Election 2021: Chatham Township Committee Candidate Kathy Abbott

CHATHAM, NJ — The Nov. 2 General Election is getting closer and Patch has asked local candidates to share their thoughts before the election.

Editor's Note: Are you a candidate on the ballot? Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will be published between now and the General Election. Candidates who would like to participate but did not receive one (for whatever reason) may contact jennifer.miller@patch.com.

One of those candidates is Katherine "Kathy" Abbott, a Democratic candidate who is running for the Chatham Township Committee. Abbott was appointed to a Chatham Township Committee seat by the local Democratic Party to serve in an unexpired term after then-Mayor Tracy Ness, who endorsed Abbott in the Democratic primary, resigned in June. Abbott, who has served on the Committee since July, was selected as Deputy Mayor, 3-2.

She will face Republican Mark Lois in the upcoming election. Lois, who did not run in the primary, was unanimously picked by the local Republican Party as a candidate, after the Republican who did run in the primary, Daniel Bevere, resigned in July, citing professional reasons.

Abbott’s responses to the questions are below:

Name: Kathy Abbott

Age: 59

Town of residence: Chatham Township

Position sought: Chatham Township Committee

Party affiliation: Democratic Party

Family: I been married to my husband for 29 years and have 3 daughters, ages 15-27. We have lived in Chatham Township for 27 years. Historically, both sides of my family are from New Jersey, with some dating back to 1850.

Education: BA from Georgetown University in Economics and English. MA in English: Georgetown University; MA in Economics: New York University

Occupation: Director of a local nursery school, and former fundraising and communications professional, trade economist, and high school teacher.

Previous or current elected appointed office:
Current: Deputy Mayor of Chatham Township; Previous Elected Offices: Chatham Township Committee Member 2012-2014; Previous Appointed Offices in Chatham Township: Planning Board Member 2021, Chatham Township Environmental Commission 2002-2011, Municipal Alliance of the Chathams, 2015-16.

Why are you seeking elective office?
I care about how we leave Chatham for future generations. I am or have been involved in the Township’s community through environmental projects with the Great Swamp Watershed Assn and Environmental Commission, scouting, my church, school PTO leadership, my neighborhood, the Community Garden, Colony Pool, and the Safe Routes to School Committee. I know so many good, selfless volunteers doing these activities, and many of them invited me to re-run for the Township Committee to help with local issues that are more pressing than ever. As a Township Committee member, I am motivated to address the most important challenge facing our beautiful town— overdevelopment. The solution is pro-active planning for smart growth. We need a new master plan that is unified in its protection of open space, rural character and quiet streets. Some of our neighborhood zoning needs tightening. Over the years, I have learned much about NJ Municipal Land Use Law, including setbacks, wetlands and stream buffers, steep slopes disturbance limits, impervious cover limits, and stormwater management—all tools to control overbuilding. I am also happy that we are finally collecting the full, voter-approved 2 cents per hundred dollars of assessed home value for Open Space. This 2 cent tax amounts to $166 per year for the average homeowner, and enables us to replenish our Open Space Trust Fund, which had been emptied at the time that the Dixiedale Farm was a possible open space acquisition. I also look forward to tackling the plan for the next round of mandated Affordable Housing so that we can avoid a repeat of costly court deadline extensions and rushed site selection. I also would advocate for senior housing in the next round to retain more seniors in our community. To ease the burden on taxpayers for affordable housing costs, we need to continue to collect the standard developer fees for our Affordable Housing Fund. To control affordable housing’s bulk, we need to carefully choose the most suitable site, and need to avoid the “builder’s remedy,” where fair market housing is overbuilt, exceeding our land use zoning in a short-sighted deal for free affordable housing. I also look forward to putting the Township back on track to repair our aging infrastructure. Residents need to see the Township acting responsibly in managing our common assets—roads, buildings, recreation fields, storm sewers and sewage treatment plant. Past self-interested politicians neglected capital purchases and repairs in order to run for re-election on a platform of a “flat” municipal tax rate. Low taxes are very important to me, but longterm maintenance should not be avoided for short term political gain. I will continue the recent trend begun by moderate Republicans and Democrats to create realistic, responsible long-term capital and maintenance budgets, while keeping taxes as low as possible. There is no good excuse for our leaky municipal roof, which has been on our deferred maintenance list for years, and we just replaced failing pumps at our sewage treatment plant in time for Hurricane Ida. I look forward to working with fellow elected officials to serve everyone, honestly and responsibly.

