Mayor, Deputy Mayor Appointed In Chatham Township For 2023

CHATHAM, NJ — Two new faces officially joined the Chatham Township Committee at Tuesday night's reorganization meeting, along with the re-election of both Ashley Felice and Mark Hamilton.

Felice and Hamilton were both unanimously re-elected as mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.

Mike Choi was officially sworn in as the newest member of the Chatham Township Committee, and Stacey Ewald was re-elected to a second three-year term.

Choi took over the seat previously held by Celeste Fondaco, who chose not to run for reelection in November.

"Thank you, Senator Bramnick, for swearing us in this evening. Congratulations to Mark Hamilton on his reappointment as Deputy Mayor and congratulations to Committeeman Choi on his election to this body and Committeewoman Ewald on her reelection. I am humbled, honored, and excited to continue this role of mayor," Felice said.

In a statement about the township's future goals, Felice stated that in 2023, the council will continue to improve the municipality by making better use of resources. This includes responsible municipal infrastructure maintenance planning as well as creating thoughtful affordable housing developments.

Looking back on the previous year, Felice praised the efforts of several township officials, emphasizing the township's ability to maximize the municipal budget while maintaining a zero municipal tax increase. The township also restructured existing debt, resulting in a $400,000 reduction in debt service.

Some of the successful additions around town included the refurbishment of the bathrooms and walkways at Shunpike and Nash fields, as well as the unveiling of the letters to Santa mailboxes in the township this year.

With a state-wide increase in vehicle theft and subsequent increase in home burglary attempts through 2022, Felice reaffirmed the committee's commitment to the safety of all residents.

In recent months, Chatham Township has seen two home burglaries, with one homeowner losing approximately $15,000 in jewelry. The committee has been collaborating with the police department to raise awareness and improve police practices in order to better deal with the increase in crime.

Earlier this year, state officials also announced that the state would spend $10 million from the federal American Rescue Plan's State Fiscal Recovery Fund on automated plate-recognition technology for law enforcement.

However, local officials believe that more needs to be done, or repeat crimes will continue to occur. "If you can take a car with impunity, why not break into somebody's house and take their jewelry with impunity, which happened in this community twice," Hamilton previously said.

"We are grateful to have been awarded the Federal Community Projects Grant through Congresswoman Sherill’s office which will provide Chatham Township approximately $900,000 to allow us to build out a fiber optic data network which will provide additional license plate readers with bandwidth to help our Police Department in combating the auto theft issue plaguing New Jersey," Felice said.

During the reorganization meeting a resolution to rehire Peter King as Chatham Township's attorney was discussed among the committee members.

Ewald argued in favor of the hiring of the law firm McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, LLC, saying, "that law firm has a very deep bench of municipal experience… and I think that would be a great benefit to us."

The resolution approving the rehire was passed 3-1 with Ewald voting no and Choi choosing to abstain.

"In 2023, we are uniquely positioned for lasting and positive improvements to Chatham Township. We can achieve this through teamwork. Let’s join, in what unites us and what binds us to reveal the best in us. We can decide right now to make 2023 a remarkable year. I am committed, and I ask you to join me," Felice said.