Margaret Griffin
Why PCH? Why were you interested in joining the PCH Board and working for affordable housing in Princeton?
I have been on the board for six years as of 2022, serving two terms and now starting my third.
Princeton is where I grew up and have spent most (except for 15 years in the middle!) of my life. I think it is a special place one in which I returned to raise my own children, in part because of its great schools and exceptional public library. Also, it has always had a diversity of income levels and ethnicities, though unfortunately where some could live was limited by racial discrimination in the past. And now, with every passing year housing becomes more scarce and more expensive, and the town is in danger of being just accessible to the well-off.
It was the founders of PCH who recognized past discrimination in housing, and foresaw the economic inequities that a tight market would bring. Their hard work and clear foresight is something I wanted to help continue and build on.
What is your professional background?
I am a Librarian. My first professional job after grad school was as a Reference Librarian at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, and then a few years later in the corporate world at a maganagemet consulting firm in New York City. I returned to Princeton in 1992 with two small children and decided to fulfill a life-long dream of owning a bookstore. I was co-owner of Micawber Books on Nassau Street until 2007 when we sold the business.
How long have you been in the Princeton area and why did you come to this community?
1956-1974, 1992-present. Please see my answer to the first question...to raise my children in a town I love!
What other volunteer activities do you participate in?
I currently volunteer at Meals-on-Wheels and have a regular route in downtown Trenton. Other Mercer County activities have included tutoring with Literacy Volunteers and a coordinator and board member of People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I do a lot of reading, gardening, and am active in voter registration thorughout the political cycle. I am increasing interested in promoting sustainable practices in town planning, and preserving and connecting the green belt around us.