BORDENTOWN CITY: Deputy mayor will not run for re-election

   BORDENTOWN — Saying she wants to focus on her family and career, Deputy Mayor Heather Cheesman will not run for re-election on the City Commission.
   ”My children have reached an age where their activities are adding to our already hectic life,” Ms. Cheesman said. “My career responsibilities are also magnified this year. While I do intend to maintain a high level of community involvement, my family and my livelihood have to come first.”
   Her children are Magdalena, 8, and Max, 10, and they both attend Bordentown Regional Schools.
   Ms. Cheesman is employed by the Burlington County clerk as his confidential aide, and she also is a Realtor with ERA Central Realty.
   Elected in May 2009, Ms. Cheesman was appointed deputy mayor and has served as commissioner of revenue and finance.
   ”I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve the residents of the City of Bordentown for the past four years as their commissioner and deputy mayor,” Ms. Cheesman said. “The experiences, the people of this great little city and its charm have impacted me forever. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve this great community as a private citizen while my family is in its formative years.”
   Ms. Cheesman cited as some of her accomplishments during her four-year term.
   She pointed to the Bordentown Farmers Market, which was started in 2009. She also cited the commission having a tax reevaluation done and improving public access to meetings by moving the sessions to the Carlslake Community Center.
   ”We used to meet at City Hall, and residents would need to climb stairs” to get to the meeting, she said.
   During her tenure, the commission set up emails for elected officials and promoted the use of its website and other social media sites to help communicate with residents.
   She served on the Economic Development Committee, which was formed in 2008.
   ”The EDC has been crucial to the city in regards to the Master Plan, local redevelopment and acknowledgement of Classic Towns,” she said.
   She also served on the Green Team to help Bordentown City be recognized with a bronze level certification in the Sustainable Jersey program. The city received a Sustainability Champion award in the Small Communities category (under 5,000 in population.
   Although she won’t be on the governing body, she is vested in the city’s future as a resident.
   Although the city has a “promising future,” she said, it faces many opportunities and challenges.
   One involves Ocean Spray eventually relocating to Pennsylvania, which leaves an opportunity open for the city “to diversify the property and reduce a tax dependence the city has with only one business on the site,” she said.
   ”Ocean Spray has been a friend, and they have continued that commitment with the transition,” she pointed out. “The residents, elected officials and Ocean Spray have a great opportunity to work together to expand our services and resources for our town.”
   The city also hopes to “bring new life” to an unused factory site on Ann Street. Mission First will provide affordable housing by rehabbing and expanding the current structure, committing to LEED standards and community planning to provide one- and two-bedroom apartments, she said.
   She also said the city has the opportunity to recertify itself in the Sustainable New Jersey program, but also “gain a higher level of recognition.”
   Perhaps on the most challenging tasks, she said, will be “continuing to provide services while trying to keep living in Bordentown City affordable.”
   ”I would like to continue to participate on the EDC committee, Green Team or other planning type boards, but they will depend on who becomes the next mayor,” she said.