September Message From Mayor Michael Choi
Note: This message was delivered by the Mayor at the public Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025.
Good evening, everyone—thank you for joining us. This evening, we lift up our public safety to recognize their service and achievements. Earlier in the evening, we recognized the long-standing service of our Chatham Township Fire Department and celebrated those individuals who have kept and continue to keep Chatham Township safe. Thank you again, for 100 years of serving the community with the courage to act and the dedication to serve sacrificially. I am also proud that we administered the Oath of Office to Sergeant Michael Bloom. Congratulations to you, Sergeant, and I thank you for your continued leadership in our Police Department. You are not only one of our protectors; you are also a valued member of our community.
A few quick updates on the work before us:
Public safety.
We’re introducing an ordinance to update Fire Prevention Fees with a goal of helping to protect property and lives as well as keep our program sustainable. Neighboring municipalities’ codes were considered to ensure that our codes are consistent with today’s best practices and reflect actual cost of inspections and safety services.
Infrastructure & assets.
In this agenda you’ll see actions we are taking to keep our streets, parks, and facilities in good working order: road striping, roof work on Township assets, Colony Pool repairs and improvements to Hillside Trail and Esternay Park.
Shared services.
You will also see a shared-service agreement with Harding Township and an agreement with the MCMUA to continue regional cooperation on essential services. I avidly embrace opportunities for shared services, as you may know. And I believe the staff and this committee have performed an admirable job this year of weaving shared services threads throughout the Township’s tapestry of services and amenities. The MCMUA agreement is a $200+K regionalized recycling service while the shared service with Harding Township is a smaller scale shared agreement – a bit of old-fashioned borrowing and trading. Grand or small, they are both compelling because of the potential to save some taxpayer dollars while maintaining quality of service. Thank you to Richard Young, in our DPW, for being opportunistic and keeping neighborly relations with Harding Township to identify this shared arrangement. We, along with our staff, want to remain ever vigilant to save money where we can.
Resident Input & Communications.
It bears noting this evening that our administrator, staff and this committee all strive to deliver a high standard of care and service. When service falls short of that mark, please know that all key personnel are called to action. We are talking calls, meeting with residents and professionals, advising and communicating with staff in order to change protocol, train staff and explore other ways to make improvements. Improvements, which we demand of ourselves, to be made for the community. Many of these improvements yield immediate results while others, which have complexity and nuances, require time for discernable changes to take place. It’s why I commend residents who write, call, and show up to these very meetings. I also thank residents who reach out to our administrator and this committee. We welcome you to be an active part of the process.
The boat moves the farthest when we freely and constructively communicate, thoughtfully deliberate and…when we act, then to all row in the same direction.
Thank you. Now on to business at hand.
