Chatham Borough Council Candidates Debate

CHATHAM, NJ—The League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area and the Morris County NAACP sponsored a virtual candidate forum for those seeking election to the Chatham Borough Council last week.

The candidates, Len Resto, Bob Weber, and Frank Truilo began with introductions. The three are running for three-year terms in two seats on the borough's council. Susan Ferris Rights, the moderator, asked a series of questions of the candidates.

Truilo, a challenger, said the key to keeping the borough affordable and livable for seniors is affordable housing.

"There's an opportunity on River Road and the intersection with Watchung," Truilo said, "of having a development which will provide 36 units, which is our obligation."

Truilo said there is a need to "hold the line on taxes," by bringing in businesses, especially to River Road, which he sees as a "high tech corridor."

Weber, an incumbent, said he agreed with Truilo, and added that the development underway in the borough will satisfy the housing unit obligation.

"In addition to affordable housing for seniors," Weber said, "whatever changes are made, we need to make sure they provide better accessibility for the town."

Resto, also an incumbent, is the current council liaison to the senior citizen advisory committee in the borough. He said he sees three major issues affecting seniors in the borough.

"Affordable housing," Resto said, "but they'd like to see single-level affordable housing. They've also identified transportation as a major issue, and they've identified walkability as a major issue."

Resto said there are other issues affecting seniors, and that he wants to see seniors as "a force in the borough."

The candidates addressed the borough's response to the covid crisis.

"One thing lacking from the beginning was a larger covid task force," Weber said, "early on in the pandemic, there were a few individuals coordinating the borough's response, but that group was way too small and didn't include anyone from the board of health."

Weber added that he felt the size of the group was too restrictive. Resto disagreed.

"We followed the science," Resto said, "we've been guided by the science. We can't go by the popular notion that things seem to be getting better so maybe we can ease up a little bit. We can't. We'll continue to follow the science in relation to covid."

Truilo echoed Resto.

"The town has done an excellent job," Truilo said. "I see a high percentage of people wearing masks downtown," Truilo said, "and if the weather gets colder if the covid virus takes a turn for the worse, my recommendation is to make mandatory mask zones."

Resto said strides have been made in the borough to combat intolerance, and praised the borough police for their professionalism.

"I think our police are the model that others should follow," Resto said, "they follow the guardian model of policing instead of the warrior model."

Truilo said he agreed, noting that he attended a Black Lives Matter event in the borough in July.

"Our principles should be that all are welcome here," he said. "There's a certain strength in diversity; when you pull people together with different backgrounds, great ideas can emanate."

Weber mentioned evaluating the housing situation in Chatham as a way to increase diversity and tolerance.

"Providing opportunities for affordable housing for people who might not be able to afford the market rates that Chatham often brings," Weber said.

Weber said he supported redevelopment of River Road and Post Office Plaza, with a catch.

"I do not support them as currently constituted," Weber said, "but I do support redeveloping the Post Office Plaza area and River Road."

Weber said some positives, like new businesses coming to the area, can also lead to negatives, such as additional traffic. Weber said he favored working with the county, state, and developers to solve these problems.

Resto called for "responsible redevelopment" in the borough.

"I mean a mix of commercial, retail, and residential," Resto said, "to diversify the tax base to keep taxes as low as possible."

Truilo said the council was presented with a redevelopment plan in the fall of 2019, and he doesn't support the redevelopment described in that proposal.

"That proposal I absolutely do not support," Truilo said, "it was grossly inappropriate, grossly out of scale and much too urban for our downtown. I do support the development of post office plaza. A village within a village would be my preference, and not a city within a village."

Resto said he saw his mother, who died of Alzheimer's and cancer, get great benefits from medical marijuana, and he supports legalization. However, he noted that he is also the council liaison to the Municipal Alliance, an anti-substance abuse organization.

"I certainly would not support having a dispensary in Chatham," Resto said, "I'd actively fight to keep that out of Chatham. But as far as medical marijuana, I support it, I have seen with my eyes the effect it had on my mother."

Truilo echoed Resto on the issue of a dispensary in the borough.

"I would make sure our zoning ordnance is written to prohibit dispensaries in town," he said. "I don't think Chatham should promote marijuana, but I do think its a wonderful choice for medicinal purposes only."

Weber said he's opposed to legalizing marijuana in New Jersey, but he favors decriminalization.

"I led an effort in the Chatham council to pass a resolution opposing the bills that were pending in the state that would do just that," Weber said. "I'm concerned, as former prosecutor, about the mixed message it will send to our children."

Weber said the borough's fair housing situation is much better than the township's, and Resto noted that the borough was in compliance with its obligation very early, preventing builders remedy lawsuits. Truilo also added that the borough settling has put it in a strong position with regard to affordable housing.

Referring to the 2020 budget, which contains a 3 percent tax increase, Resto said the borough was in a better position than its neighbors in Morris County.

"It was a difficult year for budgeting," Resto said, "and it will be more difficult in 2020-21. I look at every tax dollar as if it were my own. I live here, I'm on a fixed income, I want to age in place."

Truilo said as a candidate, he doesn't have the details and data the incumbents have, but said he would take his experience growing up in a working class family and apply it to the tax situation if elected.

"I always look for value," Truilo said, "so as a council person I will look for value for everyone."

Weber said his tax bill has climbed every year, but that's not the full story.

"I realize every year costs go up," he said, "but we have to responsibly manage those increases to limit the impact on the tax payers. I was on the budget committee, we passed the budget, I voted for it, it called for a 3 percent increase."

Weber said the increase was comprised of 2 percent for expenses, and 1 percent for an increase in the reserve of uncollected taxes.

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