Chatham Borough Council Election 2022: Irene Treloar

CHATHAM, NJ — Four candidates are running for two open seats on the Chatham Borough Council this November.

Democratic incumbents Irene Treloar and Karen Koronkiewicz will face Republican challengers Bob Weber and Freddie Bicknese for their seats on the governing body in November.

Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. (All of the candidates were given the same questions).

The responses received will get published between now and Election Day.

Are you running for office in Chatham? Contact Vianella Burns at vianella.burns@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Chatham Patch.

Here are candidate Irene Treloar's answers below:

• Name: Irene Treloar
• Age: 43
• Town of residence: Chatham Borough
• Position sought: Chatham Borough Council
• Party affiliation: Democrat
• Family: One husband and two children (attend Chatham Middle School and Milton Avenue School)
• Education: West Essex Regional High School; the University of Pennsylvania, B.A. in Chemistry; New York University School of Law, J.D.
• Occupation: Lawyer
• Previous or current elected appointed office: Chatham Borough Council President

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running to serve a second term on the Chatham Borough Council. I grew up nearby in Roseland, which in many ways has the look and feel of Chatham, with its mostly residential neighborhoods and compact downtown. My husband grew up in East Hanover and when we met in law school, we instantly connected over our Jersey roots. We moved to Chatham Borough in 2013 so that we can provide our kids with the same kind of upbringing that we had. I am running for re-election to Chatham Borough Council because I plan to live here for the next 50 years, and I want to help ensure that we maintain those qualities that we value most – efficient services, a robust community, and the small-town charm. Our communities are strongest when we all get involved.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish while serving on the council?

The top two issues on residents’ minds are traffic safety and traffic congestion. To address traffic safety, I want to continue to make sure that the Borough has the resources it needs to keep drivers and pedestrians safe. That could mean strategically-placed surveillance cameras and license plate readers, speed readers, and crosswalk signals. With so many narrow roads in the Borough, I support installing additional sidewalks and making sure that existing sidewalks are well-maintained. As for traffic congestion, I am looking for ways to get political and financial support for installing smart traffic lights on Main Street (which is a state road and would require NJDOT approval). We also want to make sure that traffic issues are properly addressed with any new development in town.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing residents right now and what do you intend to do about it?

Well, it’s nice to say it’s not the pandemic. The hot topic in town continues to be the redevelopment projects at River Road and Post Office Plaza. My running mate and fellow Council Member, Karen Koronkiewicz, and I were on the subcommittee that successfully negotiated the River Road development agreement to conclusion.

That project (at the corner of River Road and Watchung) will add almost $50 million in revenue to the Borough budget over the next 30 years. The Post Office Plaza process was less straightforward as different Council members and residents had varying views on what to do at that site. Ultimately, we voted for a small, 15-unit housing development that was in keeping with the scale of existing residential buildings in our downtown, but would bring in less revenue than a large development. While I think we made the right decision on Post Office Plaza, we will need to continue to look for additional revenue streams to offset rising costs.

Chatham has seen an increase in car thefts over the past year or so. Do you think the town is doing enough to combat this issue? If not, what needs to be done to better prevent these crimes?

The increase in car thefts during the past 2 years has impacted communities throughout Morris County and New Jersey, not just Chatham. In the Borough, we were proactive in our efforts to prevent car thefts. Because 100% of the stolen cars during the last two years resulted from people leaving key fobs in their cars, we met with members of our Police Department and implemented a plan to send phone, text and email alerts to residents in real-time when car thieves were in town. The alert messaging worked.

We reduced our town’s overall percentage of stolen cars in Morris County from 23.08% to 7.93%. That is a huge reduction in the pace of stolen cars in the Borough, and it is a direct result of alerting, police tactics, and partnership with residents, businesses and neighboring towns.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence that you can handle this job?

I was directly involved in taking action to reduce car thefts and in negotiating the revenues for the Borough from the River Road project. In connection with the latter, our subcommittee also negotiated hiring a sustainability consultant, which made many practical recommendations that the developer agreed to adopt including use of energy-efficient building materials and appliances and installing EV-charger ready parking spaces.

We also pushed for the addition of solar panels to the project, which is this developer’s first foray into using solar energy for its buildings. The solar panels will generate enough electricity to power all common areas in the building including stairwells, a win-win for the developer, the building’s residents and our environment. Additionally, I’m a strong proponent of shared services as a cost-saving mechanism.

As chair of the Joint Court Committee in 2021, I negotiated an additional, 5-year shared services agreement for our 4-town, joint court. This past year, Council Member Jocelyn Mathiasen and I negotiated a shared services arrangement with Madison for our residents to use their styrofoam recycling and compost collection site, at no cost to the Borough. Finally, Council Member Len Resto and I are co-liaisons to the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee which was formed this year.

We and the Committee members have been active from the beginning, organizing several community events to bring residents together including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the UMC Food Pantry; the Coffee, Culture and Conversation series; and the joint Madison and Chathams Cultural Celebration held this past September in Madison.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

We cannot ignore the impacts of climate change on our community and I believe we all need to do our part to create a sustainable future. In 2018, as a resident I advocated that the Borough stop spraying harmful pesticides on Borough property and it ended up saving the town money while also benefitting the health and safety of our families, pets and wildlife. I will continue to advocate for the Borough’s adoption of renewable energy sources, electric equipment and vehicles, EV charging stations, preservation of our tree canopy and overall waste reduction. We also need to continue to be proactive about mitigating the effects of more frequent and severe storms. I serve as a liaison to the Borough’s Undergrounding Advisory Committee, which is continuing to evaluate undergrounding our electric wires to improve the reliability of our electric service and save our trees from further butchering by JCP&L.