Hometown Chatham

Tag: Memorial Park

  • You can run but you can’t hide

    Has longtime Borough Council Member Jocelyn Mathiasen finally come around?

    Might she heed the growing chorus of residents requesting a public forum to consider alternatives before the Council hires someone to chop down the trees and pave up to 80% of one of the last few green spots in the Borough, right next to Memorial Park? 

    To the surprise of nobody, Ms Mathiasen still refuses to reconsider needlessly sacrificing the unique, taxpayer-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic Avenue.

    What’s amazing is that such a powerful elected official would stoop to making baseless personal attacks on private citizens who are requesting such a forum.

    Just look at what Ms Mathiasen said at the most recent public Council meeting, held Tuesday October 13, 2026. https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=561

    At that meeting, Ms Mathiasen falsely accused unspecified residents of misbehaving at a previous meeting, where she had invited an expert to explain PILOT agreements at the request of, “…some of the same people here.” (2:37:59) https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=298

    “[A]t that forum, there was booing, hissing, interrupting,” said Ms Mathiasen. “There were insults, insults at, towards the expert…. the behavior was so appalling.” 

    But is that true? We haven’t found such behavior in the video of that October 15, 2024 meeting, shown here:  https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=298 (Please let us know if you find any.)

    (Was Ms Mathiasen appalled that a Borough lawyer interrupted a public speaker who was explaining that PILOTs are actually stealth taxes? See 4:45:40)

    More to the point, are the professional experts we taxpayers pay to advise and represent the Borough in tough situations actually so delicate that they require Ms Mathiasen’s tender protection from cross words and eye rolling?

    As if those strange claims weren’t bad enough, at the recent October 13, 2026 Council meeting, Ms Mathiasen also stooped to making false and personally defamatory comments about a certain longtime Borough resident and volunteer who was not present. (2:35:52)

    Ms Mathiasen falsely accused that resident of posting things “…on the Chatham Choice website… that are simply not true… also things that are absolutely untrue.”

    What, for instance? Ms Mathiasen did not cite an example. Not one.

    She claimed she had “…spent a lot of time identifying statements that are not true…” 

    Such as what? Ms Mathiasen did not cite an example. Not one.

    She claimed, “…it’s just not based on honesty…. there’s a lot of dishonesty floating around… 

    An example? Ms Mathiasen did not cite an example. Not one.

    At the same October 13, 2026 meeting (2:37:10), Ms Mathiasen also insisted she stands by an op-ed she published in the Patch last March 2026, yet she didn’t explain  why it had been taken down. And she didn’t  refute any part of the point-by-point debunking shown here: https://chathamchoice.org/2026/03/just-the-facts/

    Why would a third-term Council member like Mathiasen stoop so low?

    Perhaps she stooped to lies and defamation because she couldn’t defend the remarks she had made at the previous Council meeting, on September 28, 2026. (https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=557 at 2:35:44), unwittingly demonstrating the need for the public forum she refuses to consider:

    1. At that September 28, 2026 meeting, Ms Mathiasen had blamed the state of New Jersey for her handling of the Borough’s affordable housing plan, claiming, ”…towns… were given a very short timeframe to come up with a complete affordable housing plan…” 

    FACT: That timeframe is irrelevant to our ongoing request that the Council hold a public forum as soon as practicable AFTER receiving the final Certificate of Compliance, an option described by the Borough’s affordable housing lawyer at the December 8, 2025 Council meeting.

    (She won’t even reveal if the Certificate is final now and, if not, when it will be final.)

    2. Ms Mathiasen also tried to pass off a short list of properties as due diligence.  

    FACT: As she knows, that list is not complete. It totally excludes most privately owned parcels. 

    3. Ms Mathiasen insisted, “…there was no way… that we could come up with an agreement with any private property owner… [before June 30, 2025]”

    FACT: That’s no excuse not to seek alternatives AFTER the court grants the final Certificate, as our experts described at the June and December 2025 Borough meetings.

    4. Ms Mathiasen told us, “We subsequently learned that once …you’ve gotten a judgment from the court, that if you reopen the plan, you can reopen your entire plan….” She added, quote, “And that was said at a Planning Board meeting…”

    FACT: Which Planning Board meeting? Ms Mathiasen has not responded to an email asking that. And, if true, why didn’t the expert lawyer or planner warn about that at the June 18 or December 8 meeting?

    We heard nothing like that until the planner spoke at the March 9, 2026 Council meeting, nearly a month after the judge approved the settlement.  

    What changed between December 8 and March 9 that the Borough’s housing attorney couldn’t handle? 

    Why not have the Borough’s expert affordable housing lawyer explain at a public forum?

