in which the town challenged calculations for Bank of America, a strip closer to the center of town, and a site on a vacant corner of the lot occupied by The Jewish Center of Princeton. The site on Route 206 toward Montgomery was recently rezoned to encourage mixed use development of housing over commercial uses, for market rate as well as affordable housing. “The ordinance is to look at encouraging mixed use development in the S2 (service) zone toward the bottom of the hill, as you approach the airport along Route 206,” Council President David Cohen said. “We just see it, with other affordable housing going near there, of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) kicked off a virtual Strike Out Hunger on June 16 at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). A curbside food donation drop-off will be held at various locations in Mercer County from June 23-30. This is the sixth consecutive year United Way has hosted the event, which brings together businesses, individuals, and advocates, working together to help reduce hunger in Mercer County. United Way will continue to support fresh produce distribution to promote nutrition and healthy eating. This will be in partnership with Rolling Harvest Food Rescue. Bank. United Way partners with several community nonprofits to connect people with resources, investing in programs, community partnerships, and volunteer engagement in youth and family success. As United Way continues to build Strike Out Hunger, partnering with community organizations, organizing volunteers and generating awareness of increased food insecurity among children and families throughout Mercer County, Sandra Toussaint, president and CEO, is very grateful for all the volunteers and supporters. “When you take part in feeding our community, especially given the FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY: The annual Strike Out Hunger campaign is being held throughout Mercer County June 23-30 by United Way of Greater Mercer County. crisis we are going through, that is such a gratifying feeling for everyone involved in the effort,” she said. For more information, visit.uwgmc.org/soh. Tack Sale Rescheduled For June 27 and 28 Riding with HEART has rescheduled its spring tack sale for Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, June 28 from 12 to 3 p.m. at their Alexandria Township farm, 639 County Road 513, two miles west of the Pittstown traffic light. On Sunday, most items are half-price. The sale will be held rain or shine except in extreme weather. For shoppers’ safety, face masks and social distanc ing will be required, and sale items will be spread out in three times the space of previous sales. All proceeds benefit Riding with HEART’s 501(c) (3) therapeutic programs, as well as its horses and facility. Visit ridingwithheart. org for more information. the number of affordable as an area really ripe for units it would be required to build under COAH (the Council on Affordable Housing). The next step is a compliance hearing, fol lowed by a final hearing in August. The deadline for having completed plans in place is July 13. “In putting together our plan, one of our goals was to have it be smart growth,” Mayor Liz Lempert said before the meeting. “That encouragement of walkable, multi-use development.” Also at the meeting, Council voted for a resolution to reject bids for police body cameras and other digital evidence systems. 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Pirone Lambros pointed out that because of the change to one-way, Witherspoon Street might be the biggest part of the experiment but Nassau Street, Palmer Square, the Witherspoon-Jackson district, and the Princeton Shopping Center have also taken advantage of expanding spaces for dining and pedestrian use.
She emphasized the economic challenges facing local businesses. “We’re at a critical time for our business community,” she said. “The more our locals can support the business community the better. It will really help if locals come out and go to restaurants and stores. It’s really critical after being closed for three months.”
She continued, “But we still need to maintain our safe practices so we can avoid as much as possible a second wave. Wearing masks and being cautious is so important, but the more people can come out and support the businesses the better it is for everybody.” Molly Jones, executive director of Sustainable Princeton, which has been taking a leading role in the community-wide Out and About Princeton initiative, commented on the opportunities to make improvements for all in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve seen our involvement as a way to carry out the Climate Action Plan, because new use of streets is like a creative place-making, a way to bring people downtown to support more local shopping so people will have a smaller footprint,” she said. “There are great community positives embedded in what’s happening.”
Slow Streets
Also approved by Council last week was the installation of “slow streets” during the pandemic, local streets with low traffic being designated mainly for exercise, recreation, and travel by pedestrians and bicycle riders. With less automobile traffic, more pedestrians and cyclists, and increased need for social distancing, people have been eager to take over the streets.