The single most pressing issue facing us is recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you intend to do about it?
We can use what we’ve learned during the pandemic to put together an action plan for providing continuing support and develop mechanisms to quickly address needs in a future health crisis. Now is a great time to convene a round table with a representative from our US Congressional office, Morris County, our Chief of Police, Emergency Squad, Office of Emergency Management Coordinator, Township Administrator, Board of Health, and School liaison and work out a pandemic type plan for the future. Topics could include what worked in the Covid-19 pandemic, how can we maintain a supply of PPE if we need it, what are reciprocal protocols, how do we shift into information mode to provide residents with help on unemployment, PPP loans, and information on County services such as testing or booster sites in Chatham, especially for our seniors. We have an Office of Emergency Management that deals with a physical crisis but is not designed to handle a crisis with issues that span socio-economic and mental health issues. We should leverage the wonderful volunteers who formed a Front Line Appreciation Group, a food pantry, as well as the organization called TriTown Cares. The new Township Business Advisory Committee and Keep Chatham Thriving can also help with future crisis mitigation planning by connecting the Committee to Township business owners.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
1. The main difference between me and my opponent is that I have no self-interest in running for the governing body. I have no real estate that my position on the Township Committee could affect. The No Subdivision on Gates Ave signs all over his neighborhood send a loud message. 2. My opponent has also shown poor judgment, not only in word choice when speaking publicly, but in refusing to apologize for his offensive and inappropriate attempt to compare mask-wearing to the horrors of the Holocaust. 3. I have an extensive history of serving on and taking leadership roles on Township committees, commissions and in community volunteer groups dedicated to the betterment of our community. My opponent has only recently become involved with a couple of volunteer efforts. 4. My campaign style is quite different than my opponent’s. My focus is meeting people and hearing about their hopes and concerns for the Township’s future. When I knock on the same door as my opponent while canvassing, I’m told my opponent is naming and insulting private citizens who support me. I guess this is an attempt to intimidate people from being politically engaged. 5. While my campaign makes pointed and clear distinctions between me and my opponent, we are not running an attempted candidate character assassination by proxy. My opponent uses surrogates to publicize outrageous claims about me—his decoys to distract voters from analyzing the inconsistencies between his statements and actions. The letters to the editor that support me are written by my personal friends or those who have worked beside me. They mostly take a positive approach, praising my work for our community. The letters supporting my opponent are primarily attacks on me as a person. How can we discuss substantive issues when jibes and slogans are his campaign’s primary discourse? 6. Lastly, I am confident that residents are smart enough to understand the facts of our taxes, the complexity of the issues, and seek an elected official who will handle local problems. My opponent assumes voters need to be agitated or afraid in order to vote for him. It’s a shame such national political strategies are shaping politics here in Chatham Township.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I founded the Safe Routes to School Committee because it clearly served a need for our children, and I applied successfully, with the help of a team of volunteers and professionals, for funding to meet that need through about $1million in sidewalk grants. We also leveraged the public works department’s and school district maintenance department’s ability to create traffic control devices and path upgrades. Overall I am successful at needs assessment and bringing people together as volunteers and professionals. I have over 20 years of experience in volunteering for and leading volunteers in the schools, Girl Scouts, St Patrick Church, the League of Women Voters, Chatham Citizens Against Pilgrim Pipeline, as well as serving on the boards and advisory committees of non-profits—GreenFaith, the League of Women Voters of NJ, Sprout House, the NJ Catholic Coalition for Environmental Justice, and the Great Swamp Watershed Association. My previous service on the Township Committee enables me to hit the ground running once elected. I know how local government works. My education, work and volunteer experience enables me to analyze laws and financial data and weigh costs and benefits to make decisions, often tough decisions where resources are scarce.

The best advice ever shared with me was:
Lead by serving others. Servant leadership is an ideal of the Jesuits who educated me at Georgetown; it’s an ideal of Girl Scouts, and it’s an ideal of every major religion in the world. On our Township government, we have the opportunity for ideal democracy run by fair and honest officials, and I would like to work with the best of them, which includes our Mayor Stacey Ewald and Committeewoman Celeste Fondaco, and the many wonderful volunteers on our Boards and Committees.

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