As the curtain officially comes down on my tenure as mayor January 15, there are a few words that come to mind.
Grateful.
Humbled.
Proud.
Appreciative.
Blessed.
Bittersweet.
Had I not been supremely confident this incredible community was in the best possible hands with Council President and Mayor-Elect Mike Todd taking the helm, perhaps I could have been persuaded to make a different choice.
But at the end of the day my tremendously supportive family, especially my wife Kitt, deserve more of my energy and it is time for new challenges.
Setting the wheels in motion for our new municipal building at 2300 Route 33, helping yet another deserving family with this year’s Pay it Forward event, keeping municipal taxes flat in my final budget year, getting our open space inventory near 2,000 acres and improving the trails in the Miry Run Recreation Area just feels like the end of my runway.
Grateful.
Thank you to all the residents and local businesses for sticking with us, trusting us and most of all for doing your part to keep Robbinsville and Windsor special.
Humbled.
Never in my wildest dreams did I foresee two decades of community support to be your mayor. Thank you for the support!
Proud.
Through all our differences in backgrounds, culture and diversity, we built modern-day Robbinsville together. Government can and should make a difference … and I feel as if we did. Raising over $600,000 via Pay it Forward for families and organizations in need since 2015 has made an indelible mark on my heart.
Appreciative.
The 30,000-foot view of today’s Robbinsville, despite all our challenges – both shared and individual – is something that will never be lost on me. It is truly a remarkable sight to behold.
Blessed.
I could have simply used this word to sum up everything. Robbinsville has always been about people — neighbors helping neighbors, families lifting one another up, and a community that believes in paying it forward.
From my parents to my wife and kids, to my wonderful friends, to two decades of the best municipal staff on Planet Earth, all of my mentors, to the most generous and compassionate of communities, I could not possibly be more blessed.
Bittersweet.
This is not really goodbye — it’s simply the next chapter. I may be stepping away from this office, but I will never step away from this community or from the responsibility to serve. Thank you for trusting me, challenging me, and taking this journey with me.
You have given me the honor of a lifetime — and I will carry that with me always.
If I could make one request it would be to support Mayor-Elect Todd and this hard-working Township Council. Make your voice heard. Come to meetings. Praise them if you feel they did something well, but also push back when appropriate and necessary.
Remember, this is YOUR town. We are just the caretakers.
Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you and may God bless you all.
Dave Fried is the mayor of Robbinsville Township.