Franceschi, Santarpio, and Meisel declare victory in BOE race

Though not all votes in Mercer County have been counted, most ballots are in, and Mara Franceschi, Chris Santarpio, and Ari Meisel, candidates for the board of education (BOE) race, have all declared victory.

This year, Princeton voters cast 11,999 ballots, down from 14,338 votes in the 2020 general election. The BOE race proved to be the only substantially competitive race on the Princeton ballot. Key issues that came up during interviews with candidates throughout the race were the school curriculum, superintendent turnover, and budget constraints.

As of 1:30 a.m., Franceschi had by far the most votes at 5,441. Santarpio won 4,697 votes, and Meisel won 4,522. Erica Snyder is a close fourth at 4,388 votes, while Lisa Potter won 4,228 votes and Shenwei Zhao won 2,973. The three winning candidates will each serve three-year terms.

Franceschi is the only incumbent. She has served on the Operations, Long Term Planning, and Policy committees and co-chaired the Personnel committee while on the board. “I am humbled and honored by the community’s support and am excited to build on the positive direction of the district on behalf of all our children,” she wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.

Santarpio, a parent-teacher organization (PTO) co-president at Community Park School, wrote to the ‘Prince,’ “I am honored to have been elected to serve on the PPS Board of Education. I would like to thank the entire Princeton community for their support and confidence in me. I plan to work on improving the culture within the District and also fostering further collaboration with the Town and external organizations. I will serve all students in our District.”

Meisel, who is the VP for Spiritwear for Princeton Middle School’s PTO, told the ‘Prince,’ “I’m incredibly grateful for the support from our community and the opportunity to serve. This race was a testament to Princeton’s commitment to quality education and the strength of our collective vision for our schools. I’m looking forward to collaborating with fellow board members, educators, families, and students to ensure that every child in Princeton has the resources and support they need to thrive.”

The 2023 BOE election was decided by just 78 votes, with Adam Bierman winning a spot over René Obregon. According to the county clerk website, certification of this year’s ballot will be complete “on/about November 20, 2024.”

Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.