Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried gave his final State of the Township address Tuesday night, marking the end of a long career in public service with reflections on his tenure and praise for his staff.
He also delivered an emotional tribute to a local family that exemplifies the spirit of his “Pay It Forward” initiative.
The annual event, held at The Stone Terrace by John Henry’s, drew a full house of 285 residents, business leaders, township staff and well-wishers.
Fried opened the speech by quoting the Grateful Dead: “What a long, strange trip it’s been,” adding, “Not to mention a rewarding one.”
This year’s Pay It Forward award was presented to the Papp/Walls family of Robbinsville, which has faced immense personal loss over the last two years.
Lisa Papp and her husband, Tom Walls, are in the process of obtaining legal guardianship of four nieces and nephews following the deaths of both parents.
The children’s father, U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Tear, died of complications from lung cancer in 2023 following exposure to toxic burn pits while serving in the Middle East. Alicia Tear, the children’s mother and Tom’s sister, passed away suddenly in 2024.
Sweetwater Construction Corp. and its CEO, longtime Township Council President Ron Witt, joined the township effort in renovating the family’s basement to help create more living space to accommodate the four young children.
Sweetwater, Bohren’s Moving & Storage and the Rotary Club of Robbinsville-Hamilton were this year’s Pay It Forward Community Partner Award recipients.
Longtime event emcee Jeannine Cimino, regional vice president of Mid Penn Bank and the first Pay It Forward Award winner, kept the evening flowing following a moving pre-meal invocation from Lifetree Community Church Pastor Dan Greco.
Mid Penn Bank and BAPS were this year’s platinum sponsors.
“This incredibly resilient family is moving mountains to give their nieces and nephews an opportunity to flourish after the unimaginable trauma of losing both parents in the span of one year,” Fried said.
“They need our support — financial, emotional, compassionate and kind — all things Robbinsville residents and businesses deliver in spades year after year,” he said.
Robbinsville Township Police School Resource Officer and military veteran Mattie Greenwood, who has worked closely with the Valhalla Project and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, presented the family with a plaque honoring Sgt. Tear’s heroism.
“In the military, we live by a simple but powerful principle: ‘No man left behind,’” Officer Greenwood said in her remarks. “That includes not only our fellow service members but their families. We are bound by duty, compassion, and a deep sense of responsibility to be there for one another — during service and long after.”
Greenwood said the evening was especially meaningful to her after spending the past several months getting to know Lisa Papp and her family. She said learning about Sgt. Tear and the couple’s four children was both humbling and inspiring.
“The strength, grace and resilience they continue to show is a true testament to the kind of man Jason was and the incredible legacy he left behind,” Greenwood said.
“Having witnessed firsthand the devastating toll of cancer on my fellow service members, I felt personally compelled to support Lisa and her family in any way I could,” she said. “It became more than just a professional duty — it became a personal mission. And I know many others here feel the same way.”
Tom Walls also spoke softly but movingly about his family and said he was truly humbled by this year’s Pay It Forward event, which raised more than $80,000 — the most in the 10-year history of the initiative.
“Being selected as this year’s recipient of the Pay It Forward initiative is an honor beyond words for our family,” said Walls, who relocated to Delaware to live with the children while waiting for their move to New Jersey.
“We realize that countless families face hardships, each with their own story and struggles, so we are very humbled by this selection,” he said. “Thanks to the generosity of so many in our community and the Pay It Forward initiative, we have been blessed with something truly special — a completely renovated basement in our home here in New Jersey that adds two bedrooms and a full bathroom.”
Walls said the renovated basement provides the extra space their home needed to welcome the four children, allowing his two daughters to move downstairs while the children take the bedrooms upstairs.
He said the project represents far more than home improvements — it’s a symbol of hope in difficult times and a powerful reminder of a community’s compassion and support.
Past Past Pay It Forward recipients include the Shepherd family, Quilts for Comfort, Deborah Dauer, CARE, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, the We Love Our R’ville Neighbors campaign, the Breden family, the McLaughlin family and Robbinsville Meals on Wheels.
Since 2015, those efforts have raised more than $550,000. The Shepherds, McLaughlins, Meals on Wheels, and Ms. Tonry, representing Quilts for Comfort, appeared in a video message thanking the mayor and Pay It Forward before dinner service.
The event has raised close to $600,000 for individuals and organizations in need since 2015.
Anyone who wants to donate to the Papp/Walls family can make checks payable to CARE and send them to 2298 Route 33, Robbinsville, NJ 08691.
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As for township business, Fried talked about a number of recent accomplishments and initiatives, including the new police and court/municipal building on Route 33 and another year of flat or reduced municipal taxes as part of the final budget of his career as mayor.
“We were able to keep our municipal taxes stable without compromising our services in the face of rising costs across the board,” Fried said. “We are doing this while also improving our services and adding initiatives such as our new municipal building, almost two miles of walking trails at Miry Run, a new all-inclusive playground in Community Park, and over $2 million in road improvements — the most during one year in the history of this township.”
He said the township’s decision to convert the old Roma Bank building into the new municipal complex “is starting to look like a no-brainer. With so much commercial space available in the post-pandemic era, and the high cost of building new — even the most basic buildings — we had to think differently.”
Fried said leasing the building for 10 to 12 years, compared to buying it outright, was the best option.
“Even after retrofits and other renovations, we are still saving money compared to building new,” he said. “We also leave open the option of owning the building through condemnation when the lease expires.”
Fried credited his staff with much of his success over the years, including the preservation of almost 2,000 acres of open space; stabilizing what were once the fastest-rising tax rates in Mercer County; founding the CARE program; and constructing two municipal complexes.
“The funny thing about being mayor is the day you become mayor everyone treats you differently because they think you know what you’re doing,” Fried said. “The truth is there is no training manual, no crash course, no Mayor for Dummies at Barnes & Noble. You are the same person you were the day before. The only reason I’ve had any success is because of the teams we have built here in Robbinsville.”
Fried reserved his most heartfelt remarks for his family, including his wife, Katherine “Kitt” Fried, who attended with their two children, Ashley and Brett.
“Kitt has made this all possible — and I do mean all of it,” Fried said. “For 25 years she has shared me with this town, often sacrificing our time together. She stood beside me through every late-night meeting, long phone call, every challenge and every moment of doubt — always steady, always believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Fighting back tears toward the end of the final formal speech of his career, Fried spoke directly to township residents as his voice began to crack.
“Looking back on 25 years of service to this incredible community, I’m filled not with pride for what I have done, but with gratitude for what we have built together,” he said. “Robbinsville has always been about people — neighbors helping neighbors, families lifting one another up, and a community that believes in paying it forward.
“Every park we opened, every road we paved, every life we touched was the product of teamwork, compassion and a shared belief that government can and should make a difference. This is not 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.”
Fried is retiring at the end of his current term, concluding a career in public service that began in 2000 on the Robbinsville Township Committee. First elected mayor in 2005 under the township’s new form of government, Fried has become one of the longest-serving municipal leaders in Mercer County.
