According to the United Nations, good governance is measured by eight factors.
Those are: Participation, Rule of Law, Transparency, Responsiveness, Consensus-Oriented, Equity and Inclusiveness, Effectiveness and Efficiency, and Accountability.
In Robbinsville Township we try to meet those criteria twice each month when Council convenes to review proposed resolutions and ordinances, pay the township’s bills and, most importantly, listen to the public.
Although I was unable to attend the June 9 session and subsequent hearing regarding Block 5, Lot 1—more popularly known as the Thompson/Princeton Research Land Tract—I have listened to the recording and have devoured the painstaking notes taken by Administrator Joy Tozzi during the 2.5-plus hour meeting.
What I heard was nothing short of good governance, with reports of the public packing the room for the first time since before the pandemic.
Sometimes people get upset that we are even listening to a certain proposal, but it is our job to listen—no matter how impractical (or sensible) the project appears.
When listening, it is also important for us not to speak. We want to hear the pros and cons. We want to see if a proposed project, or change of use, is viable. Just because something is on an agenda does not mean it is a done deal. Just the opposite, in fact.
This is about good governance and working together as a community. That has been my goal ever since I became mayor.
When an idea such as changing use from farmland to athletic fields is first floated, we proceed in a methodical, financially prudent way to vet ideas before we go ahead and spend too much money on it.
We bring the idea to Council, who brings it to the community, and we proceed to see what the appetite is.
Once we get that flavor, if Township Council, myself, administration and our community all agree, we can take next steps and move in the direction of putting money and resources toward it. If the community decides it does not like the idea and we decide not to move forward, we pivot. A perfect is example is Foxmoor Community Park.
We desperately needed a new municipal building with our lease at 1 Washington Boulevard about to expire.
My first inclination back in 2011-2012 was to build it on the old police department substation parcel a few blocks away.
That was until Foxmoor residents spoke out about the building and parking lot lights shining into their homes. They were right. Bad spot for the municipal building. They spoke, we listened and today we could not be happier.
The park is beautiful open space and we think our municipal building at 2298 Route 33 is a true asset in a very convenient location.
Sometimes ideas such as the change in use of Block 5, Lot 1 may initially shock the community because they may not have seen the posted public notice, saw it on the Newsfeed or, yes, on Facebook.
That is why there is a 90-day waiting period before anything is approved or etched in stone. When we know the answers, we try to give them to the public immediately. If we do not, we investigate it deeper and find those answers.
The public may not always like those answers, but taking the community’s questions and concerns seriously and doing our due diligence to arrive at the right decision is good government and something we all take a great deal of pride in.
Dave Fried is the mayor and director of Public Safety for Robbinsville Township
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