Michelle Pirone Lambros has the financial skills to lead in these challenging times

To the Editor:

As the Democratic Primary looms, Princetonians are asking themselves: What skills should a Council Member have to effectively govern our town during this particularly challenging period?  

In our opinion, the primary responsibility of a council member is a fiduciary one. Someone with financial skills is a must. We want our tax dollars spent wisely, and we need someone with experience in business.  Michelle brings a wealth of international business experience to the task of managing Princeton’s finances. In the U.S. and abroad, she oversaw multi-million dollar projects, managed six-figure infrastructure contracts, and pulled off public-private partnerships with multiple vendors on time and under budget.  

We’ve decided to endorse her because she shows up, rolls up her sleeves, and gets to work. She’s not yet on the Princeton Council, but she has already been instrumental in negotiating the parking meter rate resolution announced last week.  She is involved in the Economic Development Committee, the Bike Advisory Committee and the Zoning Board and is working on streamlining zoning for business start-ups, she has gotten private funding for bike racks, and has sensible ideas for private funding for a dog park and expansion of the FreeB bus service-all great issues that will help make our town accessible, liveable, and sustainable.

As current Freeholder and former Princeton Council President, and as former Princeton Township Municipal Committee Chair and past President of the PCDO, we’ve seen a lot of Council races.  And we know a top contender when we meet them. Michelle’s our choice.  She has already received an extraordinary number of endorsements, from current and former elected officials, esteemed members of the business community, the African-American community, and the Latinx community.

We want a tough and thoughtful negotiator. Someone to push back against excessive consultants whose recommendations often require a keen and skeptical eye.  Someone with experience to know the best solution is seldom a binary choice, but can imagine creative alternatives. We want an advocate for all. This means the middle class, the working poor, and our business owners. Michelle has garnered support from all these constituencies.

We hope you will join us in voting for Michelle on June 4th. The sensible choice for fiscal responsibility, progressive policies, and entrepreneurial leadership.

Jon Durbin
Andrew Koontz


6 Comments

  1. I think she is a terrific candidate but I also think Tim is a terrific candidate. But how can you print one letter for her without a letter for the other two candidates? and then to follow the letter with an add? Is the whole letter a paid ad?

  2. Stephen – Anyone can submit a letter to the editor. The letters to the editor have nothing to do with ads. None of the other candidates’ supporters have submitted letters to the editor. We have no control over that and the strategy of certain candidates’ campaigns of not submitting letters to Planet Princeton.

  3. @Stephen- it’s disturbing that your first thought is that PP would sell out over a Council race- that Krystal would throw out years of hard work over something pretty insignificant in the larger picture. You clearly don’t know Krystal and the integrity she has.

  4. I think Stephen makes a good point – I’ve noticed the same thing. Also, Planet Princeton had a story when Michelle Pirone Lambros announced that she was running (titled “Michelle Pirone Lambros will run for Princeton Council seat again this year”), but didn’t have any similar stories for the other candidates (I just checked to make sure). It does feel like a preference has been shown.

  5. I do not know how PP could publish letters that are not sent.
    The real question is why the letters are not sent when PP is the most reliable Princeton news media.
    I think that Krystal Knapp personifies integrity.
    Planet Princeton reports facts after exhaustive investigation. However, sometimes the truth doesn’t sit well with people who want everybody to see everything with pink glasses, and prefer to swipe certain issues under the rug to portray some sort of idyllic town.
    At some point, constituents will realise it and will respond accordingly at the voting booths.

  6. We need candidates that won’t just fall in line with what the (weak) Mayor (that is our form of Government) desires. There has been too much of that. We need independent thinkers/action takers who don’t care as much about being part of the “in crowd” as they do about being honest with their words, actions and votes. I believe Michelle will be honest and independent. She has my vote.

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