Hometown Chatham

Author: brigidmcmenamin

  • The self-fulfilling prophecy

    Have you heard that the sacrifice of the taxpayer-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic is a “Done Deal”?

    That’s an old trick called a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Meaning if you can get enough naive people to go around repeating it, it becomes true.

    In fact, there is NOTHING requiring our Mayor & Council to pave over the green, Borough taxpayer-owned parcel right next to Memorial Park.

    They could house the same four families at another site in town. Maybe repurpose another Borough-owned lot that isn’t vacant, green, or right next to a park.

    Or they can acquire a privately-owned parcel for less than most households already spend on coffee or tea.

    At the very least, the Mayor & Council should hold a public meeting to discuss alternatives before disposing of that irreplaceable Borough asset.

    They are holding such a meeting to discuss options for the privately-owned project that will replace the Cottage Deli. It’s Wednesday Feb 11.

    There is NO excuse not to give the same consideration to the permanent disposition of a unique, taxpayer-owned parcel right next to our Central Park.

    When will the Mayor & Council schedule a public meeting to discuss alternatives to sacrificing taxpayer-owned 58 North Passaic?

    Ask them! Here are three easy ways to do it:

    1. Email:

    mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org

    bhargrove@chathamborough.org 

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org

    jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    khay@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    mayor@chathamborough.org

    2. Attend or zoom the next Council meeting: Monday, Feb 23, 2026 at 7:30 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level, or by Zoom, details to follow here: https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-6-30-executive-7-30-public-meeting-2-1771893000

    3. Ask at the Cottage Deli meeting: Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level.

    Don’t be naive. Ask.

    Why not?

  • Why not?

    Before our Mayor & Council plunge ahead with plans to pave over the green, Borough taxpayer-owned parcel right next to Memorial Park, how about a public meeting to discuss alternatives?

    The Mayor & Council have formally promised at least one such public meeting to discuss options for the privately-owned project that will replace the Cottage Deli. It’s Wednesday Feb 11.

    There is NO legal reason not to give the same consideration to the permanent disposition of that vacant, green, irreplaceable, Borough taxpayer-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic Avenue.

    When will the Mayor & Council schedule a public meeting to discuss alternatives to sacrificing the taxpayer—owned parcel at 58 North Passaic?

    Ask them! Three easy ways to do it:

    1. Email:

    mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org

    bhargrove@chathamborough.org 

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org

    jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    khay@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    mayor@chathamborough.org

    2. Attend or zoom the next Council meeting: Monday, Feb 23, 2026 at 7:30 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level, or by Zoom, details to follow here: https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-6-30-executive-7-30-public-meeting-2-1771893000

    3. Ask at the Cottage Deli meeting: Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level.

    Heard that the sacrifice of our green 58 North Passaic is a “done deal”? That’s a standard trick known as a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” It’s popular because naive people often fall for it.

    The self-fulfilling prophecy

  • Alternatives

    Now we know that Chatham CAN meet the state’s affordable housing quota without sacrificing vacant, green 58 North Passaic Avenue, the Borough-owned parcel right next to  Memorial Park.

    Our Council can simply offer an alternative location, as the Borough’s affordable housing lawyer and planner have explained at more than one public meeting.

    No matter where the Council puts those four apartments, four more families of modest means will have an opportunity to live in Chatham Borough.

    The only question is whether the Council will heed the growing chorus of residents asking them to properly consider the alternatives before it’s too late. 

    One way to preserve 58 North Passaic Avenue is to acquire and develop instead a privately-owned property, which is projected to cost most homeowners less than we already spend on coffee or tea. 

    Another possibility is to repurpose a Borough-owned money pit that’s under-used and  costing taxpayers a bundle to maintain.

    If it turns out that replacing vacant, green 58 North Passaic Avenue with four apartments and a parking lot really IS our best bet, then so be it.

    But there’s no excuse not to consider the alternatives first.

    Attend the Monday, Jan. 26 Council meeting, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level.

