Franceschi, Santarpio, Meisel win Princeton Board of Education race (unoffical results)
Princeton Board of Education incumbent Mara Franceschi easily won a second term on the board, emerging as the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s race. Newcomers Chris Santarpio and Ari Meisel also won seats on the board.
Six candidates competed for three seats on the board for three-year terms. Franceschi was the only school board incumbent who sought another term.
Franceschi was the top vote-getter in 17 of Princeton’s 20 voting districts and received a total of 5,326 votes. Santarpio received 4,618 votes, and Meisel received 4,443 votes.
Candidate Erica Snyder came in fourth with 4,310 votes, Lisa Potter finished fifth with 4,148 votes, and Shenwei Zhao received 2,921 votes.
These tallies are unofficial results based on Mercer County Clerk’s election results data. The clerk has not yet certified the election. Mail-in ballots had to be postmarked by Nov. 5 and will continue to be counted if they are received by the Mercer County Board of Elections on or before the sixth day after the close of polls. It is unlikely that the remaining mail-in ballots will change the outcome of this race.
Franceschi, who has a professional background in financial services, has volunteered with community organizations including the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee, the Friends of the Library, and Nassau Nursery School. During her three years on the school board, she has served on the operations, long-term planning, and policy committees and has co-chaired the personnel committee. Franceschi was the only candidate to strongly support the district’s proposed bond referendum during the Planet Princeton candidate Zoom forum. She has lived in Princeton since 2010, about a decade longer than any of the other candidates.
Santarpio, who moved from Jersey City to Princeton with his husband and their son in 2020, owns a business and has a background in the financial services industry. He has been an active volunteer at Community Park Elementary School since moving to Princeton and is a PTO leader.
Meisel, an expert in peak operational efficiency for businesses, has lived in Princeton four years. He is a volunteer EMT and the vice president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. He also serves as chair of the House Committee of the Jewish Center of Princeton and VP of Spiritwear for the Princeton Middle School PTO. Additionally, he is vice chair of the newly formed Princeton Committee on Affordable Housing, Racial, Economic, and Social Equity and Human Services.
The school board race sometimes became divisive in online community forums. Several parents were ejected from a Princeton parent Facebook group for questioning some candidates’ conservative views on book banning, homosexuality, and sex education. Another parent group was formed as a result.
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.