Streets being considered for closure to through traffic and designation as slow streets are John Street, Linden Lane, Patton Avenue, Dempsey Avenue, Clay Street, part of Library Place, Ridgeview Road, Hutchinson Drive, and part of Littlebrook Road. The municipality held a special Zoom meeting last night, June 23, to answer questions and discuss the future of slow streets in Princeton.
Implementation of the slow streets, which will be accessible to local automobile traffic only, not through traffic, will begin later this week with temporary traffic calming devices placed at the street entrances, allowing space for local traffic to enter and exit and signs posted to alert road users and explain the rules for slow streets.
“So far we have been receiving quite enthusiastic responses from the residents of the streets proposed as slow streets, with numbers of volunteers willing to help
maintain the barriers and signs that will be placed to inform residents and motorists of the expectations for use of these streets,” said Princeton Council President David Cohen.
Cohen noted that Council would soon be taking up a companion ordinance to the original reopening ordinance to allow reduction of speed limits on these roadways. He also reported that the Arts Council is ready to order signage that will be coordinated throughout town to enhance the messaging for slow streets and commercial reopening streets.
Serieyssol emphasized the flexibility of the plans and of the Council resolution, with its 120-day limit, and the intention to be adaptable. “If we need to change things here and there to improve, that’s what will happen,” she said. The PBAC is taking a survey on slow streets and how they are perceived in different neighborhoods. “The duration of the slow streets initiative is open to constituent feedback,” she added. The set-ups will be reviewed every two weeks, necessary changes will be made, and possibly other streets will be given the op portunity to participate.
Jones noted that these slow streets provide children with many options for social distance opportunities and healthy interaction. “It’s a real win for our community in supporting our younger generation,” she said.
Bike Boulevards
Another important element of the Out and About Princeton and Streets for People program is the upcoming installation of Bike Boulevards, part of the Bicycle Mobility Plan network of safe cycling facilities. Bike Boulevards are roadways identified as low traffic and suitable for cyclists, part of a connected network which helps riders make their way around town to popular destinations. The intention, as Cohen explained, is that the few motorists who do traverse these roads will drive slowly and defer to cyclists.
Sign posts will designate these boulevards and enable a variety of new cycling loops around town, ranging from the 16-mile Fitness Loop around the perimeter to the 4.5 mile Town and Gown Loop in the core.
The Bike Boulevards, in conjunction with some offroad shared paths, create an almost continuous loop connecting all the public schools, a significant component of the Safe Routes to Schools network. Cohen pointed out that this will be very important when schools reopen and social distancing limits the numbers of students who can ride the buses at one time. Students who live close enough to school, Cohen hopes, will be tempted to walk or bike instead of being driven. “Helping those students feel safe on their bicycles is a crucial step toward encouraging this trend,” he said.
Emphasizing the extensive teamwork involved in all of the Out and About Princeton efforts, Jones looked beyond the weeks and months of reopening and combating the pandemic. “We’re all hopeful that some of the changes coming about in our community are ones that will stick,” she said. “So as we look forward to the future we hope that this isn’t just a time to enjoy the changes, but these are low emission, transportation options that people will want to embrace.”
—Donald Gilpin
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New Board Members At Volunteer Connect
Training experts Monica Orazco and Radia Carr and patent attorney Dr. Rena Patel have joined the VolunteerConnect board of trustees. The new appointees began their board service with the Princeton-based capacitybuilding nonprofit this month.
Princeton-based VolunteerConnect is committed to supporting the work of other charitable organizations by training effective board members and facilitating the ongoing education of nonprofit staff and boards.
“We are very happy that Monica, Radia, and Rena have agreed to share their expertise and insights as board members with us,” said Allison Howe, VolunteerConnect’s executive director. “We continue to focus on training our nonprofit community and are expanding our offering of programs. These new board members bring the leadership and experience to make this happen.”
Orazco is a learning consultant at Momentum Consulting and Coaching, LLC specializing in the facilitation of leadership development programs. She has had international experience in providing training to clients from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck Inc. to Gap Inc. and American Express. Orazko has volunteered for over 20 years at Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) and Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, and more recently at Princeton Hospice.
