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(Gallery by Martin Griff / The Times)

PRINCETON — New council member Patrick Simon and his spouse said they won’t be taking any vacations this year.

That’s because Simon and Jenny Crumiller were the two unlucky new council members who pulled a one-year term length out of black top hat at Tuesday’s consolidation celebration at the municipal building on Witherspoon Street.

The term length of future council members will be three years, but the terms needed be staggered, according to state law, thus prompting the draw from the hat. The council members drew in order of seniority, which allowed Bernie Miller the first draw and finished with newcomer Simon.

Miller and Jo Butler each received a two-year term length, and Lance Liverman and Heather Howard received three-year term lengths.

“This New Year’s Day, January 1 2013, will always have special meaning in Princeton. Today is the day we ring in our new government,” said new Mayor Liz Lempert.

Lempert was sworn in by her opponent and former Princeton Township mayor Dick Woodbridge at noon.

“I asked Dick to administer my oath of office because I have tremendous respect for him,” Lempert said.

The standing-room-only event, which started at 11 a.m., brought a lot of nostalgia from Princeton residents. Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes recalled his childhood home on Wescott Street, near the old border of the borough and township. His dog would wander from the family home in the township into the borough, where he would incur fines for not being on a leash, Hughes said.

“I am so glad to see today that dogs all over Princeton will not have that same quandary,” Hughes said.

Alyce Bush, who has lived in the township for 28 years, said she is happy to finally see the consolidation happen. She spent five years as a member of the Site Plan Review Advisory Board subcommittee, she said.

“I’m really impressed with the process of consolidation. I know there will be some glitches but this town, when they vote to do something, they really pull it off,” Bush said.

Residents were encouraged to share their favorite things about Princeton as part of the community art exhibit on a wall in the building. Residents’ favorite things ranged from Ace Hardware to the “awesome schools and great neighborhoods.” Local businesses like Hoagie Haven and Small World Coffee were also among the town favorites.

Teri McIntire, a member of the Transition Task Force, said she worked with the Arts Council to create the exhibit.

McIntire also had the important job of cutting the seven “consoli-cakes” donated by McCaffrey’s Bakery. There were two circular cakes with an academic theme — one depicting the Princeton University tiger and the other Albert Einstein — a cake in the shape of the Battle Monument, a tribute to the fire department, a cake in the shape of St. Paul’s Church, one with a stack of library books and a cake in the shape of the landmark Lower Pyne Building.

McIntire cut the circular cakes first because they were the easiest, and the Battle Monument cake was also quickly consumed. No one seemed sure what to do with the Lower Pyne Building cake, which duplicated the Tudor-revival building in elaborate detail and remained uncut.

The three leftover cakes were all donated to local organizations. The St. Paul’s cake went to Elm Court, a retirement home, the fire department cake went across the street to the Princeton Fire Department and the library book cake will be donated to a local library tomorrow, McIntire said.

After the swearing-in ceremony, the new council had its first organizational meeting. The consent agenda was reviewed and several professional service contracts were approved, although Butler and Crumiller were unhappy that they had not been able to review the contracts in advance. Administrator Bob Bruschi agreed to give them a copy of all contracts in the future.

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