Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu has announced that he will not seek another term as mayor, ending a historic 44-year tenure in the job.
Cantu, in December statement, said he has informed his colleagues on the Plainsboro Township Committee of his decision. He confirmed that he will remain on the committee until his term ends in December 2026.
Cantu, 84, has served on Township Committee for 50 years and was first selected as mayor in 1977. Under Plainsboro’s township committee form of government the mayor is not directly elected by residents.
Each year the members of the governing body vote to elect the mayor, who also acts as the presiding officer at Committee meetings.
Cantu’s decision will take effect during the township’s annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 2, 2025, at 6 p.m. During this meeting, the committee will choose a new mayor to serve a one-year term.
“I am happy to assist in the transition in any way possible,” Cantu said. “I have full confidence that my colleagues will agree upon a highly qualified and dedicated individual to become mayor who will work with township committee members to keep the town moving forward with its vibrant and successful economic, cultural, health and educational initiatives.”
Cantu’s said his decision to step back is not due to health concerns or personal issues but is a reflection of his desire to lessen his responsibilities.
“At the age of 84, I feel it is time for me to back away from the considerable day-to-day mayoral responsibilities and demands,” Cantu said. “This is a job to which I have devoted enormous time and energy—as has my wife of 63 years, Gale Cantu, who has been with me on this incredible journey every step of the way,”
Cantu, a lifelong Plainsboro resident, witnessed the township’s transformation from a small farming community to a thriving suburb with 24,000 residents.
Plainsboro, once home to 1,200 people and 1,600 cows, has been recognized by New Jersey Monthly magazine as one of the state’s “Top 10 Best Places to Live” and by Fortune Small Business as one of the “100 Best Places to Live and Launch a Princeton Medical Center nurse charged with criminal sexual contact
Peter Cantu, with wife Gail, is sworn in as mayor of Plainsboro at the township’s annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 2, 2018.,