Carr is vice president, client engagement and corporate trainer at Dale Carnegie in Hamilton. She has provided training and her sales expertise to leaders in the research and development, pharmaceutical, financial services, and food and grocery industries. She has served as a board member of the New Brunswick New Jersey Rotary Club and has raised funds for many years on behalf of the MS Society.
Patel is an intellectual property (IP) attorney with global experience in innovation and IP protection and management. During her international work, she served on the board of trustees of the American School of Bombay for many years. More recently, she led the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation including as president of the board.
On June 16, at 4:48 p.m., a victim reported that he received a notice from his bank to pay off a loan. He contacted the bank and dis covered someone used his information to take out a loan for $9,000. The victim is filing a dispute with his bank and notifying the credit bureaus.
On June 16, at 2:44 p.m., a victim reported that his bike was stolen outside of a store on Nassau Street, after he left it there for a few moments to make a purchase.
On June 16, at 10:14 a.m., a resident of Greenview Avenue reported that, between 9:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m., his vehicle was stolen from his driveway.
On June 16, at 9:31 a.m., a resident of Hamilton Avenue reported that his vehicle was stolen from his driveway. Surveillance footage shows an unknown male suspect entered the vehicle and drove away. It was later recovered in Newark, N.J.
On June 15, at 6:31 a.m., a victim reported he noticed two withdrawals in January totaling $600 that were not made by him, and he reported it to the bank as stolen funds.
On June 13, at 10:11 a.m., a victim reported that her vehicle’s rear windshield was shattered while parked on South Harrison Street. Items were moved around but nothing was stolen.
On June 12, at 7:51 p.m., a juvenile victim reported that she was walking on Witherspoon Street and a man passed her and turned around and grabbed her buttocks, and then ran away. The suspect was described to be in his mid-40s and 5’4.
On June 10, at 6:10 p.m., a store employee on Nassau Street reported that someone attempted to purchase a gift card using counterfeit $20 bills. The employee called the manager and the suspect walked behind the register in anger and reclaimed the bills. He left the store on foot.
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continued from page one period. Items will be backdated upon check-in to reflect the date they were actually returned. For those who have 30 or more items checked out on a single card or by multiple members of a household, special arrangements can be made.
At a date to be determined, Phase 2 will allow for walkup, contactless pickup — again using Sylvia Beach Way. Along with keeping patrons safe, the priority is on protecting members of the staff. “Our short-term focus has been on ensuring that staff movements in the building are in a way that allows for social distancing,” said Executive Director Jennifer Podolsky, in an email. “We have several common work areas for staff that will need to be reconfigured for social distancing. Also, some of that will be achieved through scheduling. We have been working closely with the Princeton Health Department on these two phases of the plan and will be looking to them, and to statewide library organizations, for guidance as we execute additional parts of the plan.”
Podolsky said members of the staff have been instructed in the use of personal protective equipment and social distancing. “When we move to additional phases involving members of the public being in the building, we’ll offer additional training,” she said.
The library will not accept any book donations until further notice.
Podolsky said it is too early to decide on limits for how many people will be allowed inside the building at one time. “Right now, the administrative order covering libraries only allows for contactless delivery of materials from the collection, not for customer service in the building,” she said. “When that changes, we’ll look at our capacity options.”
Once the building does reopen, the library will work with the owners of its Jammin’ Community Cafe to determine how to best serve customers.
“Many in the community have expressed gratitude for the services offered by the Virtual Princeton Public Library and I’m proud of the way our staff stepped up to enhance and expand our digital services,” Podolsky said. Whatever the post-coronavirus landscape looks like for libraries, we know that digital resources will continue to gain importance. We fully expect to be able to meet the evolving needs of the Princeton community.”
For more information, visit princetonlibrary.org/reopening.
