On behalf of my entire Robbinsville Township team, I hope everyone had a peaceful Hanukkah and a very Merry Christmas!
While we encourage supporting our local businesses all year long, there are only a few more days left to participate in the “Shop ‘R’ Hometown for the Holidays” campaign, which runs through Dec. 31.
The Robbinsville Economic Advisory Committee (EDAC), led by Chair Liz Meyers, her team and Township liaison Jodi Stephens, encouraged the participation of several of the small businesses featured in the recently released coupon booklet “Robbinsville Passport” to help give residents an opportunity to win a Grand Prize Gift Basket valued at over $200.
To be eligible for the gift basket raffle, residents will turn in receipts for at least $25 (before tax) to Jodi at the Township municipal building, located at 2298 Route 33. Spending $25 gets the shopper one chance to win.
Spending $50 delivers two chances, while spending $75 secures three raffle tickets. Spending the maximum amount of $100, either on one purchase, or other smaller purchases totaling $100, gives you four chances to win. Receipts must be from businesses that operate in Robbinsville or the Village of Windsor without exception.
Please include your name, telephone number and email address with your receipts. EDAC will select the Grand Prize Gift Basket winner on January 10. If you have any questions about this campaign, feel free to email committee members at EDACRobbinsville@gmail.com.
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As Councilman Ron Witt so perfectly stated during the Nov. 30 Township Council meeting regarding the potential for a second school ballot question: “There’s not one person sitting up here (on the council dais) that wants to see our schools fail. Show us what your shortfall is and give us that documentation.”
That really is the bottom line.
I was invited to a Nov. 22 Zoom meeting by the school district to get a better handle on what they are looking for in a potential second ballot question.
When I heard from Superintendent Brian Betze that there was support from the three newly elected Board of Education members to try again for $4.8 million, which failed by a decent margin on Nov. 7, I merely stated the obvious and suggested that number would be tough to pass.
The consensus on the call was that figure needed to come down and that there was a lot more work to do. To clarify, I attended a meeting I was asked to attend… and I listened. I also gave my opinion that it has been my experience that a spring referendum—if the district was indeed targeting a March vote—is much more difficult to pass than a vote on the November ballot.
At no time have I ever said, or implied, that I do not support a second public question, our students or this district. All we ask, Township Council included, is that the district carefully vet its needs and supply the appropriate documentation.
We all feel we need to help the schools during these very difficult times, but the process should be well researched, transparent and that need sufficiently documented.
Hard to imagine we cannot all be aligned on that.
I very much appreciate Superintendent Betze and BOE President Tanya Lehmann including me in the conversation, as the stakes are high.
“If (the ballot question) fails again the district gets zero and then how many more teachers do we lose as a result?”
Ms. Lehmann said last month. “But we can’t go back on our word to the community by disregarding what they told us in their vote, especially after (all current BOE members) agreed to the letter stating we’ve heard (the public), and that we would come up with something more in the middle.”
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I had the pleasure of meeting with members of the Muslim community Dec. 13 at the municipal building to discuss their concerns regarding inclusion, especially in regard to their children and their children’s safety in light of the war raging between Israel and Hamas.
Robbinsville is the ultimate melting pot, and that is something we take enormous pride in. We plan to work with these leaders to ensure they, their children and everyone in their community feels safe, secure, heard, and valued.
That’s all any of us want.
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Thank you once again to outgoing Township Councilman Mike Cipriano, who will attend his final meeting as a member of the governing body on Dec. 28.
Mike has not only been an effective two-term Council president and a credit to his community, but he is a terrific guy with a big heart who will be dearly missed. Mr. Witt will follow Mike into political retirement on Jan. 14, and I will have much more to say about my longtime friend in next month’s spaces.
The C.A.R.E. Crafts and photos with Santa, courtesy of Jen Davis, begin at 5:30 p.m.
Dave Fried is the mayor of Robbinsville Township.
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