Monday, April 15, 2013
What's in the budget, who you can vote for and where you can vote.
Chatham residents are among those in 41 school districts who will go to the polls on April 16 for the annual school elections. The 2013-14 school budget, two additional questions and four seats on the Board of Education are up for a vote. Before you head out to vote, here are some things you need to know: Polls open at 2 p.m. and remain open until 9 p.m. Chatham Borough residents who are registered to vote may do so at Chatham Middle School. Chatham Township residents may do so at Chatham High School. The district has proposed a base budget of $65,131,111 for the 2013-14 school year, $55,409,234, or 85 percent of which, will be raised through local taxes. Voters can vote for or against this budget. The state allows for up to a 2 percent …
Friday, April 12, 2013
Phil Franz is running for the board as an interim incumbent member.
Phil Franz is running for a seat on the Board of Education representing Chatham Borough. He currently sits on the board as an interim member, appointed in November to complete Stephen Barna's term on the board. While on the board, Franz has served on the Personnel Committee and the Policy Committee, and has sat in on other committee meetings. "At the end of the day, obviously, our responsibility is ultimately to the students in the school system," Franz said, but he recognizes residents of town who may not have children in the district still need to be involved. "What I hope to do is continue to build on that interaction, that cooperation, that sense of community," he said. Franz moved to the borough in 1999 with his wife Christine. …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Phil Franz and Ed DiFiglia discussed their goals for the upcoming term on the Board of Education, where they see room for improvement and what the district's most important facets are.
Board of Education candidates Ed DiFiglia and Phil Franz answered questions from the public at the Candidate Forum held Tuesday at Chatham High School. The two were asked their thoughts on the upcoming school budget vote, which includes two additional questions, one for school counseling and one for school security. Franz said in crafting the budget, "you have to identify what you need today" and put that in the base budget. The additional questins he said, were for "valid" needs that "the kids would benefit from," but it was the community's decision whether to pay for them. DiFiglia said he too thought they were both worthwhile questions, especially the first question to enhance school counseling staff, but he questioned the need for an …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The League of Women Voters will organize the debate.
The Morristown Area League of Women Voters will host a candidate forum for the two Chatham Borough candidates for the Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams. Phil Franz, currently an incumbent member of the Board of Education, and Ed DiFiglia will participate in the forum. Louise Murray of the League of Women Voters will moderate the forum. The two incumbent candidates from Chatham Township, Matt Gilfillan and John Nonnenmacher, are unchallenged in this election. The forum will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the media center at Chatham High School. Each candidate will give opening and closing statements, and will answer questions provided by the moderator. Each question will include an answer one candidate and a …
A look at what to expect from Chatham Patch this week.
Each Monday we welcome you back to the work week with a look at what to expect in the Chathams. From content you'll find on Patch as the week goes on to community activities, here's what you need to know this week: 1) You need to know about the Board of Education candidates: We'll have video profiles of the two borough candidates running for the single open seat. 2) You need to know about debates: The League of Women Voters has scheduled a debate between Ed DiFiglia and Phil Franz, the two borough candidates for the Board of Education for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Chatham High School. We'll have coverage of the debates. 3) You need to know about AlertChathamBorough and Everbridge: Chatham Borough and Chatham Township are both using a new mass …
Monday, February 11, 2013
Incumbents Nonnenmacher, Gilfillan and Franz said they intend to run for School District of the Chathams seats
The Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams approved a resolution Monday setting school board elections to take place from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 16. Three seats are up for election this year, one representing Chatham Borough and two representing Chatham Township. Matthew Gilfillan and John Nonnenmacher currently hold the two seats representing the township. Phil Franz holds the seat from the borough, the same seat which was vacated by Stephen Barna in September. All three said they intend to run for re-election, but as of Monday, Business Administrator Peter Daquila said, "no petitions have been filed." The filing deadline is Feb. 25, and board election kits for all interested in running for election are available at…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Phil Franz, the father of three daughters, has lived in Chatham Borough since 1999.
The Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams unanimously confirmed Phil Franz of Chatham Borough as their new interim board member Monday. Franz was chosen to fill the seat left vacant by Stephen Barna, who resigned from the board in September. He said he will likely run for the full-year term when the seat expires in April. "That's the intent, but what's appealing is that I can get settled in and see how I get up to speed," Franz said. Board President Thomas K. Belding said Franz was the unanimous recommendation of himself and Board Members Richard Connors and Jill Weber. "He's an outstanding individual who came across to us with unquestioned sincerity," Belding said. Six board members voted to appoint Franz to the board…
R. Swanson
1:44 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The regressive property tax hikes have got to stop until the state economy improves and state aid funded from income taxes resumes an upward trend once again. Now is not the time to be raising taxes for wish list items - the School District of the Chathams needs to learn to live with the revenues it has until the economy improves just the way families and seniors on fixed incomes are forced to do… more ›