Dear Mendham Township Committee Members,

As citizens of Mendham we recognize the important roles that volunteers play in ensuring that our Town is the best that it can be. Even though Mayor Nick Monaghan spoke favorably of the 4% of Township residents who serve as volunteers, his actions do not support this. The night before the Township reorganization meeting, Mayor Monaghan informed Martin Slayne, chair of the Environmental Commission for the past 2 years, that he was being removed from that position immediately. The only explanation given by Mayor Monaghan was to see a change of focus for the Environmental Commission. He did not elaborate but spoke to wanting to work with the Commission on increased trail maintenance. Even after being repeatedly asked by members of the public why he removed the chair, he refused to provide any reasons.

In the past year Martin and the rest of the Commission has put a lot of work into updating trail signage, working with Scout projects, organizing stream cleanups and attempting to create walking easements to connect trail paths. The Commission has also done many more things including growing awareness of sustainability issues in our town and around the State through social media, hosting photography competitions, organizing a webinar on gardening with native plants, hosting Styrofoam recycling & well water testing events, investigating solar power options for town & school buildings, providing input on the environmental impacts of planning applications, and registering Mendham Township with the National Wildlife Federation & NJ Audubon as Community Wildlife Habitat with hopes that we will be certified in a few years by engaging with homeowners about the benefits of sustainable gardening practices to support pollinators & wildlife.

It is our belief that local government should represent and respond to the community. When Mayor Monaghan was sworn in, he took an oath to "impartially and justly perform all duties of a committee member". When he chose to remove the chair and install his own pick without the consensus of the Commission or Township Committee liaison Amalia Duarte, he broke his oath. If he wanted the Commission to focus on trails & open space more than what they were already doing, he should have talked with the Commission and provided extra funding or resources to assist with these projects.

We ask for the immediate reversal of this decision and to have Martin Slayne reinstated as chair of the Environmental Commission. We hope that Mayor Monaghan and the Township Committee remembers that Mendham is only as great as the people who volunteer for the community; that by removing the chair of the Environmental Commission in this way, with such haste and lack of planning, they will be going against the will of this community and against the best wishes of it.

Sincerely,

Residents of Mendham Township