Mayor Chuck Cahn looks ahead to 2017 in this week’s Mayor’s Message.
This article is a column written by Cherry Hill Township Mayor Chuck Cahn.
Happy New Year! I hope you and your families have had a wonderful start to 2017.
As the members of council and I look ahead to the new year, one of our top priorities is to engage fully with our residents in every corner of Cherry Hill, and it is in that spirit that I welcome you to my first Mayor’s Message of 2017, a renewed weekly column we have launched with the Cherry Hill Sun to give you some insight into what’s happening in town hall, and around Cherry Hill.
There are so many great things happening in our community, and I know I speak for both myself and all of council when I say we are looking forward to another year of working to move Cherry Hill forward in every respect.
As we begin the New Year, Cherry Hill remains a strong, vibrant and thriving community. We are in a strong position financially; community-wide, we have maintained a strong mix of residential and commercial growth, with an emphasis on preserving open space and enhancing recreational opportunities in every corner of town.
Just a few short months ago, Cherry Hill was named one of the Best Places to Live in the United States by “Money Magazine,” and it’s not hard to see why.
Our community remains an ideal place to live, to make your home, to raise a family, and to spend your life.
I often compare Cherry Hill to a large quilt of neighborhoods, each with its own unique character — all woven together to form the fabric of our community. The ties that bind that quilt together are the things that we all value: preserving the integrity of our neighborhoods; public safety, roads, recreation and open space; our excellent schools; strong municipal services; a thriving and diverse commercial base that has helped us hold the line on municipal taxes — and directly enabled no tax increase for five consecutive years.
At the same time, we have been aggressive in our efforts to pave some of the town’s worst roads. Our police department has worked hard to enhance its community-outreach efforts, to great success.
We have seen Cherry Hill transform into a healthcare hub for the entire South Jersey region; with the premier names in medicine — Penn, Virtua, Cooper, and of course, Kennedy and Jefferson — making significant investments in our community.
We have launched CHIP, the Cherry Hill Information Portal, which has put public information and government services at residents’ fingertips 24/7.
And inside town hall, we continue to run a government that is efficient, effective and accessible.
These are the things that have made and continue to make Cherry Hill such an ideal community to call home.
However, our continued success depends, first and foremost, on continued engagement with our residents. I want all of you to know that our doors are always open. It also depends upon the continued cooperation of myself, the members of council, and our team of dedicated professionals who work inside town hall every day to effect positive change in our community.
You can contact me at any time via email at [email protected], or you can call my office at (856) 488–7878. You can stay informed via this weekly column, through my weekly Mayor’s Briefing emails, or by following us on social media.
On a personal note, it has been an honor and privilege to serve as mayor of Cherry Hill since 2012. I am proud to continue working alongside all seven of our township council members — with special thanks to our Council President, Dave Fleisher, and our Council Vice President, Sara Lipsett, for their continued leadership and partnership. And I am proud to work alongside the various department heads whose leadership helps us to continue along the path to a positive future every single day.
Each of us remains committed to working together to represent the citizens of this township with honor, every day.
Thank you.
