Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner, who many residents hoped would become the first mayor of the consolidated Princeton, has announced that he will not seek reelection to the consolidated governing body.
“Having served for almost six years, I have achieved everything that I set out to accomplish when I first ran for office in 2006,” Goerner said. “I will instead serve the remainder of my term as mayor and guide the town through a smooth transition without any political distraction. Serving on the governing body since 2006, with four of those six years in a leadership role, I have been proud of what I have accomplished and it has been an honor to serve my community.”
Goerner said when he first ran for Princeton Township Committee, he set goals that included increased transparency, fiscal responsibility, and the consolidation of the two Princetons. He says all of those things and more have been accomplished.
To be more transparent, Goerner said the township established an open application process for our boards and commissions, passed pay-to-play reform ordinances, and developed a budget newsletter with the help of a citizens’ finance advisory committee.
In the area of finances, the citizens’ finance advisory committee was created to aid the Township on budgeting and budget related communication with the public. Goerner said the governing body during his tenure had low-increase or zero-increase budgets, with last year’s zero increase not seen in over 25 years in Princeton Township. He also touted the $3.2 million the consolidated Princeton is expected to save annually three years in to consolidation.
Goerner was a major force in the push for consolidation, which voters approved in November. He wrote several editorials and letters on the issue, and discussed its importance when campaigning and at Township reorganization meetings. He served as a member of the shared services and consolidation commission, chaired the finance subcommittee and actively campaigned for consolidation once it was placed on the ballot.
He said his focus now is on seeking a smooth transition to a single governing body in 2013.
Goerner,36, first ran for local office when he was 29. He said he ran to make a difference and change things.
“We’ve done that, and it is something I will always look back on and be proud of,” he said. “One of the things I learned is that we have such an interesting community in Princeton. Everyone wants to be involved, and has their own opinion. Sometimes making policies and plans can be difficult because of this, but at the end of the day we end up with a great plan because we have a lot of great minds in this town.”
A vice president at UBS, Goerner is exploring the possibility of starting a new business and said he hopes a break from politics will help him focus on the new business venture.
“In order to do that I do need to have some additional time, that’s one of the reasons I’m stepping back a little bit. But I’m not closing the door on future political plans. I’m just taking a break.”