Mayor Mark Freda is seeking his second, four-year term as the mayor of Princeton. The Democratic Party nominee is expected to be easily re-elected in the uncontested mayoral election on Nov. 5.
The Republican Party did not field a candidate for the mayoral position.
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 vote 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.
Freda grew up in Princeton and served on the former Princeton Borough Council, before Princeton Borough and Princeton Township consolidated in 2012. He served on the Princeton Borough Council from 1986 to 1999, including five years as its president.
In announcing his candidacy for re-election on www.mayormarkfreda.com, Freda said he wants to continue the progress that has been made in many areas.
Freda reeled off a list of accomplishments carried out by the municipal government – 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 providing affordable housing,” he said.
Princeton residents increasingly like to walk or ride their bicycles more often, Freda 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.
“Housing is one of our very important issues. There are demands for housing at every level. But for the community to remain what has made it so special is the availability of housing at all those levels,” Freda said in response to questions posed to him by the League of Women Voters on its candidates website at www.vote411.org.
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 move to the next stage of housing. People just starting out or some recently retired need this level of housing to stay in Princeton, he said.
Promoting the business community is another issue facing the town, Freda 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.
Other issues include health and human services, Freda said. There are many needs in the community.
“For the services we provide, do we do enough? Do we partner with other government entities, nonprofits and others to help us deliver needed services? These are areas we spend a lot of time and effort on, as we should,” he said.
Those are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed, Freda said. New issues will likely come up. Existing issues may become a higher priority as circumstances change. The municipal government has the right people in place to respond to issues and changing circumstances.
“My goal as mayor is true transparency and open government, promoting timely and clear two-way communication with Princeton residents on important decisions,” Freda said.
