Democratic incumbents expect easy victories in Borough Council elections

With no challengers from a major party in a typically Democratic district, two Democratic incumbents are expected to be reelected to the Princeton Borough Council on Election Day, Nov. 5.

David Goldfarb, who has served on the council since 1990, and Mildred Trotman, who is completing her ninth two-year term, are opposed by Green Party candidates Scott Salus and Steven Syrek.

No Republican challenger entered the race for the council, which comprises all Democrats, as it has for several years.

Despite the relatively light competition — many have considered the election over before it even began — several of the upcoming matters facing the council are proving to be contentious.

One of the significant issues Goldfarb and Trotman point to is the downtown redevelopment plan that proposes the construction of a 500-car garage, a limited number of apartment buildings with some retail space and a plaza adjacent to the Princeton Public Library site.

"This is an issue many people are concerned about, particularly the merchants who feel like we are not providing enough [parking spaces]," Goldfarb said. "We have already agreed to provide parking for library users, so the issue is whether this proposal is a better way for providing [that parking]."

Unlike Goldfarb, who said he has still not made a decision whether to support the plan, Trotman is likely to advocate its passage.

"I plan to support the garage, if it proves to be self-sustaining, if it supports itself financially," she said. "I think it is a good thing for Princeton. It certainly won't resolve all our parking woes, but I do think it will address some of the concerns I have heard over the past 18 years about parking." Both Goldfarb and Trotman said the most notable town-gown concern facing the council is the question of whether University financial support of the Borough is comparable to the draw it puts on the system, particularly on its police force.

"We certainly spend a lot of time thinking about the University and whether the University is meeting its financial obligations to the community, and I believe it is not," Goldfarb said.

Trotman also believes the support is insufficient, even taking into account the University's non-quantifiable contributions to the Borough.

"[The University is] eager to point out things that it does for the town which are not always identifiable in dollars and cents," she said. "But even having a list of those things and knowing the contribution the University makes to the town, if you weigh it out, it doesn't add up. There is a toll put on the town that the others of us have to pick up."

Pam Hersh, University director of community and state affairs, said the assertion that the University does not pull its own weight financially is incorrect.

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In addition to an annual contribution, she said, since June 2000, the University has given more than $2 million worth of gifts to the Borough — including the donation of a new first aid truck and a $300,000 gift to the new library.

"We have been in negotiations [about the University's financial contribution] for a year," she said. "We give a lot more money than they say we give. Including being the largest taxpayer in the Borough, we offer major voluntary onetime contributions and we give more than $155,000 a year."

The much talked about alcohol ordinance is the third major issue council members will confront during the coming term.

Though Goldfarb says the ordinance was not conceived as a "solution to the problem of excessive drinking," he said it may be an important step in curbing underage drinking by University and area high school students.

The significance of upcoming Borough decisions has led some to question why the Republican Party did not offer any opposition to the incumbents.

Robert Carnevale, a Republican party leader and former candidate for the council, said his party considered nominating a candidate, but instead opted to wait for a more opportune time.

"We seriously considered running candidates. We interviewed and talked to a number of folks," he said. "We really basically took a breather from running a campaign where we are heavily at a disadvantage in terms of registration. We wanted to assess where we were."

Green Party candidates Salus and Syrek did not return phone calls.