Summit City Council Ward 2 General Election 2025: Chantal Landman

NEW JERSEY - The general election season is in full swing in the Garden State and Patch has asked local candidates to share their thoughts before Nov. 4.

Editor's Note: 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. Contact edward.callahan@patch.com with any questions regarding coverage.

Name: Chantal Landman

Age: 48

Town of residence: Summit, NJ

Position sought: Summit Common Council (Ward 2)

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married to David Landman, two sons, Lucas and Connor

Education: Bachelor's Degree from Bucknell University

Occupation: Retired senior executive from Goldman Sachs

Previous or current elected or appointed office: N/A, this is my first candidacy

Why are you seeking office?

Summit is a special place, one that my husband, David, and I chose 17 years ago because it’s ideal for families with outstanding public schools, a vibrant downtown and a strong community. Our sons, Lucas and Connor, have thrived here, playing rec sports at the Community Center, learning to ride bikes at Wilson, exploring with our dog along the Passaic, splashing around at the pool, walking around town after school, and making such wonderful friends.

I’ve been deeply involved in the Summit community, volunteering with local organizations like GRACE, Moms Helping Moms, Impact 100 Garden State, the Summit Educational Foundation, the Junior League, Summit’s Environmental Commission projects, and even coaching boys’ rec basketball.

My time with these organizations made me appreciate the massive volunteer contribution to ensuring Summit is such an incredible place to live. My family and I have benefitted so much from this community, I felt this was the time to ‘level-up’ my volunteerism and bring my work experience to bear in a new way, serving the community as a member of Council.

What additional measures would you suggest to build on what Summit Police have rolled out regarding safety on electronic bikes and scooters?

The Summit Police Department, in partnership with our public schools, has implemented an impactful and informative program to educate our youth regarding e-bike and scooter safety. We should explore a program where residents of all ages must participate in order to be "certified" to ride an electronic bike or scooter in Summit.

We require dog owners in the city to annually demonstrate they have taken measures to protect their pet and other residents from rabies, but at the moment, we have no protocol for requiring residents to take measures to protect children on e-bikes, pedestrians sharing the sidewalk with them, and drivers navigating them on our roads.

If you were to start your own Summit board or commission, what would it be for and why?

Summit would benefit from a Pedestrian & Cyclist Safety Advisory Board to analyze pedestrian and cycling safety issues and present recommendations for new initiatives and policies to the Safety & Health Committee of the Summit Common Council.

What issues would you want to address, or areas would you want to highlight?

Fiscal Responsibility & Affordability: Making Summit affordable for working- and middle-class families and fixed-income seniors is a top priority. We need to prioritize municipal government spending to provide residents with the community services, infrastructure and resources they need.

Our tax dollars must be used thoughtfully to ensure a resilient, healthy and vibrant Summit for generations to come. Fiscal responsibility in a time of economic uncertainty is critical.

Transparency & Communication: Ensuring our government leaders are transparent with their proposals, perspectives, and decisions is an important component of effective government. Local leaders should be held accountable to those they serve, to all of the people in Summit.

Empowering residents to participate in local government by sharing information with them and encouraging civic engagement will lead to better outcomes for Summit.

Public Safety: Summit residents value community-centered policing, pedestrian safety, and a focus on crime prevention. Advocating for investments in technology and infrastructure that make neighborhoods safer for all residents is crucial. Safer streets save lives and improve quality of life.

We should continue to invest in traffic calming measures, flashing crosswalks, and ensuring sidewalks are well-maintained. By prioritizing public safety initiatives to prevent crime, and partnering with the police department to ensure their needs are met, we can make Summit more secure for all residents.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

In addition to my professional qualifications, I have something else that is essential, skin in the game. Cultivated over the 17 years I’ve lived here in Summit, I have deep ties in the community through my volunteer work, school communities, youth sports teams, my husband, my kids, and my friends.

These ties will make me a more effective councilmember, with a finger on the pulse of the community and built-in accountability to residents.

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

Over two decades working at Goldman Sachs taught me many skills, including strategic thinking, leadership in challenging times, complex problem solving, effective collaboration, and communication. My work experience combined with life experience has developed my resilience, courage, emotional intelligence, and judgement.

I know I have so much to learn about municipal government, but I believe I have what is essential to do the job well.

What's a motto you live your life by?

I try to follow the campfire rule and leave people and places better than how I found them. At its core, this principle is about treating people with respect and acting with integrity, and, when you can, giving more than you receive to the people and community around you.

What does it mean to you to represent Summit?

Elections are about choosing leaders who align with our values, not just what they will do, but how they will do it.

We cannot predict everything that will come up during the term of an elected official, so we choose leaders who we believe will represent us best when those unexpected issues arise. To that end, I will listen to, advocate for, and problem-solve on behalf of all Summit residents.

I will be a responsible steward of your taxes, prioritizing needs above wants. I will communicate regularly to ensure the public is empowered with information, and, I will lead with integrity, as a public servant, not a politician.

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