Fair Haven Elections: A Chat with Incumbent Borough Council Candidate Meg Chrisner-Keefe, Democrat

Fair Haven’s race to fill two three-year Borough Council seats up for grabs pits incumbent candidates, Democrats Mike McCue and Meghan (Meg) Chrisner-Keefe, native Fair Havenites, against newcomers, Republicans Kristen Hoey and Andrew LaBarbera.

Here is R-FH Retro’s chat with incumbent candidate Meg Chrisner-Keefe …

Name, age, street address:

Meghan Chrisner-Keefe, 39 years old, 25 Beechwood Place

How long have you been a Fair Haven resident? If you left and came back, when and why?

My family moved to Fair Haven when I was 8 years old. Following college and law school, my husband and I moved back to Fair Haven in 2012 when we were expecting the first of our four children.

We returned to Fair Haven because of the experiences I had growing up, biking around town at a young age, exploring the river and forests. And of course the people and sense of community drew me back as lifelong friendships began here.

Where did you grow up? What one quality about your hometown do you see in Fair Haven? If you grew up in Fair Haven, what ONE thing would you like to see return or revert? What one thing has changed for the better?

I grew up in Fair Haven. I miss the 8^th graders serving on Safety Patrol, stationed throughout town at the beginning and end of each school day to help the younger residents safely commute. With a focus on safety, the program exemplified the sense of community among our youth as the young students gained independence and the older students a sense of volunteerism and responsibility toward others.

Fair Haven’s downtown business district has improved immensely since I was a child (with the exception of losing Umbertos!) The vibrancy, variety of stores and services, and success of our downtown business district has been enhanced. It is wonderful that Fair Haven has so many small business purveyors, most of whom are local, friendly faces, who offer unique goods and services.

Is there an issue in Fair Haven that you feel needs to be addressed that has been too low a priority in your eyes? Something you think is prioritized too much at present?

Code enforcement has been on my mind throughout this past year. Ensuring enforcement of ordinances intended to preserve the safety, beauty and welfare of our community is important.

However, raising awareness and educating residents on how to proactively comply with our ordinances is preferred. This has been the focus of some of my work as a liaison to the Communications and Outreach Committee throughout this past year that I hope to continue if re-elected.

What is the focal point of your campaign for re-election? Which issue would you like to see through to effective resolution? Which new issue would you like to tackle?

It has been a long road to this point and I am eager for construction on our facilities projects to start. The current state of the PD and DPW is not sustainable and our employees need safe and functional facilities to allow them to efficiently perform their jobs. I am eager to not only get these facilities up and running, but to prepare a strategic plan for the maintenance of these facilities so we are not in this same position of infrastructure failure in a few decades.

While I don’t see this as an “issue,” an initiative I would like to continue pursuing during my second term, if re-elected, is furthering the borough’s commitment to pedestrian and bicycle friendly infrastructure and awareness. This is important not only for Safe Routes to school, but to be environmentally friendly and to encourage transport alternatives.

As liaison to the Recreation Committee I’d like to build out our bike safety programming and education for all residents on how to safely share the road and to enhance our partnership with the schools to improve the safety of our kids commuting to school.

Tell us about your educational and professional backgrounds and area of expertise. What about your profession or area of study in college is a little-known, NOT OBVIOUS, fact that will make you a stronger public servant?

I achieved a B.S. in Public Relations at Syracuse University, and a J.D. at Seton Hall University School of Law. I am a partner at Smith Eibeler, a boutique employment litigation firm. We provide legal advice and counsel to employees, as well as represent employees in lawsuits against their employers. In my practice we spend a lot of time collaborating, brainstorming and developing new approaches and strategies.

These skills support my work on council and serving on various committees/board/commissions as we must partner to develop ideas and be solution-oriented. Unquestionably, I’ve leveraged my educational training and professional skills to advocate for Fair Haven’s residents and serve our community.

What do you consider the most negative aspect of your personality? How do you think that could be positive attribute that would benefit the public in your capacity as a public servant? For instance: A stubborn streak could be seen as tenacity or passion in issues and fuel getting the job done.

One of the challenging aspects I see in my own personality is that I want to be involved in everything, which is of course impossible. I am driven to perform and set high standards for myself to deliver on all of my commitments. This is reflected in my work as a public servant for Fair Haven as I devote my time and energy to researching and understanding the issues, as well as soliciting feedback from residents and my fellow governing body members.

It is time well-spent to connect with residents so I can represent them, and their concerns and ideas, which inform the decisions I make to improve the quality of life for all Fair Haven residents. I am also grateful that I have developed and fostered strong relationships with each of the governing body members whom I rely on and trust to share information with me concerning their work.

Council candidates: Which governing body representative (council, township committee, city council, etc … member) who serves or has served in any NJ municipality do you admire most? Why?

Cory Booker served on the municipal council of Newark before serving as mayor. I admire the impact he has made on the Newark community and his unrelenting positive attitude and encouraging words. His outlook has certainly served him well in his successful political career.

It’s obvious that Fair Haven is a suburban utopia of sorts. What atypical imperfection in the borough attracted you to it?

