Putting your name on an election ballot is one of the most frightening things anyone can do.
Having been in the arena for 26 years, I salute anyone who is willing to put themselves out there in the hopes of serving the public.
Congratulations to Debbie Blakely, Mike Cipriano and Mike Todd on their convincing Township Council victory on November 2.
All three are great people and genuine assets to our community. I am looking forward to working with Council over these next four years.
Mr. Todd will be sworn-in on Dec. 2, while Ms. Blakely and Mr. Cipriano will officially begin their new, four-year terms at the Council re-organization meeting on Jan. 6, 2022.
The next column to appear in this space will be the first without Vince Calcagno serving as a member of the governing body.
Recently inducted into the New Jersey League of Municipalities Elected Officials Hall of Fame, Mr. Calcagno is retiring from public service at the end of the year after more than 22 years.
Vince, a former mayor and deputy mayor of then-Washington Township, has been a fierce advocate for our seniors, a mentor among his peers and a voice for this community.
He has been a cornerstone for just about everything good we’ve been able to accomplish these past two decades, so needless to say, he will be missed.
Thank you for everyone—all 4,267 of you—who voted for me last month!
We have plenty of unfinished business and it continues to be an honor and a privilege to serve as your mayor. We all have so much more in common than we realize. We can also agree to disagree on a wide spectrum of topics, especially as we approach a second full year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let’s engage in active listening and try to find compromise. There are no limits to the amount of good we can achieve by working together and rising above the noise.
Dave Fried is the mayor of Robbinsville Township.
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