    Too busy, cold, or icy? Zoom that Council meeting at the link shown here: 

    https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-23-1769470200

    Email the Mayor & Council and ask: 

    Can we count on you not to sign a development contract for 58 North Passaic Avenue before giving residents a chance to consider a range of options and formally weigh in at one or more town hall meetings?

    mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org

    bhargrove@chathamborough.org 

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org

    jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    khay@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    mayor@chathamborough.org

  • The Latest

    Why are our Mayor & Council negotiating yet another Redevelopment contract, when they haven’t even unveiled their plan for the second big Redevelopment project they aim to build on River Road, next to the massive, 245-unit Ivy apartment project?

    https://chathamborough.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1

    Attend the Monday, Jan. 26 Council meeting, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level.

    Too busy, cold, or icy? Zoom that Council meeting at the link shown here:

    https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-23-1769470200

    Or simply email the Mayor & Council and ask: Why are you negotiating yet another Redevelopment contract, when you don’t even have a plan for the second big Redevelopment project you aim to build on River Road, next to the massive, 245-unit Ivy apartment project?

    mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org bhargrove@chathamborough.org cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org

    jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    khay@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    mayor@chathamborough.org

  • Myth: It’s a done deal.

    Think it’s too late to save our green, wooded, Borough-owned 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to home plate at Memorial Park?

    Assume that green gem is destined to be paved over for four apartments and a parking lot and nothing can be done about it?

    That’s what some would have you believe. But it’s not so.

    The Borough’s housing lawyer and planner have confirmed that the Borough can propose an alternative site for that development. We have no reason to think an alternative wouldn’t be accepted.

    So, when will the Council consider and discuss alternatives to needlessly sacrificing 58 North Passaic Avenue?

    See how the Mayor & Council answer that question at their public meeting this Monday, January 5, 2026, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.

    Please note: This is a public meeting, convened for the benefit of residents and taxpayers. You are the boss. Arrive at your convenience. Use the north entrance. Go left through the door. Take the elevator to the upper level. Enter the double doors at the end of the hall. Sit anywhere. Observe anonymously or participate during the Public Comment period if you prefer. Leave whenever you please.

    Really can’t be there? (Working swing? Grounded? Under house arrest?) Zoom the meeting here:

    https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-reorganization-meeting-3

    For more details , click here: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/op-eds/articles/why-would-the-borough-council-want-to-pave-paradise

  • Why sacrifice 58 North Passaic Avenue?

    Why are our Mayor and Borough Council so determined to pave over and permanently sacrifice the vacant, green, wooded, Borough-owned lot at 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to Memorial Park?

    At the December 8th Council meeting, a member prodded the Borough’s Professional Planner to say she had searched for another place to build affordable housing..

    The hired-hand Planner complied, recalling a quest involving various locations that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another.

    Only problem is, the Planner’s tale bore NO resemblance to the one she had told the Planning Board last May 7th, when she first outlined the Council’s housing plan.

    At that May 7th meeting, when a Planning Board member asked about the process of choosing sites for development, the Planner did not claim to have considered alternatives, as shown in the official video starting at approximately 1:09:29 here:

    https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=368

    Here’s the transcript:

    Planning Board Member: “Can you just say a couple words about how [indecipherable you or we] ended up with these recommendations for parcels? Were there others that were triaged out? Just how did you decide these – that this was the optimal mix?”

    Professional Planner: “Well, so, ah with regards to the 100% project [58 North Passaic Avenue] we knew that the Borough owned the property and we also had a non-profit developer that was interested in developing the property. So that was a nice marriage.”

    Residents and taxpayers deserve better. You deserve better.

    Tell the Mayor & Council you expect to see options, get answers, and have a meaningful chance to weigh in BEFORE they sign a contract to pave and build on the vacant, green, Borough-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to Memorial Park:

    mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org. bhargrove@chathamborough.org

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org

    khay@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    mayor@chathamborough.org

    Attend the next Council meeting, which is Monday, January 5, 2026, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.

    Come as you are, whenever’s convenient. You’ll find plenty of parking. Enter on the north side of the building. Take the elevator to the upper level. Use the big doors at the end of the hall. Make yourself comfortable. Speaking is optional. Leave when you please.

  • Is it a dream… or a dud?

    The public meeting starts 7:30 pm TONIGHT, Monday, December 8th, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue. (Take the elevator to the upper level.)

    Have our Mayor & Borough Council found a good way to resolve the legal challenges to Chatham’s 6/18/25 Master Plan amendment for affordable housing? 

