Take Five With Chatham Boro Council Candidate Jocelyn Mathiasen

CHATHAM, NJ - Patch asked Chatham Borough Council Candidate Jocelyn Mathiasen to take five with us and share some thoughts on the city, the campaign and beyond. Her answers are below, with minor courtesy edits for style.

1. Why are you running for office?

I decided to run because I believed that the Borough Council needed a wider range of backgrounds and expertise in order to effectively serve our residents. While local government is mostly about providing good basic services such as public works and public safety, a lack of balance on the Council leads to complacency and group think. The Council has long been dominated by one party and most of the members have pretty similar backgrounds. By adding the voice of a woman and a (fiscally conservative) Democrat, I believe the group can do better job than it has meeting the needs of the whole community.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing your community and how will you address it?

The biggest challenge for the government itself is keeping taxes low while providing the services that the public deserves and expects. This is especially challenging when the Borough itself only spends 19% of local property taxes, but collects 100%. To some extent, the Borough government gets "blamed" for budgets they can't control, such as the county and the schools. We need to be as efficient as possible in providing services and also work with those other institutions to ensure that we are effective stewards of the public's tax dollars.
Within the community as a whole, our challenge is to maintain the historic, friendly, small town feel of the Borough while making sure that it is a welcoming place to all residents as we grow and change. We are likely to see a number of changes in the next few years - the Post Office Plaza and River Road gateway developments being only two. It is important that Chatham stay Chatham - but better - as we live through these changes.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

My depth of knowledge about local government is unique. In addition to a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard and a BA in Government from Oberlin, I've worked for well-run municipal governments in the City Manager's office and as a department director. I've also consulted with local governments in New Jersey and elsewhere, helping them improve efficiency and accountability, implement new technology, and modernize operations. I’ve helped bring in almost $9 million in grant money to municipalities I’ve worked with, and I am an expert at cutting red tape, which will help businesses trying to locate on our Main Street. I have negotiated contracts to save taxpayer dollars, and would immediately review some of the Borough’s contracts to add accountability measures, in particular the technology contract. These are not skill sets currently on the Council.

In addition to having this expertise, I am great at getting things done. I listen to all sides, get everyone to agree on a goal, chart out a path to meet that goal, and then keep the project moving forward and on track. That is tough to do in government and my track record shows that I have what it takes.

Finally, I combine this with an open mind and a desire to hear from the community about *their* priorities. The need for better listening (and tying the listening to policy decisions) has really become clear during this campaign. My running mate and I knocked on quite a few doors before starting to work on our platform, and what we heard showed that the Council is sometimes out of step with what residents care about. Three examples that come time mind are the declining condition of Main Street; quickly changing to organic field maintenance, as the Township has, to protect our children from harmful chemicals; and the importance of continuing traditions like Fishawack and the Christmas Tree lighting. These are issues of great importance to many, many people we spoke to, yet the prevailing view on the council has been that there is little they can do about Main Street, they are dragging their heels on switching to organic field maintenance; and that the community events need to stand on their own - that it isn't an appropriate role for Borough government to support them, even with just staff time. Residents disagree.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

Communication is one of the cornerstones of our platform. We have learned so much just knocking on doors and talking to residents - something I think council members should continue to do even after they are elected. We have proposed a number of new mechanisms to communicate with the public, from the informal (day and evening office hours) to the structured (monthly on-line newsletters; surveys on specific municipal services such as recreation and garbage collection). The Borough has a pretty comprehensive web site, but people are busy and can't be expected to think about checking the web site to find out what is going on. You need to meet people where they are, whether it is on the street or in social media.

5. What inspires you?

Making a difference in people's lives is what I live for, whether it is my kids, someone I've mentored professionally, or through my work. I look at places where I worked, even years ago, and I can see that my specific efforts have made a real difference in how they operate today. That brings me far more satisfaction than any paycheck. Throughout my career, I've mentored people, and I love watching them grow and succeed. My son goes to Boston College, and in the Jesuit tradition the school talks about the importance of not asking what you want from the world, but learning what the world wants from YOU. There are many ways to make a difference - pick one. One of the things I've picked is helping to shape Chatham in a positive way in the coming years.

(Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Mathiasen)

Editor's Note: Patch has reached out to every candidate that has filed to run for office and is publishing all responses received. If a candidate does not have a story on the site it is because they did not respond. Those with questions are encouraged to contact russ.crespolini@patch.com