As old-time Democrats in Princeton may know, I have been integrally involved in the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) for a number of years.  In 2006, became president after serving as membership chair, corresponding secretary and running a presidential campaign headquarters.  I was president for three years, when the club became known as the largest and most active Democratic club in the state.  After that, I ran for Princeton Council.

One of my major efforts as PCDO president, besides expanding and activating the membership, was to encourage competitive primaries in our virtually one-party town.  You can see the resolution I wrote here. Competetive primaries were relatively rare before that; when I ran for the (former) Borough council, I was the first candidate in decades to run without having been appointed by the council to fill a vacancy first. The usual practice had been that a council member would resign before the term was up in order to allow the council to choose the next member.

The PCDO is now a vibrant membership organization, and a competitive PCDO local endorsement process is seen as a regular occurrence. It’s going to happen again this year and I couldn’t be happier, even if it means– unlike last time I ran– I will have competition and a little more work to do.

Primary voters who haven’t spent a lot of time studying up on the candidates end up taking the PCDO endorsement seriously, and so if you want to make an impact on the election, you can join the PCDO, attend the endorsement meeting on March 20 where candidates answer questions, and vote.  There is a minimum organizational dues payment of $5 and the suggested dues are $15.  Dues help defray costs of renting space and running the organization.