Lifelong Chester Resident Eyes Council Seat to Help Home Town Move Forward

After 39 years, one lifelong Chester resident is ready to take action.

Laura Schurter, who was born and raised in town and still lives here, has thrown her hat into the ring and will face three others in the Chester Borough Council June Primary Election.

Schurter, a sales and marketing professional for the last 18 years, is seeking her first election to public office. She and Melinda Scotti are the two newcomers facing incumbents Tim Iversen and Gary Marshuetz.

Read Scotti’s profile here, and Iversen’s profile here. Marshuetz's profile can be found here. Former councilwoman Janet Hoven is running unopposed for Chester Borough mayor. See her profile here. 

Schurter says she wants to take a more active approach and be more involved in the decisions made in Chester, as she plans to spend the rest of her years here. The mother of two has been a member of the Chester Visioning Project and an active volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.

Mendham-Chester Patch caught up with Schurter to ask a few questions. Here are her answers, unedited.

Mendham-Chester Patch: Why have you decided to run for election?
Laura Schurter: As a life-long resident who grew up in a Chester Main Street merchant family – my family owned and operated The Book Swapper for 25 years - I am committed to an economically strong downtown, because it continues Chester’s tradition as a shopping and dining destination and lowers the tax burden on our residents. As a Council member, I would work to ensure that the Larison’s Turkey Farm property, a major Chester identifier at the crossroads of our town, is utilized in a way that will bring health and vitality to our downtown. 

MCP: How do you plan to keep the town’s services intact while abiding by the state’s 2-percent tax levy cap each year?
LS: I would advocate for shared services agreements (not consolidation) with our neighboring towns if it made sense for the Borough and I would be involved in creating a fiscally responsible budget.

MCP: What is the biggest issue in town that needs to be addressed by the governing body? How will you propose to fix it?
LS: Downtown vacancies and the turnover rate on Main Street are a great concern, especially in how it relates to the resident tax burden.  The right solution to the Larison’s property would help with this.  Additionally, I would work to ensure that we have a fiscally responsible budget that keeps taxpayers in mind. 

MCP: What service, product or business would you like to see more of in town?
LS: While I applaud the opening of the guest rooms at The Publick House, our town is sorely lacking more overnight accommodations.  If tourists come today to enjoy a day of picking fruit, shopping and dining, their only other options are to stay at one of the hotels in Bridgewater or Mt. Olive.  This is not the perfect end to an idyllic day in the country.  A bed and breakfast would fit in perfectly with the character of our town and again, I feel the right solution for the Larison’s property could help with this. 

MCP: Where can the town cut costs to save in the budget?
LS: I’ve identified some of these items (above).  Additionally, I support the solar panels being installed at 50 North Road and how it will cut electrical costs.  

MCP: Considering this is currently being handled by government officials, what is your stance on the proposed feasibility study being pursued by four of the five towns that send students to the West Morris Regional High School district?
LS: Chester Borough has committed up to $15,000 on the feasibility study and I look forward to reviewing the results of the study. 

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3.