Joel Quiram withdraws from Princeton mayoral race; will finish remaining term

Princeton will have a new mayor following the upcoming April 4 election, as incumbent Joel Quiram announced early Friday he will not seek reelection to the position.

Quiram said on his mayoral Facebook page he originally made the decision to run for a third term in order to “keep us moving forward as we work together as a community.” However, “things have changed” for Quiram since that decision was made.

“Two terms as mayor is enough for a town the size of Princeton,” Quiram said Friday. “On Tuesday, papers withdrawing my names from the mayoral race were filed and my name will be removed from the ballot.”

Quiram said in the last year, he struggled with the decision to run for reelection for a third term.

In the past eight years, Quiram said the community has progressed toward making Princeton a destination including the 250 to 300 jobs that will be added by the construction of the Ollie’s Bargain Discount distribution center, the work on the Thompson Street sewer extension and other projects within the city.

“These are just a small sample of the significant progress we’ve made as a community and I want the progress to continue,” Quiram said.

Quiram also mentioned helping make a significant decision in the future of Princeton as OSF HealthCare took control of Perry Memorial Hospital.

“That is, in my opinion and I think it would be hard to argue otherwise, the single biggest decision in Princeton’s history,” Quiram stated.

Quiram added he believes if that decision would not have been made, Perry likely would have closed either this year or the next.

After withdrawing his name from the race for Princeton mayor, Quiram will serve out the remainder of his second term as mayor. As of Feb. 10, Ray Mabry is running unopposed for the position that will be decided during the April 4 election.

“Come May you will have a new mayor,” Quiram stated. “He will not have won an election or the position, and he will not have a mandate, but I hope the best for him, the council, all the city’s employees and most importantly Princeton’s residents.”