Princeton mayor Mark Freda is running unopposed for re-election. If elected, this will be his second term serving as mayor.
In a phone interview with The Daily Princetonian, Freda discussed his path to political office, his work with the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad (PFARS), and his ongoing re-election campaign. He also made his first public comment regarding his involvement in a civil lawsuit over his alleged involvement in a stolen car chase in 2021, which killed the teenager who operated the stolen vehicle as well as an innocent motorist.
Freda claimed that “100 percent honestly, I did nothing wrong. I broke no law [and] was never charged with a crime.”
This ongoing legal controversy stands against a longterm background of civil service, which began with his career at the fire department and PFARS.
“I’ve been a volunteer firefighter in town since I was 18. I’m still doing it, and I’m on a duty shift right now until 11 o’clock,” Freda said as he called in from the fire department in town. Freda has been involved in PFARS since he was 19, back when the organization was exclusively made up of volunteers.
“In 2018, the structure of the squad changed and implemented an outside board of trustees and the new president role became a paid position” Freda said. He was elected as president of PFARS in 2018 — a position he continues to hold in addition to being the mayor.
Freda’s volunteer work would go on to launch his political career. “After joining the fire department and first aid squad, I started going to council meetings,” he said.
“I went to a lot of them, and at one of them, [then-Mayor] Barbara Sigman turned to me and said, you know, you come to all these council meetings, why don't you just run for council?”
Freda went on to serve on the council from 1986 to 1999.
Although Freda also ran unopposed in 2020, he met with four other potential candidates prior to the election.
“We had long discussions, and they all agreed after talking that ‘Mark, you’ve got more experience, more knowledge, and you’re probably the better candidate,’” he said.
Freda noted that having already served one term, his second campaign has been easier, as he didn’t have to work as hard to publicize himself.
He also shared concerns about the lack of candidates running against him. “As a democratic organization we need to work harder to build a bench of people behind all the current elected officials,” he said. “You know, a little competition is a good thing to keep everybody on top of their game.”
Although he is running unopposed, Freda faces another challenge this election season in the form of his ongoing civil lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Jodi Marcou, a 61-year old fundraising coordinator at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information who lived in South Brunswick. The lawsuit alleges that Freda, who knew the owner of the stolen car, arrived on the scene. He then turned on the blue courtesy lights he had due to his work with PFARS, and pursued the car thief.
The chase ended when the person who stole the car, Damajia Jenay “Majia” Horner, hit Marcou’s car, which resulted in the deaths of Marcou and Horner. The Municipality of Princeton and PFARS are also named in the lawsuit.
Although Freda’s alleged involvement in the crash is unlikely to affect the results of the upcoming election, it has nonetheless led to PFARS taking disciplinary action against him. After he was named in the lawsuit in August 2023, the PFARS operations committee voted 8–1 in favor of suspending him for 30 days.
They also ordered him to remove and turn in the blue “courtesy lights” from his car and relinquish his permit to use them. He has since been asked to cease using his courtesy lights when responding to incidents on behalf of PFARS and the fire department.
The operations committee determined that Freda had violated two policies: one about following traffic laws while operating a civilian vehicle in an emergency response, and one regulating the proper usage of blue courtesy lights. PFARS did not respond to a request for comment.
Freda said he could not comment more about the lawsuit — further than denying guilt — but he continued to emphasize the importance of transparency and communication from the local government. “We were elected to represent everybody that lives here. So if we’re not in touch with the people that live here, it’s hard to do the job the right way,” he said.
The apparent lack of interest in running for mayor in Princeton has motivated Freda to improve the accessibility and transparency of the local government. “I put a lot of effort into trying to be out and about, around town so residents can ask questions,” he said.
Freda also shared plans and projects he wants to continue through his next term, if elected. “Right now we’re in the middle of a process that may end up with the town purchasing the former Westminster choir college property,” he said.
While he did not elaborate on the possible purchase of the property, Freda emphasized his hopes to expand housing in town. “The next round of New Jersey’s affordable housing commitment will come out next year,” Freda said. Decisions concerning “density” of housing and people in town will be brought to the forefront of local government discussion.
He emphasized that local government is often easier to participate in, and while some may find last-minute objections or questions from community members inconvenient, he tells his staff, “We shouldn’t get frustrated. We shouldn’t get defensive.” According to Freda, embracing and listening to disagreement in local politics is vital.
Cynthia Torres is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from New Bedford, Mass.
Leela Hensler is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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