Finding Solutions In Elected Office

I started my environmental and political career in the '70s in my home state of New Jersey as a co-founder and Trustee of the New Jersey Environmental Federation. It was an exciting time as the environmental movement was just taking off—the first Earth Day was celebrated and the Environmental Protection Agency was established.

NJ bucked the positive programs of recycling and instead proposed to build trash incinerators in every county, including Mercer County where I lived. I joined many groups of concerned citizens and fought the incinerator for years but we were unsuccessful and so I decided to run for Mercer Country Freeholder to see if political power would help. The incinerator was eventually cancelled because of a court decision protecting the rights of the garbage companies to move trash and not because of our powerful financial and environmental information, but I was hooked on the fascinating complexities and power to make change in local politics. After my term as a Mercer County Freeholder, I ran for Princeton Borough Council and was in office for 3 terms.  

During my stint, I worked on many issues including recycling, car pooling, expanded social services, smart growth and sustainability issues, as well as bringing to fruition a prize-winning downtown development plan and expanding affordable housing. It was an immensely satisfying job.