    A possible settlement is on their agenda for the December 8th Council meeting, and the Council may even VOTE on it during the public session, which starts 7:30 pm TONIGHT at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.

    https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/chathamborough/ebf394a7-bc91-11ef-ab4b-005056a89546-87c420e4-d6a2-4396-b701-70ff66871099-1764965665.pdf

    Will our Mayor & Council do it right this time?

    Will they seize the chance to re-think the Master Plan amendment they crafted behind closed doors last Spring?

    Will they consider alternatives to sacrificing the vacant, green, Borough-owned lot at 58 North Passaic, next to Memorial Park?

    This time, will they let residents help identify better sites for 4 new affordable apartments? 

    Find out.

    The public meeting starts 7:30 pm, Monday, December 8th, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue. Take the elevator to the upper level.

    Being there counts. Everything else is optional.

    Come as you are. Arrive when you can. Speak only if you please. Leave early if you like.

    Grounded? Under house arrest? Just plain too lazy & cold to go anywhere? Zoom here:

    https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/chathamborough/ebf394a7-bc91-11ef-ab4b-005056a89546-87c420e4-d6a2-4396-b701-70ff66871099-1764965665.pdf

  • Lawyer to Chatham: Shut up!

    Can you believe it’s almost 2026?

    That’s New Jersey’s deadline for our Planning Board to revise the all-important Master Plan that will guide Borough decision-making and development for the next ten years.

    To get that job done, the Planning Board will need to get residents to attend meetings and share ideas, which few residents do.

    How can the Planning Board attract Chathamites to the meetings, and get them engaged in the process?

    How about muzzling residents? Seriously.

    The Planning Board already chooses not to Zoom most of its meetings, and does NOT allow residents to participate by Zoom.

    At the December 3rd meeting, which was not Zoomed, Planning Board lawyer Vincent Loughlin advocated taking it one step further: changing the Board’s bylaws to do away with the traditional Public Comment period we have come to expect at every Borough meeting, severely restricting normal, public participation in-person. (See the meeting video below, starting at approximately 11:34.)

    ”There’s so much misunderstanding about how municipal government functions,” says Laughlin. His solution? Totally shut out all public participation except on the matter before the Planning Board at that moment, typically limited to cross examination and sworn testimony on a specific application.

    Lawyers don’t make policy like that. Who told Mr. Laughlin to push abolishing Public Comment at Planning Board meetings?

    ”[Borough Administrator and Planning Board member]Steve Williams suggested that perhaps we could remove that [Public Comment period] from the agenda,” said the Borough Clerk. “So that would remove the public portion where the public can speak from the agenda so they would only speak if we had an application.” (See meeting video below.)

    Kudos to those alert Planning Board members who had the good sense to resist that flagrant power grab. We can only hope they will stay strong.

    You can see it all in the video below, where the meeting begins about 7:29 and the discussion of abolishing Public Comments begins about 11:34.

  • About last night

    Pssssssst!

    It’s happening this Monday, November 10th, at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.

    Tell no one.

    Slip in the side door around 7:30 pm. Take the elevator to the upper level. Step down the hall.

    Enter the big doors on the left. Take a seat in the back. No need to speak, or even give your name.

    Listen closely for any reference to actual local issues. See if you can catch any direct answers to important questions posed by residents.

    You really can’t make it? (Grounded? Bed-bound? Moonlighting? Prepping for a colonoscopy on Tuesday morning?) You can always Zoom here:

    https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-23-1762817400

    To find out what happened last night, keep scrolling down!

    Yesterday shortly before 5:00 pm, our Mayor & Council made their way to Borough Hall, filed into Room 301, and shut the door behind them.

    They were behind closed doors for a special meeting to discuss recent developments in the litigation over their controversial Master Plan amendment of June 18th.

    https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/chathamborough/fd09e136-b59c-11f0-8df7-005056a89546-21f92362-28af-4727-9270-fd5a12163dfa-1761838852.pdf

    That’s the Master Plan amendment that includes sacrificing the green, vacant, Borough-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to Memorial Park.

    The Borough adopted that Plan over the objections of more than 90% of residents polled, who want the Council to consider preserving that parcel by putting affordable housing on other Borough sites.

    Nearly two hours later, the door to Room 301 swung open and out trudged the Mayor & Council.

    They refused to answer questions posed by residents, citing the advice of Borough lawyers.

    https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=429

    They didn’t promise to consider alternatives to 58 North Passaic Avenue in closed session, or even to hold off signing a development agreement for that site until residents have had a chance to weigh in.

