Princeton’s Town Council advanced a new five-year Community Forest Management Plan, reviewed November police activity, and honored longtime municipal employees at its Dec. 22 meeting.
Municipal Arborist Taylor Sapudar showcased Princeton’s 2025–2029 Community Forest Management Plan (CFMP), an initiative encouraged by the State of New Jersey and conducted by the Municipality of Princeton since 2006. The new CFMP seeks to “guide proactive and informed management of an urban forest.”
Sapudar highlighted the success of the last CFMP, which ran from 2020–2024. Under the plan, the Municipality of Princeton conducted a tree inventory and canopy assessment, maintained its Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for the 29th consecutive year and restored 45 acres of forest in Community Park North.
The previous plan also oversaw the planting of a Miyawaki microforest in Princeton — an increasingly popular type of collection of fast-growing trees and shrubs.
The new CFMP aims to prohibit invasive tree planting, plant 1,500 new trees, acquire new green spaces, and prepare a wildfire plan. Sapudar reported that around 95 percent of Princeton’s forestry management work is carried out by in-house staff, a rarity among New Jersey municipalities.
The Town Council plans to submit the CFMP to the NJ Forest Service and prepare reports for other relevant stakeholders.
Janet Stern, a member of the Shade Tree Commission of Princeton, advocated the adoption of an ordinance to strengthen protections for shade trees, which has been in the works for three years.
While Stern did express that the ordinance did not go far enough to combat ecosystem-destroying practices like clear-cutting, she described it as a step toward supporting the health of Princeton’s trees. The Council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.
Princeton Police Chief Matthew Solovay presented recent crime data, which showed a largely low-crime month in comparison with the rest of 2025, previous Novembers, and surrounding areas. There were 3,114 calls to the police, 1,704 parking violations, and only two incidents that required the use of force.
Solovay also highlighted the police department’s recent participation in community initiatives. These include the annual Thanksgiving dinner between police officers and residents of the Harriet Bryan House, an affordable housing community for senior citizens.
“[The dinner] is something our officers genuinely look forward to each year,” Solovay said. “[Princeton Community Housing] provides an opportunity to share a meal, enjoy meaningful conversation and give back to members of our community.”
Another initiative saw the police department collaborate with the Jewish Center of Princeton on a winter coat drive for the Cornerstone Community Kitchen at Princeton Methodist Church. Sergeant Luis Navas and other officers were able to collect eight large contractor-style bags of coats for community members in need.
The police department also collected nearly $1,600 for the Princeton Human Services holiday gift drive through No Shave November, in which each officer grows out a beard for the month.
Part of the meeting was dedicated to honoring municipal employees for their work. Councilman Leighton Newlin read a proclamation celebrating the contributions of Elizabeth Kim, who spent 25 years in Princeton's Office of Historical Preservation.
Over the course of her career, Kim helped designate 21 new historic districts in Princeton, including the 1792 Stony Brook Bridge, which received the Mercer County Chapter Project of the Year Award from the NJ Society of Professional Engineers.
Edwin Schmierer, former municipal bureau attorney, also received a commendation for his 33-year career serving Princeton. “Ed played a central and indispensable role in the historical consolidation of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, providing legal guidance to the consolidation study commission,” Mayor Mark Freda said.
Next, Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros announced the naming of a municipal transit bus route as the “Princeton Loop” and reported that graphic designs for the newly named route will be presented at a future meeting. This route had been approved earlier in the fall.
Yearly police promotions, minor lane use changes, and salary modifications were all unanimously passed.
At the end of the meeting, Felicia Spitz, Board Chair of the Princeton Housing Authority, made a public comment about the sharing of sensitive information during a closed session.
“I recently learned that a letter I provided at the request of Council President [Mia] Sacks was disclosed … to a third party and is now attached to a tort claim notice seeking $3.7 million in damages from the housing authority and municipality,” Spitz said.
A council meeting also took place on Dec. 29, in which routine procedural resolutions, such as budget expenditures, were passed.
Princeton Town Council typically meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. Its next meeting will be held on Jan. 12.
Gray Collins is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Villanova, Pa. and can be reached at gc7410[at]princeton.edu.
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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