No Decision on New Twp. Committee Member

The Chatham Township Republican Committee will name one of the three candidates to fill the vacant seat at their next meeting.

The Chatham Township Committee came out of executive session Wednesday with no agreement on who should fill Kevin Tubbs' seat. "After a discussion by the committee, none of the three candidates has a majority," Mayor Nicole Hagner said. The duty of choosing one of the three candidates—Laura Ali Nonnenmacher, Joseph Contorno or Karen Swartz—to fill the vacancy left by Tubbs now falls on the Chatham Township Republican Committee, which will meet Monday evening. Tom Basta, the chairman of the Republican Committee in the township, said the meeting will be closed to the public and the press. He is not sure if one candidate needs a simple majority or a larger majority to be selected. "I'll have to check our bylaws," Basta said. "To be honest I …

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Twp. Committee Delays Choosing New Member

Special meeting to be held Wednesday, June 6.

The Chatham Township Committee came out of executive session Thursday with the announcement they would not name a new member to fill Kevin Tubbs' empty seat. "We will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, June 6," Chatham Township Mayor Nicole Hagner said when the committee opened the meeting to the public. The committee interviewed the three candidates—Karen Swartz, Laura Ali Nonnenmacher and Joseph Contorno—in private session Thursday for about 90 minutes. Two of the candidates, Contorno and Nonnenmacher, appear on the GOP ballot for the June primary election this year. Both filed to run for a full term on the committee, though Contorno previously announced he would not campaign or seek the full term. The date of the special meeting, the …

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Letters to the Editor

Ex-Mayor Endorses Sullivan for Committee

Kevin Tubbs lends his support to Planning Board member.

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to ask Chatham Township voters to support Kevin Sullivan in the upcoming Republican Primary for Chatham Township Committee.   I have known Kevin for well over a decade. He has been a tireless volunteer in the community with the Knights of Columbus, with the St. Patrick School athletic programs as a track coach, basketball coach and league liason and for the last several years as a member of the Chatham Township Planning Board. He is a man of integrity, good judgement and character. His military and business background will serve him well in this new role. He is not afraid to take a stand for something he believes in, but can also work well with others to get things done.  He is the kind of leader that …

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Republican Committee Seeks Tubbs' Replacement

All residents eligible for public office can apply.

The Chatham Township Republican Committee seeks a candidate to fill Kevin Tubbs' term on the Chatham Township Committee. Tubbs resigned his elected position as committee member effective Tuesday. He has accepted a new job in Wisconsin. The township's Republican Committee has 15 days to submit three names for nomination to fill out the remainder of Tubbs' term, which expires on Dec. 31. Any township resident eligible to hold public office may apply to fill the position. Thomas R. Basta, the chair of the Chatham Township Republican Committee, said, "we will accept applications from anyone wishing to serve." After the names are submitted to the Chatham Township Committee, the committee has 30 days to interview and select one of the nominees …

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Township Committee Member Likely to Resign

Kevin Tubbs said he's unsure how many more meetings he'll be able to attend.

Chatham Township Committee Member Kevin Tubbs announced Thursday he will likely resign his office before his term expires on Dec. 31. Tubbs said was not sure "how many more meetings, if any, I will be able to attend in person." He said he intended to attend via speakerphone as long as he could, and he has "not quite yet decided exactly what the date of a resignation or a stepping-down from township committee would be at this time." Tubbs announced at the March 22 committee meeting that he would not run for re-election. He has accepted a new job in Wisconsin. "Hopefully," he said, it will be "a good career move for the Tubbs family." The former mayor said he hoped to see several pending matters before the committee through to their …

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Twp. Committee Approves Lower Open Space Tax

The half-cent tax per $100 of assessed value allows the township to keep the municipal tax level flat for second year in a row.

The Chatham Township Committee approved an ordinance at second reading lowering the Open Space tax from two cents to half a cent per $100 of assessed value Thursday. With this lower tax, the overall municipal tax rate in Chatham Township falls to zero for the second straight year. The committee used this same tactic in 2011 to keep taxes flat from the previous year. The ordinance passed 3-1, with Committee Member Kathy Abbott casting the sole dissenting vote. Committee Member Bailey Brower, Jr. was absent from the meeting. Abbott said she was not against lowering the tax, but she did not think it should go as low as half a cent. "I just think that we'd be able to use the money if we raised it to one cent," she said. "I'm going to vote no, …

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Committee Approves Sunday Shunpike Construction

Residents near field say the ongoing construction has been disruptive.

The Chatham Township Committee granted approval Thursday night for Fredco Landscaping, the contractor at Shunpike Field, to work the next two Sundays (May 15 and 22) in order to open on time. Township Engineer John Ruschke said the turf field and walking paths will be complete by May 21 and the field will be functional. "We're still going to have work ongoing on the natural field," he said. A temporary fence will be erected to close off the construction area before the opening ceremony takes place. The rest of the field should be "substantially complete" by June 4, Ruschke said. Ruschke said the utility company JCP&L had some issues that have prevented them from setting up the poles to light the fields. "They wanted us to built a road into…

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Public Hearing on Township Open Space Tax Thursday

The committee will vote after the public hearing to lower the open space tax from 2 cents to half a cent.

The Chatham Township Committee will vote on an ordinance to lower the Open Space Tax for the 2011 fiscal year from two cents to half of a cent ($0.005) per $100 dollars during their regular meeting Thursday. The vote will take place after a public hearing on the ordinance, when citizens will have the chance to tell the committee their thoughts on the tax. The 2011 budget includes an increase in the tax rate of about 1.25 percent, or about $29 per average household. By lowering the Open Space Tax to half of a cent, Township Administrator Tom Ciccarone said that the tax rate for residents will remain almost flat from 2010. Open Space Committee Chair Joe Basralian argued in favor of keeping the tax level both during his annual report to the …

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