After many years of serving as President of the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, Andy Copp, owner of Café Beethoven, has passed the gavel on.  Andy served as president from 2003-2005, past president from 2005-2007 and as president again from 2007-2010. He also served as vice president before assuming the role of president. Andy has given so much to the Chamber and to the town of Chatham.  Andy has always been the “behind the scenes” person. Late in the evening on cold November nights, he could be spotted testing the white lights along Main Street, or even under that white beard posing as …

Dear Friends of the Chathams, Please consider including the Chatham Emergency Squad on your holiday gift list. Ninety percent of our funding is gratefully accepted through the generous tax-deductible donations from Chatham residents, businesses and civic organizations. The balance is received from the municipal governments of Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. Your support enables our all-volunteer organization to continue to provide basic medical services and ambulance transportation to area hospitals for our residents and visitors. We offer this at no charge any time, any day, all year. …

Mary Jo Oakley, Caroline Arnuk and Christine Newes submitted a thank-you letter to several local restaurants for their donations to make the Chatham High School senior dinner a success. The senior dinner is hosted bi-annually, following an afternoon performance of the fall play "Metamorphoses."

Dear Editor, On behalf of the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, we want to extend our gratitude to the greater Chatham community for their support of the 5th annual Pumpkin Patch. The Pumpkin Patch is a fundraising program, through an agreement with the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI), which sells pumpkins that are grown on and transported from the Navajo Reservation in Farmington, NM. We are thrilled to report that pumpkin sales and donations totaled $21,577 of which $8,023 will be shared equally by the Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center, Inc. in Morristown N.J. …

Dear Editor, Chatham has lost a dedicated public servant and a man of high integrity and character with the resignation of Mayor Vaughan. Many people may not be able to understand his sudden decision, many would suggest he should have just sat the next month out or went on vacation. However, and I say this with all sincerity, in his four years Mayor Vaughan was a man of vigor and tireless work ethic; as a friend, I know that it is not in his character to hold the position as merely a figure head. While I trust and honor the decision of the voters, Mayor Nelson Vaughan's resignation should …

Dear Friends and Residents of Chatham Borough, It has been an honor and pleasure working for you these past four years at Borough Hall. Chatham Borough is a place of great families and residents and of great heart. It is a place that I love and cherish and that I am glad to call my home. I have loved serving this borough; I have been blessed to live and work with so many wonderful people in my years as your Mayor. The result, last night, is not one that I hoped for. I wanted to continue my work of bipartisanship, working across all political lines, to continue to build new ways for Chatham to…

Dear Friend,   Momentum is building for the hard-working honest team of Bill Eames for Assembly, Lee Holtzman and Nicole Hagner but we need you help tomorrow to get out the vote.   On Monday, Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno was at the Livingston headquarters of Holtzman and Hagner to cheer on the enthusiastic group of volunteers making thousands of phone calls.   On cable ads showcasing the Democratic team's record of F for voting for tax and spending legislation deliver a real punch.   Steve Lonergan, Chair of Americans for Prosperity, has a killer commercial on WMTR, 1250 on your AM dial, linking …

Editor: I have known Bruce Harris for the past 7 years from my work with him on the Environmental Commission, where I was chair for 2 years, and from the Land and Historic Conservancy Committee (previously known as Open Space). I admire Bruce for his dedication and commitment to environmental issues and to Chatham Borough in general. Bruce spends an enormous amount of time ensuring that he is completely on top of his responsibilities. His work ethic is relentless and thorough. He genuinely cares about Chatham Borough. Chatham Borough could not have a finer or or more effective mayor than …

Dear Editor, Tomorrow is Election Day, and with my future uncertain, I feel it necessary to offer my humble thanks to those who have worked with me and supported me these past four years. Having grown up in Chatham, and having lived here for the past 61 years, it was a great honor to be elected mayor in 2007. From the outset my goal was to make sure that Chatham remained a beautiful, safe and affordable town for my two sons to one day raise their children in. The past several years have been full of challenges. Yet every step of the way our town was able to move forward together, due to the …

Editor: I am urging all Chatham Borough residents to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8 for Jim Lonergan, Gerald Helfrich and Bruce Harris. I have known Jim for years and have marveled at his nonstop energy and ideas to make Chatham Borough a better place. Whether as a co-founder of the Chatham Athletic Foundation or as Borough Council President, Jim is someone who simply gets it done.   Gerald Helfrich is a tireless contributor to our community in his work to constantly improve our school system. I have known Gerald for many years and was thrilled when he announced his candidacy for Chatham Borough …

