I moved to Princeton in 1985 to pursue my Master's degree at Princeton University. My husband, Andy Weiss, and I fell in love with the town and decided to stay and raise our family here. My two children attended Riverside Elementary and JWMS (now PUMS) and are both graduates of PHS. Professionally, I worked at ETS for many years and then as a consultant in the field of educational testing. In 2016, I became - and continue to work as - the volunteer coordinator at the Watershed Institute. My work at the Watershed reflects my long-standing commitment to community engagement and to environmental sustainability.
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In the 30 years I've lived in Princeton, I've served as co-president of the Riverside Elementary School PTO, where I made equity a priority and fundraised to ensure that every student could participate in all activities. At the Friends of the Princeton Public Library, I established the Used Bookstore and transformed the Friends Book Sale into a major funding source for the library. I've been involved with the Princeton Community Democratic Organization for more than a decade and served several terms on the Executive Board. Until my election to Council, I also served as the District 18 Democratic committeewoman beginning in 2014.
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It feels like my first campaign was only yesterday, but I've now served two years on Council and this is the last year of my three-year term.
I'm proud of what Council has accomplished during the last two plus years, especially most recently in the face of the challenges of COVID. We responded quickly and efficiently to allow our businesses to stay open, assisted residents in need, boosted the capacity of our health department and kept taxes flat in 2020. I'm also proud of my efforts on Council in the area of sustainability and environmental protection. I've helped to advance Princeton's Climate Action Plan through an energy aggregation plan and an electric vehicle charging ordinance (in progress), and I've been a leader in the effort to preserve and maintain Princeton's open space, helping to win approval for a dedicated open space crew beginning this year. I also restarted the Flood and Stormwater Committee, whose work led to an ordinance that will decrease flooding from new developments, protecting our community in this era of climate change.
I'm currently chairing the Administrator Search Committee, which is tasked with finding a new municipal administrator - probably the most important challenge I will take on as a Council member. I'm also chairing our newly established Cannabis Task Force, which will guide the municipality as it make decisions related to this now legal substance. A very important part of that effort will be ensuring that racial and social justice is kept front and center as all decisions are made.
Looking a bit further into the future, some of my key goals include:
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Ensuring that our Health, Human Services and Emergency Operations departments have the needed resources to cope with our current challenges including those caused by the pandemic, and are prepared for future challenges including climate change.
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Reconceptualizing our waste stream, including restarting the compost program, reconsidering leaf and brush pick up for larger properties, and possibly moving to "pay to throw" for trash collection and away from single stream recycling.
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Encouraging the adoption of sustainable landscaping practices, such as "leave the leaves," moving away from gas-powered lawn equipment, and ensuring the health and safety of our landscaping crews.
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Ensuring that all municipal projects receive courtesy reviews from the Planning Board and the Environmental and Shade Tree Commissions and are considered holistically.
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Devoting adequate resources and staff to our infrastructure, both visible (roads) and hidden (sanitary and storm sewers) and supporting the implementation of a stormwater utility to allow for the proactive planning and building of defenses against flooding.
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Working on the Climate Action Plan, including moving towards electric vehicles and charging stations, energy audits of municipal buildings, and improved bicycle and pedestrian mobility and safety.
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As a progressive Democrat, I am committed to the broad values of inclusion and social justice, climate sustainability and smart growth, and providing opportunities for our businesses and for all who work in our unique and diverse community. Princeton faces many challenges ahead, but together we are up to the task