Take Five With Chatham Twp. Committee Candidate Kevin Sullivan

CHATHAM, NJ - Patch asked Chatham Township Committee Candidate Kevin Sullivan to take five with us and share some thoughts on the city, the campaign and beyond. His answers are below, with minor courtesy edits for style.

1. Why are you running for office?

I am entering my 29th year as a resident of Chatham Township and I often share with new residents that I meet the following; that over my prior 28 years of living here, the more I learned about the community and surrounding areas, it was always a good thing, always a positive, never a negative and I hope that they have the same experience. This is my single motivation to serve again

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

Two issues that take center stage are the affordable housing mandates dictated by the courts and taxes. Affordable housing allows builders to come into your town and in the name of affordable housing do something that they otherwise wouldn’t normally be allowed to do. Towns that get this wrong will pay a steep price. Our number one priority is limiting the impacts on our schools, already taxed to capacity and altering the characteristics of our town. The second issue is taxes. NJ is a fiscal mess and one of the worst taxed states in the country. Property taxes are a never ending ATM that funds to much of overall government services. In Chatham Township I am particularly proud of our ability to provide stable taxation to our residents. Over the years we’ve had minor ups and downs, but our overall municipal rate is the same as it was 10 years ago. This is unprecedented and unrivaled in New Jersey. In addition our steady and healthy surplus will help to weather the storm in any economic slowdown.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)? What do you bring to the table that others don't?

First, my years of experience in the position of Committeeman and the two years in that time I spent as Mayor. I think my record and the committees over that time has been quite positive for the town. We’ve made some incredible open space acquisitions, numerous paving and drainage improvements as well as recreational and infrastructure improvements. We’ve done all this while still managing our taxes in a steady and consistent fashion.

The overall exposure I have had working on various committees and boards as well as working closely with the municipal employees provides me with a depth of knowledge of the Township. Certainly my professional and personal experiences working in finance and volunteering over the years in a number of capacities helps bring a certain skill set that is important as well. I am always mindful of every decision that we make on how does it affect each of us and the least amongst us in the short term and long term.

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

Over the last several years we’ve made a variety of improvements to facilitate communications with our residents. On the bigger issues in town, we’ve enhanced our web site and agenda postings, so residents know exactly what is going to be discussed or voted on at every meeting. We also provide email alerts for meetings and community activities for those residents who opt to sign up. Post Sandy, emergency communications have also improved significantly and continue as well. With many households giving up their land lines we’ve encourages residents to sign up for Smart911, allowing first responders to react faster with a variety of information at their disposal before they arrive on the scene.

On the more personal side, local government is the closest to the people because you live in the community all year long with the people you represent. People bring issues to us all the time. It isn’t always raised in public but often it’s a phone call or an email requesting a conversation or a meeting with a problem looking for assistance. In many ways good government is quiet government. Trying to work through problems and get things done.

5. What inspires you?

I am inspired by the endless generosity of this community. Whether for a good cause or quietly helping out a neighbor, at times it seems endless. That is a generosity that goes beyond just dollars. So many people willingly donate their time and talents to our houses of worship, schools, recreational teams, volunteer organizations, including Township boards, committees and commissions. We can’t forget the great work that our two all-volunteer Fire Departments as well as an exception all volunteer Emergency Squad perform for our community. What they do on a daily basis for us is inspiring. This is truly what makes Chatham Township special and a unique place to live.

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Sullivan, Township of Chatham)

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