Tag: Chester Borough Council


This Week in Chester History…

In 1955, the Mendham-Chester Tribune profiled Chester Borough Mayor Arnold A. Nichols. Serving his third term as the Democratic mayor of a Republican dominated council, Nichols insisted that he ran the government like his contracting firm. His plan was to answer questions and solve problems within the month they were raised, and leave behind a committee system. Each of the council members would be responsible to tackle all the problems as a group.


This Week in Chester History…

For the first time since 1929, Chester Borough residents could voice their opinions on whether or not to grant their Council members a raise. The Observer-Tribune noted that the stipend at the time (1960) was $50, and wouldn’t even cover telephone expenses. A pubic hearing would be held later on the ordinance offered by the Council.


Chester Library Delivers All Elected Officials at One Site

Chester Library now offers the only location for the complete list of Chester Borough and Township elected officials. Previously, information seekers paged through old record books at the Borough and Township offices or individual PDFs of council minutes on their web sites, or visited the Library to access Observer-Tribune newspapers from 1936 forward. The online list, accessible here: https://localhistory.chesterlib.org/chester-borough-and-township-elected-officials/, extends back to 1870, the earliest records of Chester Township’s elected officials available. The new elected officials list will be useful to students, teachers, genealogical researchers, political scientists, and other researchers.

The Library’s Chester Borough and Township Elected Officials web page is easily searchable by using the Find search option in a user’s browser menu. One also can use the Control/Command + F key combination to launch the Find option in a browser. The page will be updated with future election results as they become available. “This is an invaluable resource for the residents of Chester. It’s become much more convenient for this community to consult Chester’s election information by using this tool on the Library’s web site,” said Library Director Lesley Karczewski.

Until now, a compiled list of all Chester’s elected officials was nonexistent. Local History Department volunteer Marty Groff obtained the information by first searching the Observer-Tribune newspapers at the Chester Library. However the newspaper only dates to 1936; and the Library is missing the years between 1939 and 1954. Next, Groff visited both the Borough and Township offices over a period of months to comb through Council meeting minutes books spanning 144 years. After she compiled her lists from each locality, she gave them to Local History Librarian Debra Schiff, who created the web page and made the information available and accessible to users.

The Local History Department of the Chester Library in Chester, New Jersey is a resource for reference and original materials that document Chester, Morris County, and N.J. history. The purpose of the Local History Department is to collect, preserve, describe, and make accessible these materials to the local community, as well as to visiting and online researchers.

The Chester Library serves the residents of Chester Borough and Chester Township, New Jersey. The library houses a collection of over 70,000 books, DVDs, CDs, video games, audio books and e-books. In addition, it offers a wide array of adult, teen and children’s programs, public computers, online research services and community meeting rooms.


This Week in Chester History…

In 1960, among other topics, the Chester Borough Council discussed the recent dog bites of Wendy Hatte. The 9-year-old was bitten by a German shepherd mix. Borough officials and police spent 60 hours attempting to locate the animal, to no avail. Wendy underwent rabies shots. Source: Observer-Tribune


This Week in Chester History…

The Chester Borough Council, in 1937, told Mayor Daniel S. Budd to appoint a zoning committee for the Borough. Residents of Chester who wished to protect the value of their real estate holdings had complained about road stands and other businesses that had been established in residential sections of town. Source: Mendham-Chester Tribune.

 


This Week in Chester History…

At the Chester Borough Council meeting in 1938, the group decided that each child’s bicycle must be equipped with a light if it was to be used after dark. Additionally, only one person at a time may be permitted on a bike. The council urged parents to cooperate and hoped that the Borough’s children would be more careful in the future than they had been in the past.


This Week in Chester History…

In the 1937 primary elections, the following Chesterites won: for Chester Borough Council, Dr. Hugh L. Fry and Adam Schaefer; Borough Tax Assessor, Harry Q. Segur; Chester Township Committee, William E. Terhune and Clifford W. Emmons; and County Committee, Mrs. Katherine Jackson and Everett Skellenger.


This Week in Chester History…

The Chester Borough Council debated how best to use the $54,000 in dirt road money provided under the New Jersey Herrick Act, in 1937. At that time, the N.J. State Highway Department allotted funds to counties that applied for the repair of dirt roads. Mayor Daniel S. Budd requested an additional $2,000 from the Board of Chosen Freeholders for a penetration road to be constructed on Budd Avenue on a section between Main Street and the previously named Washington Avenue. Source: Mendham-Chester Tribune

 


This Week in Chester History…

In 1938, the Chester Borough Council met to discuss the Morris County Welfare Board, the widening of Budd and Coleman Avenues, and a blind corner on Rome Leonard’s property. At the time, the Mendham-Chester Tribune reported, no one in Chester received direct relief from Welfare.


This Week in Chester History…

In 1938, the primary elections revealed that Dr. Hugh L. Fry would represent the Democrats and Adam Schaefer, the Republicans, in the ballot for Chester Borough Council. For the Township, William E. Terhune led the Republicans, while Ralph Robinson won the Democratic primary. Source: Mendham-Chester Tribune.