—Anne Levin
Princeton High Student Selected for Academy
The United States Marine Corps recently announced that Princeton High School student Shoshana Henderson was selected for the 2020 Semper Fidelis All-American Program Battles Won Academy. The academy, which was scheduled for July 9 through 13, in the District of Columbia, was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; however, the Marine Corps Recruiting Command continues to recognize the achievements of exemplary selected students like Shoshana.
She was selected not only for her athletic performance but for outstanding character, academic excellence, and community leadership that reflects the Marine Corps’ values of honor, courage and commitment. Shoshana chose a mentor to also participate in this year’s social media and digital engagement activities, which are intended to recognize all of the Semper Fidelis All-Americans and their mentors.
“You’ve worked hard to accomplish your goals, serve others and make a positive contribution to our great nation,” Maj. Gen. James Bierman, the commanding general of Marine Corps Recruiting Command, said in a letter to the selected students. “Our staff of experienced Marines recognized your accomplishments as an exceptional scholar, a quality athlete, and exemplary student leader in your school and community.”
The academy typically consists of a week in the nation’s capital with guest speakers, leadership lessons, community service, visits to some of America’s most iconic monuments, and a day-long visit to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
Although the academy cannot be conducted in the same manner this year, the Semper Fidelis All-American Program coordinated an ongoing, interactive experience for approximately 100 top student leaders and their mentors that will allow them to be recognized for their achievements and share leadership lessons that will enhance their future success.
Virtual Assistance Offered For Grief Due to Pandemic
The American Red Cross New Jersey Region, together with state officials, is offering New Jersey resources in a Virtual Family Assistance Center launched to support families struggling with loss and grief due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Virtual Family Assistance Center offers connections to special virtual programs, information, referrals, and services and other national resources available to support families in need. People can access the hub’s New Jersey page by visiting redcross.org/virtualfamily-assistance-center/ nj-family-assistance-center to connect with Red Cross volunteers who will help guide them through the resources available, including those provided by the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) and other state and community partners. People without internet access can call (833) 492-0094.
“These are trying times for us all, but especially difficult for those who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Rosie Taravella, CEO, American Red Cross New Jersey Region. “Not only have these families experienced the unexpected passing of a loved one, but they are also facing additional challenges caused by this public health emergency. We want them to know that there are compassionate people who wish to help them.”
Many families have experienced a disrupted bereavement and grief process due to restrictions related to COVID-19. To help, the Red Cross New Jersey Region has set up a virtual team of speciallytrained mental health, spiritual care and health services volunteers who are connecting with families over the phone to offer condolences, support and access to resources that may be available; providing support for virtual memorial services for families, including connecting with local faith-based community partners; sharing information and referrals to state and local agencies as well as other community organizations including legal resources for estate, custody, immigration or other issues; connecting individuals with long-term crisis counseling; and hosting online classes to foster resilience and facilitate coping skills.
All Family Assistance Center support will be provided virtually and is completely confidential and free.
Distillery Triples Staff To Make More Sanitizer
Sourland Mountain Spirits (SMS) of Hopewell has increased production of its hand sanitizer to provide more personal protection against COVID-19 as businesses throughout the state gradually reopen.
In late March, SMS transformed its craft spirits distillery into a small hand sanitizer factory that allowed the staff to use its prime ingredient — alcohol — to help protect first responders. The company’s solution contains 80 percent alcohol, which surpasses the requirement to kill a virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“As New Jersey begins to open up, we want to open our form of personal protection to all businesses during this next stage of the pandemic,” said Ray Disch, founder/CEO. “Thanks to community support, we have hired 10 people to fill, label, and package our product who were furloughed from bars and restaurants to help us keep pace with the growing demand.”
To date, the distillery has delivered more than the equivalent of 30,000 8-ounce bottles to the American Red Cross, New Jersey National Guard, Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro, Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, HomeFront in Lawrenceville, and the Quaker Bridge Mall testing center.
As part of SMS’s transition from crafted spirits to hand sanitizer, Disch got a helping hand from his son, Sage, a NYC-based entrepreneur. Sage Disch joined as a partner in March to work alongside the SMS team and devise procedures to safely produce and distribute the new product. In addition, Sage Disch has helped the distillery launch its Jersey Never Taps Out fundraiser in partnership with A Stitch Ahead. The proceeds from each T-shirt sale will be donated to Mercer County food banks.
