No Place Like Home

from Pequannock June 2023

by Wainscot Media

HAPPY Trails!

A casual chat with David Kohle, Pequannock Township mayor

BY DEBBIE WALSH

MAYOR DAVID KOHLE

While some people yearn to shake loose from their hometown, why are many locals drawn back to Pequannock?

Pequannock is unique. Lots of people grow up and stay here. Fortunately, I never left, not even after high school. It’s a great place to live and raise a family. People stay here for the same reason I did. They like the small, hometown feel. It’s like Mayberry for a lot of people. We have a great school system and library. We have fantastic police and fire departments, an excellent first-aid squad and lots of community volunteers. We also have a great parks and recreation department. Pequannock Valley (PV) Park is a wonderful asset.

What fond memories do you have of growing up in Pequannock?

I think my best memories are from around this time of year when the weather warms up. On those sunny days, we’d play outside then go home and rush through dinner so we could play more stickball because there was still some daylight left. Of course, summers at PV Park are a lasting memory.

What was a treasured family activity while your sons were growing up?

In a town that conjures up the homespun charm of a modern-day Mayberry, it’s no surprise the mayor is homegrown. For Pequannock mayor David Kohle, there is no place like home, and he is proud to say he has never lived anywhere else. Elected to the town council in 2012, Kohle is serving his third one-year term as mayor. He is a former youth football and baseball coach and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest New Jersey. He also served on Pequannock’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. When not volunteering or working for the township, Kohle is an auto claims specialist/ reinspector for State Farm.

Kohle’s wife, Angela, is from Vermont. In her senior year of college she secured a teaching post at Pequannock Township High School and taught Spanish there for 35 years. The couple met through a mutual friend. They have twin 30-year-old sons: Ben, a Pequannock police officer, and Joe, who works for Cheddar News.

Our sons played a lot of youth and high school sports. Wherever they played, we went to watch them, even when our son Ben played college football. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.

Do you have a favorite dining spot in town? They’re all good. I love Pompton Queen. With as many meetings as I have, I find myself in the diner a lot. Tavern 5, Bardi’s—we like them all.

Debbie Walsh has 30 years of experience writing for local newspapers, including Suburban Trends and other North Jersey Media Group publications.

BYOB Come enjoy one of our Signature Dishes; Chicken & Shrimp Pequannock, Zuppa Di Pesce, Santa Lucia, Chicken Milanese, Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast and more... at our cozy, family restaurant.