Mayor Peter Cantu has retained his seat on the township committee by defeating Republican challenger Krishna Jagannathan, 1,802 to 690, in his 13th election over 37 years on the committee.
Jagannathan, although disappointed with the results, had an appreciative message for Mayor Cantu. “Congratulations on your victory. While we may disagree on your means and some of your decisions, ultimately Plainsboro is a clean, safe town with a vibrant, diverse community and a top-notch school system. I wish you the best of luck over the next three years,” he said.
The 27-year-old Jagannathan thanked his supporters for their encouragement. He hinted at possibly running again as well. “Perhaps it was not wise of me to try and challenge a 37-year incumbent, but I certainly gave it my all and I can’t fault a process that gave me the opportunity to meet so many people. This may be my first foray into elected office, but it is far from my last,” Jagannathan wrote. No Republican has been elected in Plainsboro since the early 1990s.
Cantu’s latest re-election leads him to a three-year term expiring in 2014, which will mark his 40th year serving on the committee.
Cantu said Plainsboro’s voter turnout of about 34 percent was where he had predicted it would be for a non-presidential election year. He said the high turnover of residents in Plainsboro’s apartment complexes contributes to lower numbers. In 2008, a presidential election year, Cantu earned 5,462 of 7,504 votes (running unopposed) and last week he got 1,802 out of a possible 2,564.