“Demand for food assistance is rising at a staggering rate around the nation,” said Sage Disch, an alumnus of The Lawrenceville School. “When it comes to doing our part, our Jersey spirit won’t allow us to quit. There is more work to be done and more people to help.”
SMS is now selling its hand sanitizer in 2.5-oz, 8-oz and gallon bottles for curbside pickup, New Jersey delivery, or USPS ground shipping. For more information, call (609) 333-8575 or email Info@ SourlandSpirits.com.
SOURLAND SANITIZER: Sage Disch and his mother, Erica, provide curbside delivery at the Sour11 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 land Mountain Spirits (SMS) distillery in Hopewell. As businesses begin to reopen, SMS has tripled its staff to increase production of its hand sanitizer.
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Princeton Public Library Pledges to Work with Community Partners on “Anti-Racist Literacy”
To the Editor:
As outrage grew over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Princeton Public Library issued a pledge: we would redouble our efforts around racial literacy. Now that we’ve had additional time to mourn and reflect, and witness the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, we realize that serving as a neutral commons for the free exchange of ideas is no longer enough. As Angela Davis said, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”
So our new pledge is to work with our community partners on an enhanced racial literacy we’ll call “anti-racist literacy.” We all have a part to play in this; since our mission centers on books and learning, our staff have started with suggested readings for adults, teens, and children. This is a small step in what we expect will be a long journey toward a broader understanding. We are grateful for your patience as we work with staff and partners on new opportunities for programming and while we review our policies and procedures to identify areas for improvement. We fully realize we will be judged by our actions, not by our intentions.
We know now is the time for all institutions, even those that have done good work on racial justice in the past, to do more to demonstrate a core truth: Black Lives Matter. Guided by our shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we will proceed by listening with humility and openness, then act with diligence and steadfastness. We will work with anyone who joins us in the goal of becoming an anti-racist society. And we will keep you posted on our progress.
Visitors to our Princeton Room are quick to recognize the bust of Princeton native Paul Robeson, one of the jewels of our public art collection. Few realize that the artist, Italian immigrant Antonio Salemme, was a longtime personal friend of Robeson who was inspired to create art of the singer after seeing his groundbreaking performance in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones. Salemme created multiple works of art of Robeson, who would try out new songs while he posed. “I enjoy singing to you,” the singer told the sculptor. “You seem to get more than the voice, the music, the words; you know what I’m thinking, what I mean, what I feel when I sing.”
May we all reach that level of understanding. JENNIFER PODOLSKY Executive Director, Princeton Public Library
Experience, Expertise, Responsiveness Make Cohen An Effective Legislator for Town
To the Editor:
I’m writing to support David Cohen, a Democrat on the Princeton Town Council who is seeking re-election.
I met David last year, when my neighbors and I attended a meeting of the planning board, on which David sits, to express our concerns about a developer’s plan to tear down a house at the end of our street and build two larger houses in its place. Our street has 25 or so modest homes on tree-filled quarter acre lots, and we were concerned both that the planned 4,500-square-foot houses would be out of character and that stormwater runoff would make the homes on the downhill side of the development vulnerable to flooding.
At the meeting, David — an architect by training — listened intently to our concerns and suggested several concrete solutions. Thanks to David, the town required the developer to adopt a more rigorous stormwater management plan and to create a conservation easement, preserving several trees on the property. Since then, I’ve learned that David’s conscientious approach is characteristic of his work in town governance. In debates over a proposal to limit FAR waivers, for instance — an effort to discourage tear-downs by limiting the size of new construction on smaller lots — David both articulated the importance of preserving Princeton’s affordability and demonstrated his willingness to listen to good faith objections about the measure’s unintended consequences. His approach to this issue — listening deeply, adjusting his position where he felt it was warranted, always keeping core values in mind — is typical of David’s decision-making.
