Election 2021: Chatham Township Committee Candidate Mark Lois

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 Mark Lois, a Republican who is running for the Chatham Township Committee. Lois will face, Katherine “Kathy” Abbott, who 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. 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.

Lois’ responses to the questions are below:

Name: Mark Lois

Age: 42

Town of residence: Chatham Township

Position sought: Chatham Township Committee

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Married to my wife of 16 years with two sons ages 5 and 9.

Education: B.S. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Occupation: Small Business Owner

Previous or current elected appointed office: This is my first time running for public office.

Why are you seeking elective office?
I am proud to be part of Chatham Township. It is a high-quality place to live with exceptional people. Right now, our Township needs and deserves better results. I am driven to stop municipal tax rate increases, now up 20% in just two years. Township debt has increased 33% over the same period. These increases were not directed to support our schools, library, sewers, main roadways or many other aspects of our small-town way of life. If you are like my family, low taxes relative to surrounding towns are part of what attracted you to Chatham Township. Unfortunately, we are following the troubling state and national trends of high-tax progressive change. Fresh, creative thinking is required to solve our problems, not higher municipal tax rates.

The single most pressing issue facing us is recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you intend to do about it?
The pandemic, coupled with progressive policies, has heightened the need for better results. Real recovery begins by turning away from the direction set by the slim, single vote majority of Democrats currently in control of our Township Committee. In the aftermath of rapid, progressive change, we cannot do as my opponent intends and simply continue forward down the same path. Our Township's fiscal and infrastructure problems might best be represented as a bucket with a hole at the bottom. The solution is not to constantly fill it up with an ever increasing burden to the taxpayers. We must solve the underlying issue and plug the hole to stop the leak. Only then can our Township return to the attractive and stable community that it has been.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I am a small business owner. As such, I bring a nimble, results-oriented approach while volunteering in our Township. As the 2021 Chairman at our municipal pool and tennis facility, Colony Pool Club, I lead an almost doubling of members and nearly tripling of revenue in just six months. For the first time in a very long time, the club is not reliant on taxpayers for funding, and instead returned nearly $150,000 to the Township surplus. From 2020 to 2021, membership increased from 1,050 to 1,998. In addition, these members enjoyed an enhanced schedule, revitalized tennis program, new food service vendor, outreach improvements and more. We achieved success without additional spending, without multi-year timelines and without "down payment investments" of taxpayer money. Alternatively, in 2013 and 2014 when my opponent was involved in Colony Pool, membership collapsed from 916 members to 221. My opponent was the leading authority in charge during this downturn which deeply affected operations for years. Shockingly, my opponent includes this period as a biographical highlight without mentioning the poor outcome. Our Township runs on volunteerism, but even volunteer leadership must achieve results, not leave a legacy of problems.

My opponent often references her involvement in long awaited, grant funded sidewalks project. Grants from the state level are wonderful, and we should pursue them with diligence. However, it is now almost a decade since her project began and there are still no sidewalks from this often-mentioned project. We can’t ask residents to wait 10 years for projects to deliver. Our success in six months at Colony proves that with the right approach, quality of life improvements do not have to take a lifetime or cost more than we are currently spending.

This is my first time seeking this post. In contrast, my opponent is now running for this position for the fourth time. She was elected by Township voters to one term years ago, but subsequently denied re-election on her second and third attempts. Voters saw enough then to know that she represented failed leadership for our Township and resoundingly said NO multiple times. Almost a decade since her first term, she is running this fourth time. My opponent hopes that the voter base has sufficiently changed enough to forget her abysmal past performance.

Lastly, with regard to the 20% tax increase, my opponent has made the following three contradictory statements:(1) "It's a lot, it's a bump that we haven't seen in a long time” (2) "That is not enormous, just so you understand, that’s why people weren’t crying and complaining to the Township” (3) “It’s not a 20% increase in your tax bill.” In contrast, I do not minimize the impact of ANY tax increase on the taxpayers of Chatham Township. I aim to restore the fiscal discipline that has always characterized our Township. I will begin by freezing this double-digit tax rate increase. I will not vote to approve any municipal tax increases in the first year of my term. Let me be clear, we can end these 20% tax increases and stop the 33% ballooning debt.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
In addition to my educational background, I have been a small business owner for two decades. This path requires flexibility in problem solving, responsive organizational design, and careful capital planning. I work with financial aspects of balance sheets, audits and budgets but also practical operational logistics, customer service and production.

The most directly applicable accomplishment I can point to is the successful, effective solutions at Colony Pool Club. My opponent minimizes our success with this Township facility and claims Noe Pond Club was closing, but it did not. She says COVID caused membership to swell. If so, that would be true everywhere, but in fact New Providence’s community pool was forced to close each Wednesday due to financial constraints and Chatham Borough’s municipal pool suffered from declines in membership. The truth is, this success at Colony in 2021 was the result of creativity, collaboration and effective communication. To achieve the turnaround there, I lead and coordinated volunteers, Township management, administration and outside vendors to produce proven, effective and measurable results.

For further clarification of my understanding of the Township, and the facts and financials in sharp comparison, I suggest you watch my debate with my opponent. More than 550 residents have already. It covers the issues we now face as a Township: https://youtu.be/2HW9fOQgH2A?t=536

The best advice ever shared with me was:
My mother told my brothers and me this: We must leave things at least as good as we found them. Most of the time she just meant - don’t make a mess in her house! Mom had a longer view too. We must uphold our responsibilities, in recognition of those who preceded us as well as those who follow us. Chatham Township is a wonderful and beautiful place, with exceptional people. We must Preserve Chatham Township and change direction from our current path. Say NO to the high tax, high debt, and rapid progressive change proposed by my opponent.

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