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No. 15 Vol. 2
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www.theblackrivernews.com
February 2017
New Chester Twp. Mayor Welcomes Communication
By Ann Marie Barron oon after taking office, Marcia Asdal, Chester Township’s new mayor, got right down to the business of making herself available to residents. Communication, transparency and accessibility will continue to be priorities, said Asdal, who has already posted several videos on the Chester Township website, her own website and both Facebook pages, and has made herself available to the public several times each month. Her videos touch on upcoming town council meeting topics and community issues. Additionally, Asdal has set up public hours in the township building on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, during which time residents are invited to speak to her face to face. She’s also made herself available to the public at the Chester Library from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. once a month. Visit http://chestertownship.org/event/meet-mayor-library/. A new marketing and communications committee, aimed at promoting Chester Township, is another source of pride for the new mayor. “I just want to make myself accessible,’’ said Asdal, admitting that the videos push her a bit out of her comfort zone. “It takes me way too many takes to get them right,’’ she joked. “It’s so awkward.” Asdal, a Republican who ran unopposed and was elected in November with 2,738 votes, says she’s happy that the town recently hired a new zoning officer, Ryan Conklin, a likeminded administrator. “He has some of the same goals in mind, transparency, accessibility,’’ she said. “He just put a list on his website. Land use, zoning, it’s really stressful for people. It’s confusing. He really wants to make that process as painless
as he can.’’ A 30-year resident of the township, Asdal said she’s looking forward to her next three years and hopes to put systems in place that make the transition easier for the next mayor. She replaces former mayor, Bill Cogger, who served for three consecutive terms. “It’s exciting and there’s a lot of work ahead of me, but what is good is that I have the support of the residents,’’ Asdal said. “And I actually have the support of town hall. We have such a highly qualified staff there. They have certainly made this transition easier.’’ In terms of goals, she’s taking a cue from her constituents. “I’m basically responding to the residents,’’ she said. “Property values are down, our roads need attention and we need to make sure Chester Township remains a highly desirable town. People have a lot of choices. They have a choice of where to live and where to invest their money, and I want to make sure they feel good about choosing Chester.’’ A graduate of Illinois State University, Asdal and her husband, Bill, have five adult daughters. The couple is self-employed and runs several small businesses in Chester and in surrounding towns, including the Raritan Inn Bed and Breakfast in Califon. She’s no stranger to community service, having served
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two terms as a Chester Township representative to the West Morris High School Regional Board of Education. She also led the Chester Science Fair for more than a decade, served as president of the Chester PTO, and volunteered at the Chester Library, the Chester Historical Society and Grace Bible Chapel in Chester.
Central Teacher Inducted Into N.J. Lacrosse Hall of Fame
By Jason Cohen e never played lacrosse and the first game he ever saw was when he coached. Now, 25 years later, Mike Walsh is a member of the N.J. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Walsh, the former girls coach at West Morris Central High School in Chester and current coach at Summit High School, was
inducted into the hall at Mercer Oaks in Princeton on Jan. 29. “When I got hired as a teacher they needed help with lacrosse,” Walsh said to the “Black River News.” While he left Central four years ago, he has been a history teacher there for 25 years. “Teaching and coaching are pretty similar,” he ex-
plained. “You try to interact with the kids and get them to learn what’s the good way to do it and how to get there.” He grew up in Ohio and moved to Bergen County at the age of 10. He played baseball and wrestled, but never heard of lacrosse. Walsh explained that Central was known for continued on page 2