Mayor Tracy Ness Resigns From Chatham Township Committee

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Township Mayor Tracy Ness resigned from her role on the Township Committee effective Friday at noon, per a letter she sent to township officials.

According to the undated letter Ness addressed to Administrator Bob Hoffman, Township Clerk Greg LaConte and Township Attorney Albert Cruz, Ness said she and her family are relocating in mid-July to Basking Ridge.

“I felt it was best for all involved to resign at this time and minimize disruption to township business, especially with the 522 Southern Blvd project coming before the Planning Board in late June,” Ness wrote.

The Southern Boulevard project Ness referred to is the township’s planned affordable housing development.

As of Friday afternoon, Ness’ photo on the Township Committee page was removed from the township’s website. Her “Messages from the Mayor” section, however remained.

Ness announced in April she would not be seeking to run again for her seat and endorsed Planning Board member and fellow Democrat Katherine “Kathy” Abbott. At that time, Ness said she would not run for a second term due to "growing personal and professional commitments."

Abbott ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary. Republican nominee, Daniel R. Bevere - also the lone Republican in the primary - will challenge her for the seat in November.

Ness announced her resignation at Thursday's Township Committee meeting, where she also offered a resignation press release. Thursday was the first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic, which still included a remote option. Ness explained since 2017, she is the first to resign from the committee, with the last John Maurer, who was replaced by the Township's Republican Committee with Tayfun Selen, who would later become mayor.

In her release entitled "A Fond Farewell," Ness recapped that after 26 years, she and her husband were leaving, having raised their family and volunteered their time while living in Chatham. In it, she reminisced about joining the Township Committee in 2019 as the sole Democrat after winning the election against incumbent Republican Kevin Sullivan. From there, two fellow Democrats came aboard in 2020, Celeste Fondaco and Deputy Mayor Stacey Ewald.

Ness included some goals tackled during her tenure, among them was the township receiving over $1 million in grant funding that was applied toward shared services, trails and HVAC systems. Ness also named the affordable housing on Southern Boulevard as a success, which will have residences for veterans.

From her release, Ness also explained to attendees that at the June 24 meeting, the successor for her spot on the committee would be appointed from among three candidates from her party. Should that not occur, the Democratic Party will select Ness' replacement in July.

The mayor's seat in the Township Committee form of government, according to the township's website, is normally chosen among the committee members for a one-year term, but in this case once her seat is filled, the committee members will select a new mayor and deputy mayor.

“I will miss serving our community and all the terrific people, past and present,” Ness said.

Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.