Volume LXXVII, Number 11
Sustainability, Conservation Take the Screen at Film Festival . . . . . . . . . .5 Busy Beavers Present Challenges . . . . . . . . . 7 “Seniors for Seniors” Pairs Members of Two Generations . . . . . . . 10 PSO Presents Unique World Premiere . . . . . 14 Passage Theatre Partners With Rider to Present Clean Slate . . . . . . . 15 Mueller Comes Up Big on Draw Controls as PU Women’s Lax Tops USC . .26 PHS Girls’ Hoops Squad Gained Confidence with Run to Mercer County Invitational Title . . . . 28
This Week’s Ides of March Book Review Features Julius Caesar . . . . . . 13 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 33 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Obituaries . . . . . . . 31-32 Performing Arts . . . 16-17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Hughes Won’t Run For Another Term As County Executive
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Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Council Votes to Introduce $72.46M Budget At its meeting Monday night, Princeton Council voted to introduce a budget of $72.46 million for 2023. The anticipated tax levy is approximately $39.7 million, which is an increase of about $1.27 million over the previous year. A public hearing on the budget is April 10. Council also voted at the meeting to pay the public relations firm Taft Communications up to $50,250 to redesign and manage the municipality’s newsletter starting April 1. Before voting in favor of the sixmonth contract, which can be renewed for an additional six months, some members of Council and Mayor Mark Freda commented that the price tag for the contract was high. “I just think it’s expensive for what we’re going to get,” Freda said. Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros responded that the newsletter will have written stories instead of cut-and-paste items. “It’s a reset,” she said. “So eventually, we’ll have a staff person do this. We need better outreach, and that’s the main focus.” Council members say they frequently hear from the public that they have not been informed about municipal matters. Revamping the newsletter is an effort to
be more transparent. Originally hired last September to review the town’s communications strategy, Taft issued a survey to determine the effectiveness of the existing, twice-weekly newsletter. Pirone told Council that 91 percent of those who responded said they read it at least once a week; less people read it twice a week. “The overarching response is that it’s too long,” she said. “They would like to see more links, more FAQs, and make it more mobile-friendly.”
Councilman Leighton Newlin and Councilwoman Eve Niedergang said they had heard from members of the public who thought the $50,250 figure was too high. “But I’m voting yes because of the importance of our communication, understanding it is for a six-month period,” said Newlin. Councilwoman Leticia Fraga said she was hopeful part of the outreach will also include efforts to reach residents who don’t speak English. Taft Communications, which is based in
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes has decided to end his campaign for an additional term. First elected to the post in 2004, Hughes has opted to step down after losing the endorsements of the Mercer County Democratic Organization and Princeton Community Democratic Organization to Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-Hamilton). Originally vowing to continue his elecContinued on Page 9 tion campaign, Hughes released a statement on Wednesday, March 8. “I’ve said throughout this campaign that I’ve never run against a fellow Democrat, and deEven for someone on the verge of home- significantly on the futures of the children,” spite the fact that I’m being challenged lessness, affordable housing is not just a said HIP Board Chair Liz Lempert in a press in this race, it has become clear that the simple matter of signing up. Qualifying may release. Although HIP has depended on a best path forward for Mercer Democrats depend on income level, getting a degree, “scrappy and all-volunteer past,” she said, is for me to step aside,” he said. “I do not building a credit score, or obtaining a car the organization is “compelled to take our make this decision lightly, after more than to get to a job. service to a new level in order to respond to 20 years in public office fighting for this A newly adopted Housing Initiatives of the overwhelming need resulting from the county and every last resident.” Princeton (HIP) strategic plan charts a current housing crisis and the economic Benson issued a statement thanking three-year path that will enable more clients traumatic effect of the pandemic.” Hughes for his public service. “I appreto navigate the complex process. Affordable housing, she pointed out, “is ciate his outreach to me and his offer of not as simple as having your name on a “We have seen the transformational efsupport and assistance,” he said. “With waiting list. “People might not realize that fect we’ve had on families’ lives and most the path ahead clear, it’s time for our Continued on Page 8 party to come together. I’m excited to work with all of Mercer County to build the next chapter in county government.” Hughes is the son of former Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes, and has lived in Mercer County most of his life, both in Trenton and in Princeton. Prior to becoming county executive, he served as deputy executive director of the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Under his leadership, more than 5,700 acres of open space have been preserved. The county has “built a thriving economy from the bottom up, and turned Mercer into a transit hub for the entire region through Trenton-Mercer Airport,” reads the statement from Hughes’ office. “It is home to an award-winning parks system visited by more than two million people every year, and has completed groundbreaking infrastructure projects providing good-paying, union jobs.” Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) commented, “I would like to take a moment to thank my friend Brian PUNCHING THEIR TICKET: Members of the Princeton University men’s basketball team celebrate after they defeated Hughes for his tremendous service to our Yale 74-65 in the final of the Ivy Madness postseason tournament last Sunday at Jadwin Gym. The win clinched • Vintage • Foreign Books Books Language Princeton’s first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2017. The Tigers, now 21-8, are seeded 15th in the NCAA tourney county and our Democratic Rare party,” she Arizona in a fi rst-round contest on March 16 in Sacramento, Calif. The Princeton said. “It wasn’t that long ago that Mer- and will face second-seeded Books women’s hoops team also prevailed at Ivy Madness, topping Harvard 54-48 in their final on Saturday. The Tigers, cer County was Republican-dominated, Beautiful Art and Design Books and Brian was among the first to step now 23-5, are seeded 10th in the NCAA tourney and will face seventh-seeded N.C. State in a first-round contest on
Housing Initiatives of Princeton Embarks On “Ambitious” Plan to Expand Services
Choose arran Continued on Page 8
March 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more details on the wins, see pages 23-25.
(Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
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March 22 - $30 ticket • March 23 - 26 – Free entrance Stuart Country Day School 1200 Stuart Road, Princeton