Democratic Mayor Peter Cantu won re-election to his 11th consecutive term in the November 8 election for Plainsboro Township Committee, handily defeating GOP challenger Bill Zeltman.##M:[more]##
Cantu won by more than a 2-1 margin, receiving 2,”756 votes to Zeltman’s 1,”295. Cantu relieved more votes than any other candidate on the ballot.
Turnout at the polls was moderate, with 4,”242 of the township’s 8,”481 voters (50 percent) casting their ballots. In last year’s election, which featured a presidential race but an uncontested municipal contest, voter turnout was about 67 percent.
In winning the election to a three-year term, Cantu relieved the majority of votes in all 12 of Plainsboro’s election districts. His victory ensures that the Democratic Party will continue to enjoy the 5-0 majority on the Township Committee that it has held for more than a decade. It also means that the Democrats will control the township through at least 2007, even if the Republicans capture both seats open in next year’s election.
Cantu received a slightly lower percentage of the vote in this election than six years ago, The last time he was challenged for office. In the 2002 election, Cantu was unopposed.
In 2002, when restaurant owner Joe Acosta ran an aggressive campaign against the incumbent mayor, Cantu captured 66 percent of the vote. This year, running against Zeltman, who was chosen in mid-September to replace a candidate who stepped down, Cantu received 57 percent of the vote.
Cantu says that although he was heavily favored to win re-election, the fact that taxes rose significantly this year due to a township-wide property revaluation gave him cause for concern.
“This was a difficult year for Plainsboro from a tax perspective, so you never know,” he said.
Looking ahead to his coming term, Cantu said the township hopes to acquire several open space properties. He says he is also excited by the potential that the University Medical Center at Princeton might decide to relocate to Plainsboro. According to sources, Plainsboro officials have been in talks with the hospital to locate the medical center on the former Princeton Nurseries property.
The mayor also stresses that taxes will remain one of his top concerns in the coming years. “We are intent on doing the best job we can with regard to the financial management of the community. I recognize that our taxpayers have suffered we will work to control the local budget.”
Cantu, who finished his one-year term as president of the state League of Municipalities, pledges to continue to lobby at the state level for tax relief, an issue that was a personal crusade in his time as league president.
Meanwhile, Zeltman, in a letter to the News (see page 6), says that he plans to run for election again next year along with Michael Jaronsky, who was the manager of his campaign. Next November, the seats held by Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis and Committeewoman Ginger Gold will be up for election.
“We strongly believe that we can make a positive change to Plainsboro’s Township Committee and bring much needed balance and a fresh perspective,” says Zeltman.
But the election results show that Zeltman and Jaronsky may have a tough nut to crack. Once again, Plainsboro was a Democratic stronghold, with candidates from the party also winning the most votes in the races for governor and 14th District Assembly.
In the gubernatorial contest, Democrat John Corzine received 2,”399 votes, while Republican Doug Forrester, a West Windsor resident, garnered 1,”646 ballots.
In the 14th District race, incumbent Democrat Linda Greenstein (a Plainsboro resident) and running mate Daniel Benson ran against incumbent Republican Bill Baroni and running mate Michael Paquette. Both incumbents were re-elected when the votes from the entire district were tallied.
But in Plainsboro Greenstein amassed the most votes, with 2,”576. Benson was second with 2,”234, followed by Baroni with 1,”642, and Paquette with 1,”379.
The results also show that Cantu received the nod from voters who supported Republicans at the top of the ballot. In the race for governor, there was a 753-vote margin between Corzine and Forrester.
The margin grew in the municipal race, with Cantu receiving 1,”461 more votes than Zeltman, indicating that a significant number of Republicans opted for Cantu in the municipal race.
