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Mayor's Corner
Marcia Asdal
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2017-2018 Budget Presentation
Tuesday, April 4th - 7:00 p.m.
The budget is available for your review at town hall and
online.
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As all of you are aware, immigration reform is a hot topic in the media these days. Many of our residents have reached out to the governing body and the police department with their questions and concerns regarding how immigration issues are handled locally.
Chester Police department policy holds that officers follow the Attorney General's
Guidelines in respect to notifications to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While enforcement of immigration laws is primarily a federal responsibility, the Chester Police Department necessarily and appropriately will inquire about a person's immigration status under certain circumstances (arrest for indictable crime or driving while intoxicated, 39:4-50).
However, when a person is a victim, witness, potential witness, or
requesting or receiving police assistance, the Chester Police Department's overriding mission is to assist that person regardless of their immigration status. Public safety suffers if individuals believe that they cannot come forward to report a crime or cooperate with law enforcement out of fear of inquiry into their immigration status.
In addition, no law enforcement officer shall at any time engage in racially-influenced policing, as defined in Attorney General Law
Enforcement
Directive No. 2005-1.
Our police officers do not actively search out immigrants that may be residing or working within the confines of our jurisdiction. We are not a
Section 287 G Agency and the Chief does not intend to have officers trained to act as federal immigration officers. Chester Police officers will follow the laws that are set in place by the legislature. If immigration procedural changes are issued from Trenton or from the federal level, then guidance will be sought from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
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Introducing...
Ryan Conklin PP, AICP, CFM, GISP, our new Planning and Zoning Administrator and Zoning Officer.
"I am excited to be the newly hired Planning and Zoning Administrator/Zoning Officer for Chester Township. Working for Chester Township allows me to work on projects where I can apply my skills and knowledge to plan for a higher quality of living while achieving economic balance and fostering environmental stewardship. I am committed to the Planning, Environmental, and GIS fields. Working for the community in which I live is also an added bonus!
Family Background
I live in Long Valley with my wife Kerry; two children, Alyssandra and James; and my two dogs, Keira and Lloyd. I grew up in Edison, NJ but have always been drawn to the bucolic rural areas of the state where we could be closer to hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities that my family and I enjoy.
Educational Background
I completed my undergraduate education at Rutgers University in New Brunswick where I obtained my Bachelors of Science in Environmental Planning and Design and completed my Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Technology from Northeastern University in 2014.
I have my AICP certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners, my Professional Planner's license in NJ, my CFM from the Association of State Floodplain Managers, and my GISP certification from the GIS Certification Institute. I also obtained a professional certification in wetlands delineation from Rutgers. I have been a proud member of the American Planning Association and the NJ chapter of the American Planning Association since 2005.
Work Experience
I have been working in community planning for my entire career. I have worked on projects in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia ranging from countywide projects to site-specific projects for both public and private entities. I have over thirteen years of professional planning and zoning experience and over fifteen years of experience using, developing, and managing GIS.
I have managed both municipal and private clients and have served as the planning/zoning board planner in over a dozen different municipalities in New Jersey. I have experience conducting presentations and working with stakeholders at various public meetings. I also have had experience working on a variety of environmental/wetlands/threatened and endangered species projects. I also have worked on many conservation and water resource projects in my career. I have a comprehensive knowledge of ESRI's suite of GIS software and have expertise in GIS management and analysis. I am highly skilled in utilizing ArcGIS Online and publishing and managing web maps and data through ArcGIS Online.
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Chester Township - Plans & Goals
My office is responsible for the administration of land development, zoning, engineering, and GIS for the Township. The Planning and Zoning Department works with current and future residents, business owners, and developers to navigate the land development process. We will be modernizing our department's web pages developing information sheets, revising applications, and working to create transparency of information that our office is responsible for. We recently launched the Township's Interactive Online Zoning Map to help residents, business owners,
and developers obtain information about currently owned or prospective properties. One of o
ur goals is to try to make the land development process as easy as possible and provide clear and accurate information to the public. We hope to implement these updates and changes over the next year to
ensure that the Township is optimizing how we serve our residents, businesses, and property owners."
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At the March 7th meeting, the newly-formed
Marketing and Communications Advisory Committee
presented their goals and strategies.
They are focused on making sure people
Choose Chester!
View the presentation
here.
Contact
the committee for more information.
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This year's award recipients included a team of
4th-graders, Juliette Hyde, Lucy O'Brien, and Margaux Tomaselli-Scotti with their experiment entitled
"Power to the Produce" where they evaluated electric current producing capabilities of fruits and vegetables as environmentally-safe substitutes for conventional batteries.
A team of
6th-graders, Claire Kurisko and Brooke Pitluk, also received an award for their
"Water Flow" experiment evaluating the effect of different ground cover materials on the rate of stormwater infiltration and runoff and relating that to water pollution entering wetlands and streams.
Congratulations to all 407 students who participated in the Fair!
Read an article about the Fair here and
watch a video - both from the Daily Record.
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Watch for my video updates
on the town's
website
and the Mayor's
Facebook
page
.
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Nominations Needed!
The Morris County Clerk's office is
seeking nominations for the Cissy Laureys Award for volunteers who best exemplify the qualities of compassion, dedication and service to older Americans and physically-challenged citizens.
If you have a Chester Township resident who fits this description, please submit your suggestion along with a brief biography and reasons for selection to
Robin Collins.
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How many people remember this?
Note the short time frame for studying the issue - 4 months!
And our own League of Women Voters of the Chesters-Mendhams - nice.
From a 1978 "Know Your Town" pamphlet published by the League of Women Voters of the Chesters-Mendhams.
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Let's Talk!
I will be at
Town Hall on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. until noon, and at the
Chester Library, Meeting Room A
from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on the following dates: April 6, May 11, June 1, and July 13.
Stop by and let me know your ideas, concerns and feedback.
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Marcia Asdal, Mayor, Chester Township
(908) 879-5100 | masdal
@chestertownship.org
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