Chatham, NJ|Local Classified|Announcement|
Sexual Harassment Suits - $700,000 Settlement Paid - Mayor Rowland Leaves Public Out
Chatham Township and its insurers paid $700,000 to end the suits from two women alleging sexual harassment in the Chatham Township Construction Office.
Township keeps defendants including Construction Official John “Jack” Daniels and Administrator Ziad Shehady.
Mayor Jennifer Rowland’s is ultimately responsible for the Township's action and was elected from the initial filing in 2024 until the Township settlement. Rowland, as Mayor, is responsible for all public agendas and for calling a vote of the municipal government.
Despite NJ's "Sunshine Laws" the Sexual Harassment Settlement was made with no public notice or public discussion, not even after it was authorized nor after it was paid. No 2026 public agenda lists this settlement or even the matter.
Mayor Rowland’s exclusion of this settlement from any public meeting agenda is not from prior practice. A smaller, less than $6,000 past employee settlement was put to a vote in a 2022 Township public meeting. Mayor Rowland refused to make this settlement a matter of public business despite the settlement sum of $700,000 - an unprecedented payment of this type.
New Jersey treats settlements as public records, with a deep case law. “Sunshine Laws” bind disposal of public business, so settlements should not vanish from public agendas. The Open Public Meetings Act still requires official action in the open.
Mayor Jennifer Rowland’s term on the Chatham Township Committee concludes this year unless she is re-elected.
