Township Mayor will Not Seek Re-election

Chatham Township Mayor Nicole Hagner declined to file a petition to run for a fourth term on the Chatham Township Committee.

Hagner has been on the committee since 2004 and has served as township mayor since 2010. She gave birth to her first child in January.

No statement was immediately available from Hagner Monday afternoon.

Three others, all Republicans, did file for two available seats on the committee, including incumbent Robert Gallop who has served as the deputy mayor since 2011 and has sat on the committee since 2007. The other two candidates are Curt Ritter and Daniel Miller.

Ritter is a native New Jerseyan and president and founder of the Chatham Turkey Trot. He formerly sat on the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment and has lived in Chatham for just under 10 years.

Miller is a lifelong resident of Green Village Road and a former member of the township's Planning Board. His plans with a neighbor to plant and sell organic produce on their properties led to the controversial market garden ordinance, which dominated township debates for over a year.

These three candidates will run for two available seats in the April primary. No Democrats filed for election.