    All we know is that the next settlement conference in that case has been set for November 20:

    The Mayor & Council also chose not to answer any questions about their plan, commissioned one year ago, to Redevelop the rest of Chatham‘s River Road, south and west of the massive, 245-unit Ivy complex at the corner of River Road and Watchung Avenue.

    https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/letters-to-the-editor/articles/blind-faith?fbclid=IwY2xjawN-VhhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnQk00cEdNMmhGbXB3VnI5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHs1YfTPCVkpHiOQCPFOdpLzu2McPLqIiEyCTqs42S81935SglcEhF9Kz0cNZ_aem_wNO5zsNKxtjXGw9HyPZgnQ

    Unless a developer chooses to pay extra to set aside more affordable rental units than required by law, the new project would put 500 new apartments adjacent to the Ivy and no doubt insist on an exemption from paying millions in property taxes, just as the Ivy has.

    Wait. Another big project on River Road??!

    For more information, attend the next Council meeting, this Monday, November 10th, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue. Take the elevator to the upper level. Use the big doors down that hall on the left.

    Being there counts. Speaking is optional.

  • The last straw

    Do you know what’s happening in Chatham Borough? Find out before it’s too late. Attend the Borough Council Meeting: Monday, Oct. 27   🕢 7:30 pm 📍Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Ave. Or, at the very least, Zoom from the calendar at chathamborough.org

    For years, Council candidate Karen Koronkiewicz enjoyed the loyal support of career firefighter and Ground Zero alum Captain Robert Penn, a respected longtime Borough resident.

    Not anymore.

    Now even Captain Penn has washed his hands of Karen and her political bosses, in part over their mishandling of the new Housing Element of the Master Plan.

    https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/letters-to-the-editor/articles/no-longer-supporting-koronkiewicz

    Karen played a big role in that fiasco. She is on the back room committee that opted to let an unspecified developer pave over 58 North Passaic Avenue, the green, Borough-owned lot right next to home plate in Memorial Park.

    Though she represents the Council on the Borough Shade Tree Commission, Karen dismissed that wooded lot as “useless” and agreed to sacrifice all but one tree without first weighing the alternatives or taking public input.

    Screenshot

    Even after that scheme was announced, Karen kept mum about it with her colleagues on the Borough’s Shade Tree Commission until after a resident had broken the news to them at the May 22nd meeting. https://chathamborough.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=chathamborough_9bf1e4ac366152661e23e298c0351638.pdf&view=1

    At the October meeting of the Shade Tree Commission, Karen flatly refused to explain why she had withheld that pubic news from her Commission colleagues, including her own running mate Miles Gilmore. Could the reason for her silence have something to do with the location of the most obvious alternative site?

    With Karen’s re-election at stake, the rest of the one-party controlled Mayor & Council aren’t talking either. They would have you believe they cannot talk about it because it’s in litigation and settlement talks. That’s utter nonsense.

    In fact, there’s no gag order, and settlement talks are NO excuse not to explore alternatives in executive session, so the Mayor & Council will be prepared to update the public on alternatives once Chatham Borough receives its Judgment of Compliance and Repose, likely in January.

    https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/sections/government/articles/chatham-borough-residents-still-seek-change-to-affordable-housing-plan-to-save-green-land-council-mum-on-lawyer-s-advice

    It’s high time the Mayor & Council did the right thing: consider alternative ways to satisfy the Borough’s housing quotas without sacrificing  the green lot right next to home plate in Memorial Park.

    How can one person help persuade them to consider the alternatives? It’s easy.

    Attend the Council Meeting:   📅 Monday, Oct. 27   🕢 7:30 pm 📍 Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Ave. Take the elevator to upper level. Enter the last room on the left. (Your presence matters. Speaking is optional.)

    House-bound? Out of town? Zoom from the calendar at chathamborough.org or https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-23-1761604200

    Tell your Mayor and Council you want to see some options:

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org       itreloar@chathamborough.org kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org    khay@chathamborough.org  bhargrove@chathamborough.org  jmathiasen@chathamborough.org jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    If it turns out that 58 North Passaic Avenue is the best bet, then so be it. But to hand that lot to a developer without due diligence would be unconscionable.