    5. Ms Mathiasen told us, “… the only other lot that could potentially be used is… a much worse candidate…” 

    FACT: Even if true of Borough-owned properties, it is not true of the privately-owned sites that routinely go up for sale. 

    6. She cited the cost of a substitute lot, saying, “…the number one thing we hear about is taxes.”

    FACT:  Sure, nobody wants to pay higher taxes. Yet they sometimes decide a certain benefit is worth the cost. A public forum would reveal if residents would rather save $50 to $100 per year or preserve the green lot next to Memorial Park. 

    7. Ms Mathiasen insisted using another site, “… is just not feasible…” as “… we’re supposed to break ground within two years….” 

    FACT:  Only extra step is buying the lot. If that would blow the two-year deadline, she should have the lawyer come to a public forum and tell us why.

    8. Finally, Ms Mathiasen cited her op-ed on the subject. You can see it and the point-by-point rebuttal in a March 2026 post on ChathamChoice.org (https://chathamchoice.org/2026/03/just-the-facts/)

  • You Matter

    Would you needlessly sacrifice this unique, taxpayer-owned, green parcel right next to our Memorial Park, behind the library?

    Would you consider instead investing taxpayer funds to preserve this green space and merge it with our Memorial Park next door?

    Shouldn’t our Mayor & Council hold a public forum BEFORE they plunge ahead and pave over 58 North Passaic Avenue?

    Speak Up

    bhargrove@chathamborough.org          

    cdempsey@chathamborough.org

    jmathiasen@chathamborough.org            jstrickland@chathamborough.org

    kkoronkiewicz@chathamborough.org                khay@chathamborough.org

    mgilmore@chathamborough.org

    Show Up

    Public meeting, Monday, September 28, 2026, starting 7:30 pm:

    Come as you are, whenever convenient. Sit wherever you like. Leave whenever you please. Speaking is optional.

    Questions? Contact us: ChathamChoice.org or (212) 243-7651

  • 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 can just as well 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.

    Why do the Mayor & Council continue to refuse to 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?

  • 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

  • Why not consider alternatives before sacrificing our precious, green, Borough-owned land?

    That’s the question we need to ask our Mayor & Borough Council before they dispose of 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to Memorial Park.

    Hear the answer this Tuesday, October 14 at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.

    Take the elevator to the upper level. Enter the room on the left at the end of the hall. Make yourself comfortable.

    Meeting starts at 7:30 pm, but stop by whenever it’s convenient. Stay only as long as you please. Speaking is optional.

    https://www.chathamborough.org/agenda-library/environmental-resource-inventory/2744-chatham-borough-eri-final-6-04-2024-r/file

  • The only way to find out

    Counting on local news outlets for timely coverage of important issues?

    Don’t hold your breath.

    The only way to find out about crucial local issues before it’s too late is to monitor ChathamChoice.org and public comments at Borough Council meetings, like the one on Monday, September 8, 2025, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Ave. [Start at minute 44:06 here: https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=413]

    What can you learn there that isn’t in the local paper? Plenty.

    Will the Borough Council let residents have a say on whether to sacrifice the wooded, Borough-owned lot at 58 North Passaic, right next to Memorial Park, or develop four apartments at a less environmentally sensitive location? https://chathamchoice.org/2025/08/good-news-2/

    Will a judge scuttle the Borough’s new, ten-year housing plan and force the Borough to waive local rules to let rich developers run amok, including building 43 additional apartments at the Cottage Deli and the auto shop in Post Office Plaza, among other things? https://chathamchoice.org/2025/08/second-bite/

    Go to Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, on Monday, September 8, 2025, anytime after 7:30 pm.

    You’ll find plenty of free parking in the lot and on the street. Use the north entrance. Take the elevator to the upper level. Stay only as long as you wish. Speaking is optional.

  • Would you pave paradise and put up a parking lot?

    (Let’s hope our Planning Board won’t!)

    NJ law requires every town to provide for affordable housing. Chatham Borough does that.

    NJ law does NOT require the Borough to pave over the green, wooded, Borough-owned, .3-acre, vacant lot at 58 North Passaic, right next to our Memorial Park, for a parking lot and four apartments, nor to impose an overlay zone allowing 220 more apartments on the east end of Main Street without having considered any alternatives.

