Dina Shaw will run for Princeton Council in Democratic primary
Entrepreneur Dina Shaw will run for a seat on the six-member Princeton Council in the Democratic primary this June.
Voters will elect two council members for three-year terms in the November general election. The primary election will be held on June 2.
Shaw, 56, has been a Princeton resident for the past 17 years. She and her spouse, Michael Shaw, built a business called Code Tech Corporation and sold the company in 2019. Now that Shaw is no longer the chief operating officer of Code Tech, she said she has the time to dedicate to serving Princeton as an elected official.
“When it comes to Princeton, I’ve always been deeply involved, inclusive, and action-oriented in everything I do,” Shaw said. “I’ve been working for our community as a business owner and an active volunteer in our schools, nonprofits, and political organizations. I accomplish goals by working to understand issues, identifying options, building constituencies, and driving the best results for the community at large. Now, I’m ready to apply my energy and skills as a member of the Princeton Council.”
In an interview last week, Shaw said the top three areas she would focus on in municipal government if elected are managing economic development in town, improving communication and inclusivity, and collaborating more with the Princeton Public Schools.
Shaw said the municipality could improve collaboration with Princeton University and other entities. She also feels the town needs an integrated public transit and parking management system that incentivizes people to shop at local small businesses.
Town leaders need to promote creative economic development to lower the residential tax burden. She also said she feels the town needs a thoughtful, comprehensive rollout of affordable housing plans.
Shaw said officials can work to promote more collaboration with private, public, nonprofit and grassroots organizations throughout Mercer County to provide Princeton residents with full access to public resources. She added that the town should work to identify and champion partnerships between municipal service providers throughout Mercer County to create efficiencies and cost savings.
She stressed her experience as the president of the parent-teacher organizations at Littlebrook Elementary School and the John Witherspoon Middle School when discussing her qualifications to run for council. She has also been active in the Princeton Community Democratic Organization and serves on the municipality’s economic development committee. She is a first vice president of the Friends of the Princeton Public Library and is a member of Mercer County Moms Demand Action. She previously held board positions at the Jewish Center of Princeton, where she said she grew membership by revamping outreach to new members.
Shaw was an executive recruiter for two decades, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She and her husband have three children.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
It’s wonderful to see that someone as inclusive and action oriented as Dina is running for Council. Princeton provides us a unique quality of life, but to maintain that, we need leaders with vision and the skills to create consensus on our behalf. Dina is just the type of ‘Big Tent’ representative we need.