BOE Member Brian McDonald Announces Run For Princeton Council

PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton Board of Education member, Brian McDonald, will be running for Town Council this November.

McDonald decided to run for Town Council after Councilwoman Eve Niedergang announced earlier this month she would not be seeking reelection.

Having joined the BOE in 2019, McDonald’s seat is up for reelection, but he has chosen to run for council.

“Princeton is a special town where my family has lived for the past 29 years. I have been honored to serve our community in a variety of roles—as a Little League coach; as a member of non-profit Boards, including The Watershed Institute, Sustainable Princeton, and McCarter Theatre Center; and as a member of the town’s Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee. I am currently finishing my second term as a member of the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education. It would be a privilege to continue serving our community as a member of Council,” McDonald said in an announcement.

“Our community is at a pivotal juncture. As we grow, we need to ensure that our growth is smart, sustainable and respectful of our unique character. At a time when the average home cost exceeds $1 million, we need to find ways to make our town more affordable for individuals and families at all income levels so that our significant diversity, which is one of our great strengths and defining characteristics, may be sustained and expanded.”

A graduate of Princeton University, McDonald worked in public finance and as an entrepreneur in the restaurant, music, and fine arts fields.

"With a changing economy, we need to maintain a vibrant downtown that supports local businesses while also nurturing other areas of commercial activity, including the shopping center and Route 206 at the northern edge of Princeton,” McDonald said. “We need to do these things while delivering services that are excellent, efficient, and serve the needs of all residents.”

As a former public finance professional, McDonald aims to help manage the Municipal budget and borrowing in ways that hold tax increases as low as possible.

“As a creative thinker, I will bring fresh perspectives to an already strong Council and help find solutions to the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities that our town will face in the coming years.”

The BOE member also cited the various nonprofit organizations located in town, calling for a close collaboraton between Municipality and nonprofits.

"Princeton has an incredible number of exceptional non-profit institutions. We must nourish strong partnerships with our institutions, ranging from the YMCA and YWCA to the Princeton Public Library, the Arts Council, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Seminary, Princeton University and, especially, our public schools. And we must work closely with our houses of faith,” he said.

McDonald lives on Journeys End Lane with wife Leah. The couple has a daugther, Campbell, and two sons, Eamonn and Patrick.

“In the coming months, I look forward to opportunities to listen to and learn from residents, non-profit leaders, business owners, and all members of our community, with a focus on how, working together, we can ensure that Princeton continues to be a vibrant and caring town,” he said.

In his announcement, McDonald thanked Niedergang for her service to the Municipality.

“I wish to thank Eve for her decades of community engagement and leadership as an advocate for our environment and sustainability, and as a dedicated member of Council,” McDonald said.

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