    Screenshot

    But that’s what the Planning Board is going to do on June 18th unless you act now:  

    • Tell your elected representatives mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org and Planning Board that we want to meet the June 30th deadline while preserving the chance to vet a broad menu of alternative, at  public meetings, before the Borough is locked into final choices. Write:

    Thomas Belding    Sophia Calcaterra-Hull   Susan Favate       William Heap  Susie Robertson    Matthew Wagner      Jonathan Wilcox       Gregory Xikes

    Facebook or c/o Clerk, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, Chatham, NJ, 07928 

    • Attend the Environmental Commission meeting to ask them to call for an chance to consider alternatives that would preserve the vacant, Borough-owned land: Wednesday, June 11th, 7:30 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Ave. (Take the elevator to upper level, Room 301.) 
    • Ask the Shade Tree Commission to call for alternatives that would preserve precious, mature, Borough-owned trees: shadetree@chathamborough.org
    • Ask the Recreation Advisory Committee to call for preserving the vacant lot for recreation as originally intended when the Borough bought it in the 1980s: Suzanne Jenks c/o Clerk, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Ave., Chatham, NJ.

    For background, sources, and news please visit ChathamChoice.org

  • Myth vs. Reality

    Hearing conflicting claims about affordable housing? Like to separate the facts from spin & fiction?

    Free ice cream at Scoops, a slice at Bucky’s, or coffee at Fleur de Sel for the first person who can find a factual error in the following post.

    MYTH: Chatham Borough has a history of shirking its affordable housing obligations! 

    REALITY: Not so. The Borough has met its affordable housing quotas so far.

    MYTH: Before June 30, Chatham must agree to build affordable housing on the green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned lot at 58 N. Passaic, right next to Memorial Park, or else the Borough will risk lawsuits that would destroy the town! 

    REALITY: Not so.  Like virtually all other NJ municipalities, Chatham Borough has until the end of June to revise the Housing Element of its Master Plan to meet a new quota, but the Borough is NOT required to build anything on that particular green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned lot right next to Memorial Park, and the Borough cannot be held liable for declining to let a developer build there.

    MYTH: The Planning Board must have had a good reason for choosing to develop that green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned lot right next to Memorial Park!

    REALITY: No, the Planning Board did NOT select that lot for development. Only a few political bosses even heard about it before May 7, when a non-resident expert told the Planning Board about a proposal to change Borough policy by changing the Housing Element of the Master Plan, an amendment they won’t see until at least June 6, but will be steamrolled into adopting on June 18. Start approx. 46:00 here: https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=368

    MYTH: The Borough Council must have had a good reason for choosing to develop that green, vacant, Borough-owned lot right next to Memorial Park! 

    REALITY: The Council did NOT vote to select that lot for development. Half the Council never heard about it until a few days before the Planning Board first heard about it on May 7. The Council never even mentioned it in public until the May 12 Council meeting, when residents started asking questions. The Mayor said they couldn’t talk about it, but the reason, if any, was not clear. If the Council can’t discuss a change in Borough policy, who can?

    MYTH: There must be some explanation. Nobody would sacrifice a green, wooded, vacant, Borough-owned lot right next to Memorial Park without having determined that it was the best – or only feasible – option. 

    REALITY: So far nobody’s shown any evidence that anybody considered any alternatives before targeting that green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned lot right next to Memorial Park. The expert who presented the idea to the Planning Board said essentially, we owned that lot, and the developer wanted it, so we made a deal. Start approx. 1:09:00 here: https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=368

    MYTH: The Environmental & Shade Tree Commissions must have approved targeting for development this green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned location right next to Memorial Park!

    REALITY: No, neither Commission was even consulted. The Environmental Commission members who aren’t also political bosses didn’t hear about it until residents broke the news to them at the May 14 meeting. The only person on the Shade Tree Commission who knew about it was Council member Karen Korenkiewicz, who kept mum about it until a resident shocked the Shade Tree Commission with the news at its May 22 meeting.

    MYTH: This wasn’t a secret, back-room deal, so there must be some record as to who chose that green, woodsy, vacant, Borough-owned lot and why!

    REALITY: On May 7th the expert told the Planning Board the proposal was the work of a certain “advisory committee.” But the committee she credited with developing the proposal has NO public meetings, NO agendas, NO minutes, and takes NO public input. It isn’t even on the list of advisory committees on the Borough website as of yesterday.

    MYTH:  They’re going to do what they’re going to do. You can’t make any difference! 

    REALITY: Yes you can make a difference. You did it with the rolling reassessment, the peddler curfew, Post Office plaza, and the Middle School Arts Center. You can do it again. Our local leaders tend to consider their actions far more carefully when faced with strong public interest in an issue.

    So whatever your views:

    • Talk to friends on the Council, Planning & Zoning Boards, and the Environmental & Shade Tree Commissions.
    • Write mayorcouncil@chathamborough.org and shadetree@chathamborough.org. 
    • Attend or Zoom the Council meeting on Tuesday, 5/27/25 and Planning Board meeting on 6/4/25, both at 7:30 pm, Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue, upper level.
    • Encourage everyone you know to do the same.