Mayor Mark Freda, who was re-elected to a second term as the mayor of the Municipality of Princeton, picked up an extra 896 votes in the final tally in the Nov. 5 general election, bringing total votes to 10,225.
The final vote tally was certified by Mercer County officials and released Nov. 21. It includes early voting, Election Day voting, mail-in ballots and provisional ballots.
Freda, who is a Democrat, ran unopposed for a four-year term as mayor. The Republican Party did not field a mayoral candidate.
The Princeton mayor is directly elected by the voters. The mayor presides over the Princeton Council meetings and only votes if there is a 3-3 tie among the six council members. In other towns, the mayor is chosen from among the members of the governing body and fulfills a ceremonial role.
“My goal as mayor is true transparency and open government, promoting timely two-way communication with Princeton residents on important issues,” Freda said.
Freda said he wants to continue the progress that has been made in many areas, reeling off a list of accomplishments carried out by the municipal government.
Those accomplishments range from renegotiating the town’s agreement with Princeton University to forming a special improvement district to bring more focus on the business community.
“We are investigating ways to improve the public transportation system, and there is our on-going commitment to provide affordable housing,” Freda said.
Princeton residents like to walk or ride their bicycles more often, he said. The challenge facing the town is how to ensure there are safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists in a town that was built around cars.
Princeton is viewed as a desirable place to live, which has put upward pressure on housing prices, he said. The challenge is to balance increased growth and density, while maintaining the character of the town that people find so appealing.
The town has made progress in building affordable housing, but the next level after that continues to disappear within the community. People in affordable housing need to move out of town to the next stage of housing. People just starting out or some just recently retired need this level of housing to stay in Princeton, Freda said.
Promoting the business community is another issue facing the town, he said. Experience Princeton was formed to help the business community, which accounts for almost 20% of the town’s tax base. The goal is to find ways to promote existing businesses and to make it easier to start a new one in town.
