Fraga to Seek Princeton Council Seat

Letitia FragaAnother Democratic candidate has announced a bid for a Princeton Council seat for the June primary. Leticia Fraga, vice-chair for the Princeton Human Services Commission, will seek one of two three-year terms on the six-member council.

“It would be a great privilege to serve the community in this capacity,” Fraga said. “My approach to leadership involves listening openly to concerns of all members of our community with the goal of building an even better Princeton, a town that thrives economically while maintaining its small-town feel.“

Fraga, who serves as the campaign chair for mayor Liz Lempert, said she will be stepping down from that position because of her own election campaign.

A 17-year resident of Princeton, Fraga has served on various committees and boards, and is chair of the Human Services Sub-Committee on Civil Rights and chair of the board of trustees for the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. She is also a member of the board of trustees for Princeton Community Housing and the Princeton YWCA.

As a board member she said she has been involved with Send Hunger Packing, a local initiative addressing food-insecurity among Princeton families with children. Through her experience, Fraga said she has come to understand that her fellow residents are most concerned with issues related to affordability, sustainability and the quality of life in Princeton.

“In my career as a civil rights specialist and throughout years of community activism, I have dedicated myself and honed two core values: hard work and justice. If elected,I won’t back away from tough issues or from seeking community-based solutions that build a stronger Princeton for shared prosperity,” she said.

Originally from Mexico, Fraga grew up in Washington State. She relocated to Princeton in 1999 with her husband, Steven Nadler, a scientist and executive at Bristol Myers Squibb. They are the parents of 11 year-old twins who attend the John Witherspoon Middle School. Fraga is also the mother of three grown children and the grandmother of seven.

“My parents worked hard to provide my siblings and me a better life. I’ve applied this same basic principle of hard work to all that I do,” she said. “On council, I will work doggedly to ensure that Princeton is a strong and safe community. It will be my duty if given the opportunity to serve, to address the broader policy issues that impact every member of our community.”

Fraga said she looks forward to the campaign as a chance to get to know more members of the community and to engage in an open exchange of ideas about the values and priorities that will guide Princeton into the future.

Former school board member and current Princeton Public Library employee Tim Quinn announced last month that he is seeking a seat on the Princeton governing body in the 2016 election. Princeton Community Democratic Organization Vice-President Amner Deleon is also considering a council bid.

Democratic incumbent Jenny Crumiller will seek another term. Councilman Patrick Simon has not said yet whether he will run for a seat on the Princeton Council again or run for mayor.

Lempert announced her reelection bid just after the November election.