PRESS
RELEASE
Municipal Building
2261 Van Horne Road
(Route 206)
Belle Mead, NJ 08502
CONTACT:
Tamara D. Garaffa
Community Information Officer
908-359-8211 ext. 207
TGaraffa@twp.montgomery.nj.us
For Further Information, please contact:
Christine Madrid
Mayor, Montgomery Twp.
908-342-7532
cmadrid@twp.montgomery.nj.us
Ed Trzaska
Deputy Mayor, Montgomery Twp.
732-266-9573
etrzaska@twp.montgomery.nj.us
Donato Nieman
Administrator, Montgomery Twp.
908-359-8211 ext. 212
dnieman@twp.montgomery.nj.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2015
Montgomery Elected Officials Reorganize and Set 2015 Goals
Christine Madrid was elected mayor and Ed Trzaska was chosen as deputy mayor for 2015 when
the Montgomery Township Committee held its reorganization meeting Tuesday amid expressions of
hopes and goals for the new year.
The Montgomery Township Committee continued a tradition of rotating offices among its
members. The mayor and deputy mayor are selected each year by the votes of all five elected
Committee members. The other three committee persons continuing on, by seniority, are Patricia
Graham, Rich Smith, and Chris Sugden.
After her swearing in, Mayor Madrid said, “We have accomplished much as a Committee, and I am
excited to keep the momentum going as mayor.”
Mayor Madrid begins her fourth year as a member of the Montgomery Township Committee in
2015. She originally replaced Mark Caliguire on the Committee in 2012 when he was tapped to fill
a vacant seat on the Somerset County Board of Freeholders.
Freeholder Caliguire, a former mayor of Montgomery, administered the mayoral oath of office to
Ms. Madrid. Earlier in the day in Somerville, he was selected to be this year’s Director of
Freeholders. Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli also attended Montgomery’s reorganization meeting and
administered the oath of office to Deputy Mayor Trzaska.
Mayor Madrid addressed township issues that will likely take center stage this year. She pledged the
new year to be one of fiscal responsibility.
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"Municipal spending remains below 2005 levels, and we have stayed within Governor Christie's
2% property tax cap. We paid off an additional 2 million dollars of debt this year, while increasing
our investments in essential services. A difficult fiscal outlook is improving, but there is always
much more to do," she said.
In her address, the mayor also noted that ensuring the public’s safety by supporting the police force
in Montgomery was one of the most important things elected officials could do. She also wanted to
review optimal municipal staffing levels in 2015 and said that encouraging smart growth and new
businesses along Rt. 206 can create new revenues and services for citizens.
In his address, Ed Trzaska said he is excited to have Christine Madrid step-up to serve as mayor this
year and that she brings a tremendous amount of organizational management experience to the
table. Ms. Madrid is a Director with the New Jersey State Department of Labor and Workforce
Management.
Mr. Trzaska, who is in his fifth year on the Committee, has also served two years as mayor of
Montgomery. He also works as a Business Operations Director for Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
“Moving forward, we will continue to adhere to our core governing principles – doing more with
less, protecting public health and safety services, and preserving Montgomery’s rural character
while enhancing the commercial sections in town,” he said.
The new deputy mayor pledged that the Committee this year will approve more road projects, invest
more in our parks and recreation options, preserve more open space, and partner with commercial
business owners to enhance the services in town.
Committeewoman Patricia Graham is serving her 5th year on the Montgomery Twp. Committee,
including two years as deputy mayor. She cited the adoption of fiscally responsible budgets and
holding down municipal taxes and spending as her top priority as well as continuing work on open
space. In the new year she set two additional goals: the adoption of an improved deer management
plan to prevent deer/vehicle collisions and make our roads safer, as well as a comprehensive review
of the township’s affordable housing plan in anticipation of new rules by the State’s Council on
Affordable Housing (COAH).
Ms. Graham concluded on an appreciative note. “I want to thank all of the volunteers who give their
time to Montgomery’s various boards, committees and commissions. I have worked with many of
our volunteers and I continue to be impressed with their talent and dedication. I am happy to
continue to serve with them.”
Rich Smith, who served as mayor last year and won his re-election bid in November, was also
sworn into office for a second term. He touched on a common theme of his fellow
committeepersons.
“This year I will focus my efforts on building and improving our infrastructure and growing our
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ratable base in town by increasing our commercial and retail business platform with a smart growth
planning strategy," he said.
Committeeman Smith thanked the municipal staff for their dedication and listed among
accomplishments during his mayoral tenure the settlement of a builder’s remedy lawsuit over the
Belle Mead Node property west of Rt. 206 across from Pike Run. He called it a “win-win” that
Montgomery was able to negotiate down from a high density commercial/residential plan to 148
homes and development more in keeping with Montgomery’s character while recouping almost $7
million in taxpayer money.
Chris Sugden thanked the Committee for allowing him to serve as deputy mayor in 2014. He rejoins
the Committee for his third year in 2015. He agreed that the settlement of the Belle Mead Node suit
was a major accomplishment last year.
Mr. Sugden expanded on Mr. Smith’s statements that while improvements to the vicinity of town
near the intersection of Rt. 518 and Rt. 206 were underway, further work must be done to recreate
this corner. He pledged to do everything he could this year to make sure this “gateway to our town”
is addressed. He noted that the Township was able to have a property owner remove two large
dilapidated buildings nearby last year, calling this a move in the right direction.
The reorganization remarks, video/photos of the meeting, and the 2015 meeting dates of the
Montgomery Township Committee may be found on the Township website under Elected Officials
(http://www.twp.montgomery.nj.us/elected-officials/).
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Photo Caption: The 2015 Montgomery Twp. Committee are (l to r): Chris Sugden, Rich Smith,
Mayor Christine Madrid, Patricia Graham and Deputy Mayor Ed Trzaska.
More photos found at:
http://www.twp.montgomery.nj.us/about-montgomery/photo-gallery/