Editor's note: Former Chatham Borough Mayor and Council Member Joe Marts sent a letter to the residents of Chatham last week endorsing Mayor Nelson Vaughan. A PDF of the mailing may be found to the right, and the full text is included below. Dear friends and neighbors, As a former Mayor and a member of Chatham's fire department for 50+ years, I know that Chatham deserves a Mayor who will be fully committed to working on behalf of our residents. Having served with Mayor Vaughan for three years on the Chatham Borough Council and having known him as a caring father and upstanding Boy Scout Troop…

I realize Jon Bramnick doesn't need a lot of endorsements, primarily because his excellent reputation and rise to Assembly leadership speaks volumes for the type of Assemblyman and human being he his.  However, on a day like Monday - which is Day 3 without power in Chatham - I find it once again reassuring that Jon is the ONLY politician I hear from during stressful times like this.  He never stays uninvolved when it comes to catastrophe occurring in his district. He puts himself right in the mix, becomes a forceful and impactful advocate for the people, and takes the time to constantly …

To the Editor Re: Mayor Vaughan’s Actions Concerning Borough Sign Ordinance The recent disagreement between Mayor Vaughan and Borough Council members about the constitutionality of the sign ordinance is a good demonstration of Mayor Vaughan’s responsiveness to Borough residents. In vetoing the ordinance Mayor Vaughan responded to public information in a way that protects the borough from lawsuits and recognizes individual self-expression. It is another example of why he deserves to continue as mayor of Chatham Borough. From a reading of Borough Planning Board and Council minutes these facts …

Dear Friends and Supporters:               Last week, with no prior notice of his intentions, Mayor Vaughan vetoed proposed amendments to the existing sign ordinance that had been approved by the Planning Board and Council. His stated reason: the ordinance’s restrictions on political signs and the prohibition of billboards violated the First Amendment protections of free speech.  However, saying this ignores the fact that the restrictions he objects to are in the existing ordinance. His veto, which was correctly overridden by the council after lengthy discussion, did absolutely nothing to …

To the Editor: As we prepare to go to the polls on November 8, I am writing to urge my neighbors to re-elect Nelson Vaughan as our mayor in Chatham Borough.  Nelson has served as an effective and available mayor in his first term. He is interested in hearing from everyone, and in helping citizens of our town work together  to achieve community goals. Some cases in point: the Memorial Pool renovation, the 9-11 Memorial (built and maintained without taxpayer funding), the Green Initiative Advisory Committee and the Business Improvement Advisory Committee. During his term, our communities were …

Dear Editor,I was pleased to learn that Mayor Nelson Vaughan would be seeking reelection this November in Chatham Borough. Over the past four years, I have gotten to know him as a man of integrity and unwavering work ethic and his commitment to the continued well-being of our town is admirable. He is a constant presence at events and meetings across the Borough, and I feel confident in saying that he is one of the most accessible elected officials I have ever met. As a mother, I was pleased that he proposed and led the effort to keep downtown Chatham family friendly by ensuring that potential…

Dear Editors:   We are pleased to endorse the Chatham Borough candidates Bruce Harris for mayor and Jim Lonergan and Gerald Helfrich for council. Mayoral candidate Bruce Harris, already a proven leader during his eight years as a full-time council member, has distinguished himself as a thoughtful and articulate leader on such vital community issues as finance and budgeting, zoning and open space.  Chatham Borough Council president Jim Lonergan has led the way on revitalizing the Memorial Park & Pool, Lum & Shunpike fields, as well as in working to ensure that we have a robust recreation …

This coming Election Day, I will proudly support Bruce Harris for Mayor of Chatham Borough and encourage all voters to do the same. For over 13 years, Bruce has been the model of the selfless public servant, bringing an infinite amount of his personal time, energy, integrity, and intellect to bear in resolving complex issues facing our town, improving the delivery and cost-effectiveness of municipal services, and maintaining Chatham Borough’s small town identity and superior quality of life. One of the most important responsibilities of Chatham Borough’s Mayor is to serve as an active and …

Dear Editor: The members of the Borough Council heartily endorse Bruce Harris as Chatham’s next Mayor.  The Council has accomplished a great deal in the last three years and Bruce is the longest tenured Council Member who has been a leader in all the accomplishments. In the time we’ve served with Bruce, we’ve seen a polished leader who sees the “big picture” but who never loses sight of the detail needed to implement “big picture” goals and objectives.  Bruce is a hard working leader who provides good advice to the Council and has contributed to our government moving more swiftly and …