Rowland's Bad Start

Jen Rowland has led Chatham Township to a poor start. She began this year with serving up a deeply flawed recipe for passing an important resolution – not just routine “housekeeping" – but a first-ever handover of the management of the Township’s 6-acre pool, tennis and rec facilities. In fact, this marks the largest change to operating the rec facility since the Township acquired it almost 60 years ago. Here is the way Resolution 2026-059 - “Authorizing YMCA Colony Pool Services Agreement” was cooked and simmered:

- Excluded the topic and resolution from the meeting agenda where it passed (also not any prior agenda)
- Didn’t publish the topic in advance, effectively making the public unaware any such agreement was even up for discussion, let alone action
- Excluded any draft agreement or even summary of terms with published meeting documents
- Proposed the Resolution during the meeting which referenced an 11 page agreement addendum which was not read aloud, not available for review by the public at the meeting nor provided online
- Voted and passed without any public input, not at the meeting and certainly not in advance
- No input solicited from Colony Pool Advisory volunteers who are tasked with providing advice

You don’t have to be one of the more than 1,250+ pool members, or use the tennis, pickleball or basketball courts to know these are not ingredients of a good process. Even if you don’t live in the surrounding area with traffic and parking effects, all residents can appreciate that most likely the Colony Pool Advisory committee could have been consulted in advance to help lend perspective and anticipate questions.

In our Township government, the Mayor sets the Committee agenda, controls what comes to a vote, and chairs meetings. With gavel in hand, Jen Rowland bears responsibility for this rushed, non-transparent process that excluded the general public and dedicated Township volunteers. The Resolution didn’t “pop-up”—it culminated months of back-and-forth with the YMCA, as stated in the meeting. The community could have been involved but was intentionally left out.

From any fair perspective, this is less-than-ideal way to start the year. With no Republicans on the all-Democrat Township Committee, this recipe was prepared and executed by a single party. Perhaps some bipartisan input would help ensure more inclusive processes and a better recipe in the future.
If you have questions about summer 2026 at Colony consider submitting them here.

Sincerely,
The Chatham Township Republican Committee Members

Kevin Sullivan
Mark Lois
Ron Rubino
Helena Ali
Dan Bevere
Tayfun Selen
Eileen Rubino
Nicole Lois
Joseph Ali
Tulin Selen

Verify the facts we present:
Review the Resolution about the YMCA - Colony Pool Management
Verify That The January Meeting Agenda Excluded This Major Change

Review The Meeting Video To See No Public Input Solicited Prior To Voting on Agreement

Double Check That No Agreement or Draft Was Provided For Public Review With Meeting Documents