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Council Candidate Mia Sacks Has Lengthy Track Record of Leadership


To the Editor:


You think the 2020 election is important to our country? How about the November 5 election right here in our town! Leadership in Princeton is about to take a journey into the future … our shared future. In three weeks, we must decide who will be navigating the good ship Princeton on this all-important voyage.



This should not be a popularity contest. What Princeton desperately needs are the best, the brightest, and the most competent leaders at the helm. At the top of that list is Mia Sacks. Her lengthy track record of leadership speaks for itself. From her exhaustive background in this nation’s leading social justice organizations, to her efforts on behalf of our children in Princeton Public Schools, to her work on smart planning and sustainability in Princeton, Mia is someone others go to when they want or see a need for action.


In last June’s Democratic primary it was no surprise that, of Princeton’s 22 voting districts, Mia won 18 outright and tied for first place in two more. People in every sector of this community have direct experience with Mia’s commitment to helping us individually and collectively. She has demonstrated the way in which strategic planning and responsive leadership can bring vision to fruition. Most importantly, Mia’s vision for the future prioritizes equity and is informed by a deeply-rooted awareness of Princeton’s inequitable past.


Affordable housing, taxes, displacement, parking management, open space, shared services with our schools, more accountable government, support for local merchants, ensuring diversity and inclusion, and upcoming negotiations with the University are all on the docket as priority issues for our new Council members to address. I cannot in good conscience sit on the sidelines when so much is at stake, and nor should you. We have the opportunity to support a uniquely competent and caring candidate who will lead as one of us. Please join me in supporting Mia Sacks for Princeton Council.


Leighton Newlin Birch Avenue


Mia Sacks Offers Council Inspiring, Dedicated Leadership

To the Editor:


I am writing to enthusiastically support Mia Sacks for Princeton Council.



Mia’s depth of experience in social justice is evident from her remarkably impressive professional resume, but I know Mia in a different context: as a supremely committed, civically-engaged Princeton resident. Mia and I met seven years ago when our children started school at Littlebrook together.


As a new Princeton resident, I quickly came to realize that Mia was the person to turn to with any question about local governance:


Wondering about the supplier of our public school lunches? Mia was on the committee that worked to identify a more nutritious, environmentally responsible meals provider.


Want to learn how to lower the district school buildings’ energy use? Mia was chair of the Princeton Green Schools Coalition and brought state officials to town to present options.


Curious about the town’s new sustainability plan? As a Sustainable Princeton board member, Mia has been an integral part of developing the Climate Action Plan for Princeton.


Want to learn about the schools’ focus on wellness? Mia helped write the new PPS Wellness Policy and has been working with Wellness Committees in the individual schools to conduct CDC health and wellness evaluations.


Unable to stay at the school board meeting/town council meeting/planning board meeting until midnight to hear the outcome of the debate? Text Mia: she undoubtedly stayed to the bitter end, and has an expert’s understanding of all the policy nuances.


Municipal governance can often be seen as a thankless task. Council members devote long, unpaid hours to addressing questions and deciding on policies that some people, in an age when national and international politics occupies so much of our attention, may dismiss as trivial. But this perspective misses the big picture.


As both a Princeton resident and someone who studies local government law, I believe that electing dedicated, inspiring local leadership is one of the most powerful opportunities we as a town have to make a positive difference in our own lives and those of our local and global neighbors.


Committed public servants like Mia — professionals who have committed their lives to social justice and who see the critical connections between the day-to-day decisions of town governance and the most pressing international issues of our time — are an invaluable asset to all of us.


Mia has already demonstrated her remarkable commitment to both international justice and local, participatory democracy. Her zeal for digging into the details of local policy, together with her ability to see the connections between those details and the big, important picture, make her an outstanding candidate for our town council.


I strongly urge Princeton residents to join me in voting for Mia in the June 4th Democratic primary.


Jane Manners Wheatsheaf Lane


Planning & Design Professionals Voice Strong Support for Mia

"There is no substitute for credibility derived from hard work and a proven commitment — demonstrated over time — to the key issues confronting our town."


Town Topics Letter | May 29, 2019 | Princeton, NJ

To the Editor:


We write as longtime Princeton residents and experienced professionals in the area of municipal planning and community design. In recent years, we have joined our community in watching with dismay as less-than-optimal decisions have been made that negatively impact the future of our town. We are concerned about the absence of thoughtful, fact-and-design-based decision-making, for aspects and areas of our community in great need of attention — from parking to zoning to affordable housing to infrastructure improvements and many other areas that require appropriate planning.

We believe that Mia Sacks is the candidate most equipped, through background, experience, and proven service to Princeton, to address these deficiencies in municipal leadership. Mia has spent an extraordinary amount of time working to develop a sophisticated working knowledge of our town’s physical character, economic dynamics, political and legal structure. She is well-versed in the fundamental elements of municipal governance — public policy, infrastructure, municipal finance, transportation, education, and land use.


Mia has spent the last decade working on local issues, serving her community and learning how to govern. She is dedicated to thoughtful, well-conceived planning and the environmental health of our town — two issues that are hugely important to us and vital to the future of our town.


Scores of our friends and neighbors in government and in community organizations have worked with Mia and come to rely upon her diligence and trust her judgment. There is no substitute for credibility derived from hard work and a proven commitment — demonstrated over time — to the key issues confronting our town. Elections really do have consequences.


It is for that reason we urge you to join us in voting to elect Mia Sacks for Princeton Council on June 4.


Carlos Rodriguez Moore Street


Ron Berlin Jefferson Road

Kevin Wilkes Belle Mead


Joel Schwartz Armour Road


Abel Smith Leigh Avenue



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