Fair Haven is full of strong traditions and deep roots, which is accompanied by an openness to change and improve as the town progresses. I so appreciate the annual activities and events that were part of my childhood, and some new ones, that my children now enjoy, and the willingness among residents to evolve these traditions to be inclusive.

This certainly comes with strong opinions by some and discussion of different positions. It is important to have these challenging conversations when they arise and to remain engaged with residents to ensure Fair Haven’s shared values are reflected in these traditions.

Who was your mentor growing up? What was their best, most simple advice to you? How have you applied it in your personal life? How will you apply it as a public servant?

I didn’t have any specific mentor growing up, so, I’ll offer you a quote from my favorite childhood book, Matilda, by Roald Dahl: “Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.”

Changing the world doesn’t always require a grand gesture; it is enough to make a tiny impact on a small group of people, or even just one person. I hold true to this virtue as it is my role on council to represent each and every one of my constituents.

Incumbents: What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of local municipal officials’ work and/or character? What measures do you think you have taken to change that or make it better understood?

I believe the most misunderstood aspect of local municipal officials in the borough form of government, like Fair Haven, is that the mayor is the decision-maker. In reality, the borough form of government is weak-mayor strong-council — meaning it is the council members who hold the authority and power as the legislative body.

While the mayor has a tie-breaking vote when the 6-member council is split, his or her primary duties are to preside over meetings and represent the borough at events. I take every opportunity to ensure community members looking to advance an initiative before the governing body understand that gaining the support of the council members is the key to getting work done.

Fair Haven Borough Council members and mayor are volunteer public servants. No pay or benefits are involved. One-on-one accessibility is something many do not realize is a key part of the unpaid job, especially for a small town.

While delegation and referrals to a “team” behind the scenes may work in business for management, it is, more often than not, off-putting to residents seeking personal connection beyond a nod and handshake with those who represent them and their interests. Do you answer emails and calls and social media questions yourself and meet in person with those who reach out to you with concerns? What is your accessibility policy or what will it be?

I am always (and always have been) personally available to Fair Haven residents to meet in person, via email or phone. I make every effort to timely respond to all resident concerns I become aware of, whether raised to me directly, or indirectly, as it is my role as a councilwoman to know and understand the concerns, questions and ideas of my constituents. I take pride in listening to their ideas and connecting the dots to existing projects, commissions or committees who can best address their needs.

Which resident not on any of the boards or commissions do you admire most for their tenacity and drive in getting involved and spearheading a needed change? What was the issue?

Before becoming a member of the Recreation Committee, Tina Iglesias-Stanley and I crossed paths in her plight to get a toddler playground installed at Fair Haven Fields, which would become the first of many of Tina’s initiatives for the benefit of Fair Haven.

Tina was committed to ensuring children under the age of 5 had a safe play structure suited to their size and developmental stage. Her energy inspired me to join her and several other residents to raise funds for the toddler playground through t-shirt sales, event and campout pizza sales, to name a few. Once she has an idea and wants to execute, Tina is a relentless force. Fair Haven is lucky to have her advocacy, hardwork and dedication.

Fair Haven is 110 years old. What aspect of its history do you value most and think has been forgotten or not revered enough and should be entwined with modern day Fair Haven to preserve the uniqueness in its character?

Fair Haven has a deep history as a community of vaudevillians. The current Shrewsbury River Yacht Club started as The Player’s Club in 1910 by New York vaudevillians who came down for the summer to put on shows.

I’d love to see Fair Haven embrace this valued aspect of its history and incorporate more performing arts into our community. How amazing would it be to host riverfront plays and shows in the warmer months put on by homegrown talent, just as we do with bands on the dock?

Let’s have a little fun. Tell us more about your personality. Favorite color? Book? Song? Movie? Entertainer? Activity now and when a kid? Favorite place in Fair Haven? (Could be your front porch, the Acme, a field, the river … any place).

I sailed at River Rats for a few summers as a kid. In between going to Umbertos for a slice at lunch and buying candy at Krauszer’s on my way back to the dock, I learned to sail.

But more importantly, I made lifelong friends trying to catch some wind on the Navesink, capsizing too often and getting stung by jellyfish. The nostalgia evoked is a big part of why I serve and want to continue serving — because everyone deserves simple memories and lifelong friends to share them with.

What is a little-known fact about you or your background that you’d like to share? Anything else you would like to emphasize about your candidacy?

I am often asked, “how do you do it all?” My response, “not alone!” It is only with the support of my family, friends, constituents, fellow governing body members and Fair Haven’s employees, among others, that I am successful in my role on Council. I am so thankful for everyone’s support and grateful for the opportunity to serve my community.

** Editor’s note: All candidates were provided with the same questionnaire. The responses are being published in the order in which they were received. At R-FH Retro, we strive for complete balance in coverage. All candidates were also offered the option of paid advertising in the form of linked photo campaign ads on this hyperlocal news website. Every year, both parties have accepted. This year, the Republicans declined. That is the only reason for the absence of Republican campaign ads. We do not endorse. **