Since March, David has devoted himself to ameliorating the effects of COVID-19 in our community. He was instrumental in moving the town’s land use boards (planning, zoning, historical preservation) to a virtual platform, working closely with municipal staff, board members, and town attorneys to ensure the boards continued to operate in a transparent, participatory, and lawful way. In addition, David has been working closely with the Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Economic Development Committee, and town staff to rebalance our streets to accommodate COVID-related changes, such as reduced car traffic, increased bike and pedestrian use, and retail businesses’ desire to use some of the public right-of-way for outdoor commerce (dining or sales). The plan, soon to be rolled out, is a result of this group’s near-daily meetings and commitment to seeing our town through this crisis. Finally, the neighborhood Buddy Initiative that David proposed and developed last year has, over the past several months, been an essential resource to seniors and others with limited mobility. When I volunteered, I wasn’t surprised to discover that it was David himself who emailed to connect me with my “buddy.”
David’s experience and expertise, his responsiveness to constituents, his ability to devise creative solutions to our town’s challenges, and his willingness to roll up his sleeves to get the job done have all made him an extremely effective legislator for our town. Please join me in supporting David in the upcoming primary. Now more than ever, Princeton needs leaders like David. JANE MANNERS Wheatsheaf Lane
Urging Voters to Look Beyond the County Line on Primary Ballots
To the Editor:
Princeton residents may not give much thought to County Committee — the bottom position on the primary ballot. Until recently, I too thought this is an inconsequential role. I learned differently as co-founder and president of the Good Government Coalition of New Jersey (www.GGCNJ. org).
In New Jersey, where politics are ruled by strong and bullyish political bosses, voters feel disenfranchised. Much of this can be traced back to one thing that is unique to New Jersey — the structure of our primary ballots, with a “County Line.”
On your primary ballot, you will see the County Line in column A, the one with the most candidates. Most people vote “down the line,” for all and only column A candidates. Candidates in column B or C have virtually no chance at winning the primary — and therefore the general election. The party bosses know this, and grant preferential ballot placement on “the Line” carefully. In many counties they strategically place challengers — often progressive, grassroots candidates — so as to hurt them the most: in column F following several almost empty columns, in the same box as another candidate with an opposing platform, or dividing a group of candidates running as a slate across several columns.
Because people vote down the line, and because primary elections are the elections that matter in most gerrymandered districts, by choosing who gets to be “on the line,” party bosses are basically electing our representatives for us. No wonder people feel their vote does not matter. (Princeton is actually an outlier: all our local candidates are placed on the line — we do not use these tactics of banishing anyone to column F — but the problem still exists on our ballot for non-local races, and throughout New Jersey.)
What can you do about this? Two things. First, spread the word, especially with out-of-town friends and family: we should all look beyond the line and consider all candi dates on our ballots. All the candidates on your primary ballot are from the same party, and you should choose
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Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition.
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Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature. your representatives based on their platform and their actions, not based on whether they have been anointed by political machines.
Second, choose your County Committee representatives wisely (or even run for Committee yourself!). It is through the County Committee that the political machines and party bosses exert their power. They do so by promoting committee members who will maintain the status quo. Which is why you should elect County Committee members who will do the opposite — who will make our elections fair by abolishing the Line, so all candidates have an equal shot at winning, and so voters choose who they want, not who the machine tricked them into choosing.
