Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Micki Chaput no longer works for the Senior Center of the Chathams, but she's already signed up to volunteer.
Residents, members, employees and officials gathered at the Chatham Township Municipal Building Sunday to honor Micki Chaput, who stepped down after 22 years from the Senior Center of the Chathams. Chaput's leadership of the center helped guide it from its humble beginings, described as a storage room for desks and chairs when the township first acquired the building, into a financially secure and fully operational gathering place for seniors from the Chathams, New Providence, Madison and numerous other towns in the area. "Micki's warmth and genuine-ness cannot be overstated," Terry Berry, founder of the Senior Center, said. "She puts herself in another's place." Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris read aloud a proclamation which was passed…
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Initiative not coming to fruition 'one regret' for John Paton, who's retiring after 32 years with Chatham Township.
John Paton will step down at the end of this month after 32 years with the Chatham Township Police Department, four of them as chief. No replacement for Paton has been announced yet, but plans are in place for a decision to be made and a chief to take over soon. Eligible personnel include lieutenants and sergeants. "There won't be any lapse in service," he said. "In a department like this, nothing happens alone." A source of pride and regret for Paton is the community policing initiative, which he unveiled to the Chatham Township Committee after the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene and the late October 2011 snowstorm. "That was something I always wanted to do, and my one regret is that it hasn't come to fruition," he said. "Community-…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
John Paton's last day with the Chatham Township Police Department will be Thursday, Jan. 31.
It might be hard for some residents of Chatham Township to remember a time when John Paton was not an employee of the police department. "I started as a dispatcher 32 years ago, the first civilian dispatcher," Paton, 56, said. From there he became a patrolman, a detective, a sergeant and finally, in March 2009, the chief of the department. He retires just shy of four years as chief, which he regards as perfect timing. "Three to five years [as chief] is a good term to do things. Shorter than that you can't get anything done, longer than that you may become stagnant," he said. In Paton's time with the department, he served under five police chiefs. When he took over the role, he had plans to improve organization and work flow. "It's weird, …
Friday, June 15, 2012
CHS staff gathers to celebrate Rose Porpora's retirement.
Chatham High School teachers and administrators gathered at Cafe Beethoven Friday to celebrate the retirement of Rosemary "Rose" Porpora, who has been a teacher for 35 years. Porpora's retirement was approved by the Board of Education in April. As part of the retirement party, Terrence Ferguson, another English teacher at Chatham High, played the theme to "Romeo and Juliet," which Porpora teaches. Other staff members conducted interviews with past and present students and created a video for the occasion.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
As one door closes, superintendent looks for another to open.
Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series looking back on Superintendent Jim O'Neill's career with the School District of the Chathams. Click here for Part 1. Jim O'Neill did not wait until his last day to move out of his office, the space he has been in since 2003 as superintendent of the School District of the Chathams. "I took a lot out this [past] weekend," he said. "It's a lot more emotional ... [and] I'm having a little more withdrawal than I anticipated." O'Neill announced in February that he will officially retire when his contract expires Thursday. Room for Improvement One area O'Neill thinks the district could improve is in its outreach to senior citizens. "I believe the schools here are very naturally inter-…
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Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
/articles/jim-oneill-steps-down-as-superintendent-part-2-of-2
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Departing superintendent looks back on accomplishments, challenges over the years.
Jim O'Neill said when he wakes up on Friday, he has a plan. "I'm going to take my son's car into the dealership," O'Neill said Monday. "Just so I have something to do." The day would have been a holiday for him anyway, except for one thing. Friday will be the first day in more than 15 years that O'Neill will not be an employee of the School District of the Chathams. Looking Back on the Memories O'Neill came to Chatham in December 1996 as the new principal of Chatham High School. He became an assistant superintendent less than four years later and superintendent three years after that. During his tenure in Chatham, O'Neill said he has seen the population grow while simultaneously the academic achievements of students improved. "It’s almost …
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Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
/articles/jim-oneill-steps-down-as-superintendent-part-1-of-2
33823
/locations/4738746
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
O'Neill's retirement unanimously approved, board eyes replacement.
Superintendent Jim O'Neill's retirement became official Monday night when the board unanimously approved his resignation, effective July 1. The board has a list of names of people willing to serve as interim superintendent from the New Jersey School Board Association and the New Jersey Principals And Supervisors Association and narrowed the list down to a few names. "We talked to four [people], we interviewed three, we have two finalists," Board Vice President Tom Belding said. Belding said the board wants to have one more year to prepare for the position to be permanently filled. "We think we have a very good internal candidate for the long term," Belding said. The internal candidate is Michael LaSusa, a former co-principal at Chatham …
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Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
/articles/board-of-ed-approves-oneills-retirement
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Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Board of Education must find an acting, interim or new superintendent.
Superintendent Jim O'Neill told Chatham Patch Thursday that he will retire from his position when his current contract expires on June 30. O'Neill informed the Board of Education that he would retire on Feb. 28, saying, "I am disappointed that I am not retiring on the time schedule I would have chosen." At the time, the board opted to take no action on O'Neill's announcement. "They were being respectful of letting me confirm that this is really what I have decided to do, and I have recently confirmed that," O'Neill said Thursday. "In some ways, [I'm] a little bit tired of fighting with the governor while I'm in a public position, because it's easy for people to be critical of that." Steve Barna, the president of the Board of Education, …
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Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
/articles/oneill-says-he-will-retire-at-the-end-of-current-contract
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Monday, February 28, 2011
'I am disappointed that I am not retiring on the time schedule I would have chosen.'
Superintendent Jim O'Neill officially declared his retirement Monday night, but will continue his fight against Gov. Chris Christie's salary caps. O'Neill gave the Board of Education a letter stating he will resign for the purpose of retirement. The board, however, took no action on his resignation, pending the outcome of O'Neill's lawsuit against the state Department of Education. O'Neill's resignation would be effective when his current contract expires on June 30. If he had not given notice, O'Neill would have been contractually required to continue in his role. Due to a salary cap for school superintendents, O'Neill would have taken a paycut of $45,000 from his current salary of $210,000. "I am disappointed that I am not retiring on …
40.70433
-74.434493
Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
/articles/oneill-announces-retirement-from-district
33823
/locations/3538170
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Retiring DPW head looks back on his career.
Director Joe Barilla joined Chatham Township Department of Public Works on Mar. 19, 1973, and the calendar seemed to bode a bright future. "It was St. Joseph's Day," he said. "I took it as a sign from heaven." Barilla had further reason to feel optimistic. He had been job hunting since being laid off from a construction firm, and after applying at six other towns he was hired "on the spot." His wedding was coming up, which made his new position even more important. Thirty-seven years later, Barilla announced his retirement from the DPW, effective this week. Barilla said he began "at the bottom as a laborer-serviceman," and his first day made it plain how arduous and unpredictable his work would be. A springtime snowstorm had occurred, and …
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Chatham Township Department of Public Works
405 Southern Blvd, Chatham, NJ
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141447
/locations/2872407
casandralabra
3:19 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013
I agree John. Twenty officers is not outrageous if you consider a 24/7 cycle. I think that what Chatham Resident too is focusing on costs but trying to sell it as a manpower problem. As I said before, I don't think there is much fat that you can trim without a big effect on services. more ›