Here Are 5 Takeaways From The Debate Between Chatham Township Committee Candidates

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Township Committee’s League of Women Voters virtual debate this past Tuesday night, grew tense in many moments between Chatham Township’s two candidates, Katherine “Kathy” Abbott on the Democratic side and Republican Mark Lois.

The Morristown Area League of Women Voters and NAACP co-hosted the debate, with Jo Anne Kirk, a league-trained moderator, moderating the dialogue between the two candidates. In advance, candidates agreed to time limits for each question answered, as well as any rebuttals.

In the hour-long debate they discussed a range of issues, from goals, to open space, to taxes, to sidewalks to affordable housing, to traffic, to recreational areas and other issues.

At one point during the emotionally-charged debate, Kirk reminded both candidates that “all questions and responses should remain pertinent to the office and the issues,” after Abbott referred to Lois as a “developer” in her rebuttal, pertaining to open space and development, which caused Lois to raise his eyebrows. Lois fired back in the next question and clarified he was not a developer, never has been and has no professional training in it, but had an application in front of the Planning Board. He suggested Abbott overstepped her bounds by bringing his application up in the debate, stating as a member of that board, Abbott was in a quasi-judicial role, which he called “almost disqualifying.”

There were these types of exchanges peppered throughout the debate, between the two candidates.

Abbott, who volunteers with the New Jersey League of Women Voters according to the group's website and her LinkedIn profile, was the uncontested Democratic primary nominee. She is currently serving in an unexpired term on the Township Committee - and was chosen as Deputy Mayor 3-2 - following the resignation of former Mayor Tracy Ness.

Lois was unanimously selected by the Republican Committee to fill the vacancy on the Republican side after the uncontested primary nominee Daniel Bevere, stepped out of the race for professional reasons.

Abbott received 490 primary votes and Bevere, 615, this past June in their respective primaries.

During the debate there were several key takeaways from each of them and what they say they can do for the township. Among them:

1. Each candidate believes their backgrounds in professional and public service will prepare them to serve.

Abbott was selected to answer first and described herself as an economist, teacher, fundraiser and soon-to-be director of a non-profit school, over her professional career. She detailed her recent service on the Township Committee left by Ness and said she's been on the Planning Board for two years. Abbott said she worked on the Chatham Safe Routes To School Committee and with employees including the township’s engineer, DPW and others.

Lois answered that he has been a small business owner for the past two decades, having worked with budgets, payroll and capital investments, saying he understands the value of the dollar and . “importance of real results and outcomes” because of the risk he took in starting his own business. While he volunteers to maintain the library’s gardens with his wife and children, his volunteer work at the Colony Pool Club he said has brought him into the sphere of working with the township administrator, pool management, outside vendors and procurement to bring in vendors. He said he revived programs that were shut down or lost and helped to spearhead new ideas for the pool club, stating all was accomplished “without expanded budgets and without making any cuts.”

2. Each candidate provided their top three priorities, themes or goals if elected to the Township Committee.

Lois said his were three themes, with one “no secret that our tax rate has increased by 20 percent in two years.” He said Abbott herself pointed out in July about the significance of the township’s tax rate. He said he looks to freeze tax rate increases. His other priority would be “innovative thinking to our committee,” such as how he said he took the Colony Pool expenses “off the taxpayers backs,” he’d like to do similarly for the township. He said the last theme were “results,” so “we can stop the 33 percent increase in debt in just two years.”

For Abbott, one goal was prevention of overdevelopment through “proactive smart growth,” with the new Master Plan, to ensure the zoning is up-to-date and the township can create its affordable housing element for the township’s requirements. Repurposing aging infrastructure was Abbott’s second, which she said were a result of a “culture of neglect from past administrations.” Her third was realistic budgeting, which she said “doesn’t necessarily include flat, municipal taxes.” She said, however, she’d try “as hard as possible to keep a very small increase or no increase.” She said it needs to be realistic to support infrastructure, repairs and affordable housing.

3. The candidates each gave their insights about taxes and how they would specifically develop the budget to prevent an increase, without cutting services.

Abbott acknowledged that there was a rise in the municipal tax rate between 2020 and 2021 of approximately 20 percent, which she attributed “the major portion to employee direct costs,” which she said are fairly impossible to cut, as well as personnel at the moment. She described the township at the “bare bones,” especially in need of DPW employees. Instead, she suggested a way should be found to find revenue through shared services and equipment with other towns, more grants, continual collection of developer fees for affordable housing and through the Open Space Tax.

Lois said while volunteering with Colony Pool, there were no cuts with many improvements. He said the township at the present time is like “a bucket with a hole in the bottom” that’s leaking; and that the township should not keep “pouring in to fill it up but rather to fix that hole.” He said more funds aren’t needed but better thinking. He described the township as having “tremendous resources” and instead of more bills, they should be generating more revenue. He additionally said better budgeting would be necessary and “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

4. The candidates each gave their views on the playgrounds and if they were adequately maintained or not, then how they would address the issue if they believed they weren't.

Lois said he felt the field and recreational spaces weren’t adequately maintained, with some belonging to the School District of the Chathams. In the municipal center’s playground, though he said there are municipal facilities by the municipal center, that have declined. He cited removal of playground equipment, with playgrounds taped off, the equipment never being replaced; and a ball field that's unusable now, following a decline. He called Esternay Field being "regularly barricaded and locked," only accessible with a code, "the most egregious." He said the public should have access to public parks.

Abbott said she shared some of Lois' concerns about the fields being roped off, though she said she believed it was due to COVID restrictions, something Lois later countered. Abbott said she was “willing to entertain all citizens’ requests to upgrade our recreation fields.” She said the budget is tight and while she is open to the ideas, the township “doesn’t have a ton of money.”

Lois said he easily found the money in the budget through the Open Space Fund, which has money for acquisitions and for maintenance, which he said were permitted by referendum.

5. The candidates were asked if it made sense to merge with Chatham Borough and if so, why or why not, which brought about a heated discussion with each blaming the other political party for current issues.

Lois said he believed merging the towns wouldn’t be a good idea, though when he moved in about a decade ago, he said it would have made some sense at that point with shared services. He felt though, that the towns had their own divergents and fiscal situations, describing the borough's situation "in poor condition." Lois credited the township's prior Republican majority with maintaining zero percent tax increases, surplus and low debt. He blamed the township's 30 percent debt increase and 20 percent tax hike on the current Democratic majority.

Abbott disagreed with his statements about the borough's administration, describing them as "well-managed" and a "pleasure to work with." She said the recent spike Lois attributed to Democratic leadership was misdirected; and said the leadership had to make corrections following past Republican governing bodies, specifically handling by a Republican majority on the Township Committee in 2018.

Watch the full debate in the video below:

RELATED: Watch Chatham Township Committee Candidates Debate Virtually

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.