This is a unique year in terms of voting due to COVID-19 — and also a year we should all be voting in, in the primary and definitely in the general election. So much is at stake. YAEL NIV Franklin Avenue
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Former Township Mayor, Council President Supports Fraga and Cohen for Re-Election To the Editor: As mayor of the former Princeton Township, and as a former Princeton Council president, I ask my fellow Democrats to join me in supporting Leticia Fraga and David Cohen, candidates for re-election to Princeton Council in the Primary Election on July 7th. Leticia and David have demonstrated their ability to serve the needs of all of our community as members of Princeton Council, and especially during the past five months as Princeton has sought to provide for the health, safety, and well-being of our residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leticia has strived to assure that we achieve social equity in providing services to those of our residents who are the least served and often the most needy. David has worked hard to help our municipality achieve our goals of environmental and fiscal sustainability. He has been an advocate for the increasing senior population in our community, and for well planned development of affordable housing. They are both progressive Democrats and are exceptionally well qualified to help guide our town through the changes that we will need to make both as individuals and as a community in an uncertain future. Council Should Reconsider Priorities, Re-Align Funding Relative to Needs To the Editor: Princeton is a place that is held in high esteem the world over. I am proud of so much of what we do and who we are. But there is room for us to do better. It is important for all of us to look around us, think about where we stand and identify all the things we can do to be a better community. Let’s look, for example, at the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the country’s, as well as Princeton’s fissures were amplified during the national Supporting Fraga for Re-Election to Council to Continue to Serve Community To the Editor: Many people run for elected office for reasons unrelated to public service — perhaps vanity, boredom, or personal grievances, to name a few. That’s why I am once again supporting Leticia Fraga for Princeton Council in the Democratic primary. I have zero doubts Leticia is running only because she wants to continue to serve the community. It’s refreshing to feel that way about an elected official these days. Now, I understand it’s foolish to assume anyone’s intentions but with Leticia, we have the receipts. Before being elected to Council in 2017, Leticia had served as chair of various commissions and boards, from the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund to the YWCA, Princeton Community Housing, Send Hunger Packing Princeton, and the Civil Rights Committee of Human Services. As a member of Council, she has continued to pursue issues related to health, equality, and social justice on committees including Human Services, Board of Health and Public Safety. (All even more critical now as we address the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.) If you attend any community event — quite literally any event — you will see Leticia. She’s not there glad-handing, but more likely helping run the thing. The last two times I’ve run into Leticia in town, she was picking up litter and painting sidewalk warnings to keep walkers and bicyclists safe. In fact, when Leticia first ran for the Democratic nomina tion to Council in 2016, her only hesitancy was the business of government would take her away from her work in our community. In an email to friends and family announcing her candidacy, she wrote, “Because I enjoy my work on the various boards and commissions I am involved in, I felt that to seriously consider a run for Council, I would have to wait until the time was right.” The time is right, once again. CHRIS JOHNSON Benjamin Rush Lane Noting that Cohen and Fraga Have “Carved Out Specific and Vital Roles” on Council To the Editor, Princeton voters will decide whether to grant Councilmembers David Cohen and Leticia Fraga a second term. In making this important choice, I urge all voters to consider what each of the candidates brings to the table at this critical time for the Princeton community and for the Princeton government. With a background as a professional architect, David has been instrumental in developing plans for affordable housing that are rooted in smart growth and thoughtful design that serves residents, neighbors, and the community at large. He was Council’s representative on the team that crafted the Climate Action Plan and has been a leading voice on implementation, including spearheading initiatives for safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists, enhanced stormwater management, and resiliency planning for seniors and other vulnerable populations. Leticia has taken the lead in ensuring every Princeton resident is counted in the 2020 Census, which will determine Princeton’s share of federal and state funding for the next decade. As liaison to the Board of Health as well as the Commissions for Human Services and for Civil Rights, Leticia worked across departments to ensure the municipality responds in a comprehensive way to the COVID outbreak, especially making sure Princeton’s most vulnerable residents are connected to services that keep them healthy, fed, housed, and safe. As the first Latinx councilwoman and first Latinx to serve as police commissioner in Princeton, Leticia