PRINCETON: Councilman Bernie Miller will retire at the end of the current term

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Councilman Bernard P. Miller said Wednesday he would not run for re-election this year, in an announcement that did not surprise the town’s political class given how he has talked of wanting to leave public office., Mr. Miller, a Democrat, disclosed his intentions at the end of his speech at the council reorganization meeting, before a packed house in the Witherspoon Hall municipal building. The former township mayor has served in government for nearly two decades, first elected in 2002., “When I leave office a year from now,” the 87-year-old said, “it will have been an honor to have served the citizens of Princeton as your representative to local government for more than 15 years. I have never viewed this as a career, but as a vocation, and I thank you for giving me the privilege of doing it.”, His decision opens the door for a new face to join the six-member council after his term is up. The other incumbent this year, fellow Democrat Jo S. Butler, has not said whether she will run for another term, with only one council candidate, Leticia Fraga, declaring to run so far., “Basically, I wasn’t surprised, because he had said before that he thought he wasn’t going to run again,” said Princeton Democratic chairwoman Scotia W. MacRae of Mr. Miller’s announcement., “The number of years of service accumulate, and I think, in his case, he just recognizes that if he’s going to be on the council, he would have to be very active,” said friend and former Borough Mayor Marvin Reed., He said the two men have talked about when Mr. Miller would call it a career — “a discussion we’ve had for the last eight or 10 years.”, “Kind of Bernie jumped the gun there on me, I didn’t know he was going to announce (Wednesday),” Ms. Butler said afterward. “It’s not totally unexpected, but it’s still something of a shock to hear him say it out loud. I think it was a tough decision.”, Mr. Miller is seen as the “elder statesman” on the governing body, in the words of new Council President Jenny Crumiller. But Councilman Lance Liverman has served with Mr. Miller for nearly as long, the two men having sat on Township Committee before consolidation., “The town is losing a legend,” Mr. Liverman said., Mr. Miller has accumulated his share of political scars in public life, including being pushed out as being mayor of the former township so that Chad Goerner could assume that position in 2011. He has fallen out of favor with some of his former colleagues on the Township Committee, who behind the scenes are critical of him., Mayor Liz Lempert, a former Township Committeewoman, had forged an alliance with Mr. Miller after consolidation despite her prior support of Mr. Goerner’s mayoral bid., “It’s been wonderful to work with him all these years. I’m looking forward to working with him this upcoming year,” she said of Mr. Miller. “I respect his decision but (am) not ready to say goodbye to him yet.”