Election 2023: Melissa Rawley-Payne For Mendham Borough Council

MENDHAM, NJ — Election Day is nearing, and Mendham voters will soon head to the polls to cast their votes for two seats on the local borough council.

In Mendham Borough, there are two seats up for grabs this year and four candidates have put in their bid. This November, Republicans Marilyn Althoff and William Russo will be running against Democrats Melissa Rawley-Payne and Mark Van Den Hende.

Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, seeking their responses. Here is the response from candidate Melissa Rawley-Payne.

Editor's Note: Patch emailed all candidates at the email addresses listed for their campaigns in the clerk's office. The responses will be revealed between now and the general election on Nov. 7. These comments will be published with just minor stylistic changes. Candidates who wish to participate but did not receive an invitation should email vianella.burns@patch.com.

Name: Melissa Rawley-Payne

Age: 46

Office sought: Mendham Borough Council

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Master's Degree from Wake Forest University; Bachelor's Degree from University of Florida

Occupation: Director of Program and Alliance Management at Schrodinger, Inc.

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for Mendham Borough Council primarily out of concern for the lack of transparency and support for community engagement of our current elected officials. Shortly after moving to Mendham in 2018, I was on a walk with my husband, kids, and dogs and tripped over an uneven part of the sidewalk on my street and was injured.

Given the condition of our sidewalks, I became very interested in learning more about who is responsible for safety issues like this in the town. Given we are discouraged from asking questions at town council meetings (this is stated in the public comment portion of the agendas, including the one from the most recent council meeting on 11 Oct 23), it is really difficult to get information at these meetings. Given I had asked questions previously that would not be addressed, I decided the best alternative was to start asking around to find out who is responsible for sidewalk repair, and although it seems like the residents are based on what I have heard, it would be ideal to have this type of information confirmed by the local government directly in the meetings.

I have the same concern regarding the lack of transparency and community engagement around the multiple development projects that are under review at this time. In addition to the transparency and community engagement concerns, I would also like to see the town be more proactive and innovative in finding solutions to the problems we face.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is overdevelopment without transparency and community engagement around the multiple projects. To address the lack of transparency and community engagement, I would continuously put pressure on the council to adopt practices for meetings to make them available in person, and virtually and to record them for airing on Mendham TV, particularly for those who are home bound and not able to attend in person like some of our local seniors.

In addition, I would insist on community workshops on development projects similar to the Responsible Development Panel that we recently coordinated as part of our campaign (link provided by email). I would also hold office hours and plan to send out periodic newsletters to update the community on important topics and events being discussed at meetings, including these development projects.

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

In my career, I have overseen global operations, managed multi-million dollar budgets and assisted with strategic planning. From a community perspective, I have been very engaged in our local community since moving to Mendham, participating in the following:

• Current Chair of the Welcome Committee at West Morris Mendham High School
• Current Member, Past Treasurer and Past Chair of the Annual Spelling Bee for the West Morris Juniors Women’s Club
• Past volunteer for Friends of the Randolph Animal Shelter's Petsmart Program and currently trained volunteers for 11th Hour Rescue now oversee this program
• Recent Member of the Leadership Committee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of New Jersey’s Visionaries of the Year Campaign, Past Chair of multiple Light the Night Campaigns in Morristown, NJ for my company at the time, and Current Chair of the event in Manhattan on October 26th for employee-led participation for my current company

In addition, this year, I participated in a multi-month-long program called Emerge NJ, which trains women to run for office in the state. The program encouraged us to focus on the issues that are most important to our community, both while running and holding office. This shows my commitment to acquiring the skills necessary to be successful as a candidate and elected official.

All of the skills and experience I have gained throughout my career, serving the community and increasing my acumen in the political arena will translate to helping me bring an energetic, dedicated and innovative approach to solving issues in our town.

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

I have been married to Tony Payne for 19 years and have two children, Cole and Ethan, who both attend West Morris Mendham High School. Cole will be playing a lead role in the school play Great Gatsby when it shows from November 2–4. He has also done make-up for the shows for multiple years and is currently the first and only student armorer for the fencing team.

Ethan has been on the track team since his freshman year and has also participated in the eSports team in the past. We all enjoy living in our beautiful town of Mendham. We frequently use the miles of trails, and our kids have been walking and biking in the town since we moved here. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.