Todd, Ciaccio and Chopra Elected to Township Council

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ - (November 7, 2023) - The Township Council candidate slate of incumbent vice president Mike Todd, longtime Councilwoman Chris Ciaccio, and political newcomer Amit Chopra emerged victorious when the dust settled in Tuesday’s General Election.

Unofficial numbers just after midnight had Mr. Todd (2,664), Ms. Ciaccio (2,582) and Mr. Chopra (2,460) securing four-year seats. The “Committed to Community” slate defeated first-time candidate Lea Borghard (1,641) and Kiran Agrahara (1,359).

Results are not final and official until all votes are counted and the election is certified by the Mercer County Clerk.

“We would like to thank residents all over Robbinsville for their support in this year’s Township Council race," Mr. Todd said on behalf of his slate. "The three of us all live in this amazing community and consider it an honor to continue serving on Council. We’ve been fortunate to earn the trust of our neighbors - many of whom we now call friends. Our bond with the Robbinsville community has only grown stronger over time, as has our desire to make Robbinsville an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Despite the three available Council seats, much of the focus in this year’s General Election was on the two ballot questions.

Municipal Question 1 called for a 1-cent increase in the open space tax. That passed by a margin of 2,208 to 1,833 after failing last November.

Maintaining it had no other viable option, the Robbinsville Board of Education voted unanimously August 9 to place Public Question 2 on the November ballot, asking voters for nearly $5 million in the form of tax increases to cover anticipated deficits in upcoming school budgets. That highly controversial question failed 2,188 to 1,828, per the unofficial Mercer County tally.

"Thank you, Robbinsville," Mayor Dave Fried said of the Open Space passage. "This was never about any one property. This was about making sure we secure the funding to maintain our open space legacy, which we are extremely proud of. This will go a very long way, and the Township thanks residents for their faith and trust. We understand this was a very difficult ask in a particularly tough budget year for many."

Maintaining it had no other viable option, the Robbinsville Board of Education voted unanimously August 9 to place a public question on the November general election ballot, asking voters for nearly $5 million to cover anticipated deficits in upcoming school budgets. 

The new Township Council of President Debbie Blakely, Mike Cipriano, Vice President Todd, Ms. Ciaccio and Mr. Chopra, who replaces retiring longtime Councilman Ron Witt on the governing body, will be seated on January 15, 2024.

The three top vote-getters to earn seats on the Board of Education were Amanda Hill D’Angelo (2,457), Harry Ray (2,229) and Nadia Bandukda (2,208).

-RT-