brings an important voice to Council decision making. David and Leticia have each carved out specific and vital roles on the Princeton Council that are particularly needed at this particular time. No one else currently serving on or running for Council can step into these roles. Politics is often a matter of timing, and I firmly believe that David and Leticia are the right people at the right time. Although they have different backgrounds and different skills, one thing David and Leticia share is their selfless commitment to the community. This commitment is evident in how they approach issues that come before Council – never through the lens of how a particular issue would impact them personally or their own neighborhoods – but with a view towards how those most in need would be helped or hurt. Especially at this moment when we face multiple chal lenges as a community — global pandemic, economic fallout, and racism — we need David and Leticia. We need their calm and thoughtful decision-making. We need their experience. And we need their strong, progressive voices. I hope you will join me in wholeheartedly supporting their re-elections. LIZ LEMPERT Mayor To: ___________________________ From: _________________________ Date & Time: ______________________ Here is a proof of your ad, scheduled to run ___________________. Please check it thoroughly and pay special attention to the following: (Your check mark will tell us it’s okay) � Phone number � Fax number � Address � Expiration Date Books Holmes National Poetry Prize Goes to Poet Franny Choi Poet Franny Choi has been selected as the latest recipient of the Theodore H. Holmes ’51 and Bernice Holmes National Poetry Prize awarded by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University. The prize was established in memory of Princeton 1951 alumnus Theodore H. Holmes and is presented each year to a poet of spe cial merit as selected by the faculty of the Creative Writing Program, which includes writers Michael Dickman, Aleksandar Hemon, A.M. Homes, Christina Lazaridi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Yiyun Li, Paul Muldoon, James Richardson, Tracy K. Smith, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Susan Wheeler, Monica Youn, and a number of distinguished lecturers. The award, currently carrying a prize of $5,000, was first made to Mark Doty in 2011 and has since also been awarded to Evie Shockley, Natalie Diaz, Matt Rasmussen, Eduardo Corral, Solmaz Sharif, Claudia Rankine, and Jenny Xie. Choi is the author of two poetry collections, Soft Science (Alice James Books) and Floating, Brilliant, Gone (Write Bloody Publishing), as well as a chapbook, Death by Sex Machine (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2017). A Kundiman Fellow and grad“Stonewall Reader” Subject Of Library LiveStream Jason Baumann, New York Public Library’s coordinator of humanities and LGBTQ collections, will discuss The Stonewall Reader at 7 p.m., on June 25. The Library and LiveStream event features the anthology of first-person accounts of the Stonewall uprising Baumann curated from the library’s archives. According to The Atlantic, the book features “a diverse array of voices — folks from across the LGBTQ spectrum telling their stories over decades in essays and interviews and letters.” Published in 2019, the 50th anniversary of the uprising that started the fight for American LGBTQ+ rights, The Stonewall Reader chronicles some of the gay liberation movement’s most iconic moments and figures in the years before and after those events. Baumann will speak about the book, the movement and NYPL’s collection. Copies will be available for purchase via Labyrinth Books. Jason Baumann develops and promotes literature, philosophy, and religion collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building for the NYPL. He coordinates the Library’s LGBT Initiative, for which he has curated two exhibitions — 1969: The Year of Gay Liberation and Why We Fight: Remembering AIDS Activism. Baumann received his MLS from Queens College, his MFA in Creative Writing from Franny Choi who was recently named a Princeton Arts Fellow for 2020-22. Choi teaches at Williams College as a Gaius Charles Bolin Fellow. “We are thrilled to celebrate Franny Choi,” said Jhumpa Lahiri, director of the Program in Creative Writing, “a poet who’s dazzling and necessary poems challenge and celebrate notions of identity, race, and sexuality, through lightninghot lyric poems that strike sparks.” 13 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WE d NES day, J u NE 24, 2020 lockdown and quarantine. Right here in Princeton, where Please join me in voting for Leticia Fraga and David uate of the University of City College, and is currently some of the brightest minds are curated and some of the wealthiest people live, some of our neighbors were hungry, some were experiencing homelessness, some were finding it hard to pay their bills, and some were food insecure. The pandemic didn’t invent these social insecurities, it merely left them bare for all to see. How did we get here? I’m no Cohen in the Primary Election on July 7th, proven leaders for Princeton. BERNIE MILLER Governors Lane Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers Program, she co-hosts the podcast VS alongside fellow Dark Noise Collective member Danez Smith, completing his PhD in English at the CUNY Graduate Center. Connect at www.crowdcast. io/e/jason-baumann-the/ register. social engineer, but I can see the glaring disparities in Fast Food • Take-Out • Dine-In Available for funding our priorities. 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