Get To Know Chatham Twp. Committee Candidates Felice, Hamilton

Editor's Note: Patch sent out questionnaires to every candidate who filed a petition of candidacy by the deadline. We sent them to the email addresses registered as the official campaign emails at the County Clerk's Office. We will run the responses in the order they were received with no edits. Those candidates who did not receive a questionnaire should double check their spam folders, or contact russ.crespolini@patch.com for a form.

Name

Ashley Felice and Mark Hamilton

Age (as of Election Day)

Like a fine wine, Ashley and Mark get better every year they age.

Position Sought

Township Committee

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Ashley’s husband is Chris and they have two beautiful little girls. Mark’s wife is Loren and they have two beautiful teenage daughters.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Ashley received her Juris Doctor, Masters of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Business Administration from Stetson University in Florida. Mark received his Juris Doctor from Rutgers and his Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Occupation

Ashley is an attorney and former small-business owner and is currently focused on raising her two little girls. Mark is a partner at a global law firm primarily concentrating on complex insurance coverage and contractual disputes

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.ashleyandmarkforchatham.co...

Why are you seeking elective office?

We felt compelled to run for Township Committee because the actions of the current committee for the past 18 months have not been in the best interests of the Township’s residents.
The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The irrational and irreversibly damaging rush to capitulate to affordable housing activists – and the reckless spending that the current committee is attaching to this agenda. The current committee has not sought, and refuses to even listen to, Township residents’ input on these large municipally sponsored development projects. Their dealings have continuously been done behind closed doors and sprung on residents a day before their formality vote of approval (which is always a “can’t wait” emergency). This has forced residents to scramble at the last minute, ourselves included, to attend the Township Committee meetings and be allowed the ability to voice their opposition to the plans that were just dropped on them. Ashley and Mark as well as countless other residents who are professionals - including developers, attorneys, finance professionals, engineers etc., have taken the time to research and present alternative options to the committee that were better for both the town and the ultimate residents of the units. These residents’ efforts have repeatedly been dismissed by the committee, whose current membership represents a complete lack of sophisticated business expertise. This has compelled us to challenge the current mayor for his position on the committee, and to seek to work together to also fill the seat being vacated by Karen Swartz after years of fine service. This is an effort to bring new leadership that will listen to, and engage with, the residents, ultimately ensuring the Chatham Township residents are put first.

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

Ashley and Mark are both licensed attorneys with business acumen. In addition to being an attorney, Ashley was a successful small-business owner and understands what it takes to run a complex organization including balancing budgets, managing employees, and negotiating contracts. Mark’s expertise in complex litigation enables him to analyze and challenge multifaceted situations. Ashley and Mark’s added experience, especially in the legal field, (which the current committee is obviously lacking) will be invaluable to the residents of the Township.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Mike Kelly has had a position on the Township Committee for the past 6 years and most recently last year as Deputy Mayor and currently as our Mayor. He has been the chief architect and negotiator of the wildly unpopular modified settlement agreement recently entered into with Fair Share Housing Center through which the current Committee wed us to the development of 100% municipally sponsored affordable housing in multiple locations throughout the township at an extremely high cost to the tax-paying residents of the community (quantified, most notably, in the current 12.5% tax increase thrust upon the residents of the Township this year). Mike Kelly negotiated these settlements, behind closed doors, never eliciting public input, and then outright ignoring it when his plans became public. Mike Kelly has failed the residents of Chatham Township throughout this process.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

In these unprecedented times municipalities and businesses, small and large are universally reviewing budgets and cutting expenses to ensure essential services are being met without placing undue financial burden on their funding sources (i.e. taxpayers). The current committee proposed a 2020 budget with a 12.5% tax increase and an 86% depletion of the Township's $3.5 million surplus. Ashley and Mark have been vocally opposed to the financially irresponsible path the current Committee is leading the Township down, and believe this program is, and will ultimately be, terrible for our community on many levels, including, but certainly not limited to, economically. Additionally, we are concerned with the current committee’s willingness to sideline and ignore our Master Plan and zoning regulations that have been put in place to protect ecologically sensitive areas (specifically with steep slopes and endangered wild life) from overdevelopment.

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

Ashley successfully owned, operated, and grew a small-business in the health-care industry where she had to navigate complex regulations, service hundreds of clients, while being responsible for the livelihoods of her employees and their families. That experience directly translates to the types of responsibilities she will undertake as a committee member for the residents of Chatham Township. Mark’s experience in the courtroom litigating and negotiating complex contract disputes will enable him to actively protect the Township residents from outside influences.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It always pays to be the most prepared person in the room. Do as much research and preparation on a topic prior to engaging with others on it and keep an open mind that you may still not have all of the answers.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Ashley and Mark are animal lovers, and avid outdoor enthusiasts. When not working, or advocating for the residents of Chatham Township at the Committee Meetings, Ashley can usually be found enjoying a day by the pool with her husband, girls and the family English Bulldog during the summer months or hitting the ski slopes in the winter months. Mark is an avid sportsman and an Eagle Scout with a life-long love of the great outdoors. For many years he served as a volunteer coach for multiple Chatham Rec girls lacrosse teams. During this unprecedented lockdown, and with no office or courtroom to go to, you are likely to find Mark and his Schnauzer sidekick Jasper anywhere throughout the Township at any given time. If you do see them, they are happy to hear about what is of importance to you regarding our community’s future (from an appropriate “social distance” of course).

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