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Amalia Duarte is running for Mendham Township council.(Photo: Courtesy of Amalia Duarte)

A longtime community member will challenge Mendham Townships current mayor in this years election.

Amalia Duarte, 54, has announced that she is running for the open council seat, vowing to focus on three areas she believes the township can improve in;shared services, recreation and government transparency.

I am running to bring a new voice to the township committee, Duarte said. I started volunteering in town many years ago because of my two children, and now Im running for families like my own. I want to make sure that Mendham continues to be a great place to raise a family.

Duarte will challenge incumbent Diana Orban Brownfor the only council seat open at the end of this year. Brown is serving as mayor this year for the five-person, all Republican council.

Duarte is running for the council seat as a Democrat. She said she was urged to run due to the lack of financial support the town offered to rebuild Ralston Playground, comments about closing Brookside Beach, and the inability to move shared services forward.

The mayor held a recreation town hall in February, and the meeting room was packed with many residents complaining about why Ralston Playground was closed, Duarte said. Then, four days later a budget was discussed and then introduced in March without one penny earmarked for the playground. There has also been ongoing talk of closing down Brookside Beach.

Duarte said she also wants to make sure residents concerns are heard and taken into account in committee decisions, citing inconvenient meeting times, like Friday evenings for recreation meetings, and less public comment opportunities at those recent meetings. I am looking forward to speaking with residents and hearing about their concerns, Duarte said. Im interested in advocating for whats important to residents.

Duarte, who has never held elected office, said she is excited to bring a new voice and fresh perspective to the committee.

I have a different viewpoint, Duarte said. I believe recreation is vital to our community. Our children need places to get outside and play. Sports fields, playgrounds, Brookside Beach, hiking paths and special events are where the community comes together to create connections and lasting friendships.

Duarte said she has been advocating to keep Brookside Beach open and is leading a Rebuild Ralston Playground campaign.

Im a consensus builder and believe in bringing people together to reach common ground and achieve a common goal, Duarte said. Its something Ive learned in a lifetime of playing and coaching sports. I think in Mendham and across the country as Americans we want the same things: safe neighborhoods, good schools, decent, well-paying jobs and a sense of community.

Duarte moved to Mendham 18 years ago with husband, Gene Messina. They have two children, Elena, 20, a second-year student at Northeastern University studying Environmental Science, and Matthew, 14, a freshman at Mendham High School. Both children attended the Mendham Public Schools.

Duarte has volunteered in Mendham for nearly two decades as a youth sports coach, on township and nonprofit boards and fundraising for the community. She is currently vice chair of the recreation commission and vice chair of the board of adjustment. She also serves on the Schiff Nature Preserve board, is the race director for this years Mendham Patriots 5K Race & Kids Fun Run, and serves on the New Jersey Board of the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America.

Duarte graduated from New York University with a B.A. in journalism and political science. She worked as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, The Record of Bergen County, various magazines, and was a freelance writer for The New York Times and other publications. After her first child was born, she moved into corporate communications at Lucent Technologies and then a spinoff, Avaya. She joined Citigroup in 2004 and was the vice president, director of communications for Citigroup's Operations & Technology unit, an organization of more than 22,000 staff worldwide.

Since 2009, Duarte has been the Public Affairs Director at ECLC of New Jersey, a Chatham-based nonprofit that offers Education, Careers & Lifelong Community to more than 750 children and adults with special needs from around the state. In 2015, she began writing grants for the organization. Duarte is also an executive board member of ASAH, the umbrella association for special-needs schools across the state, and a board member of the Alliance of Private Special Education Schools of North Jersey.

Go to http://www.duarte4mendham.com for more information or to donate to her campaign.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com

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Democrat challenging mayor for Mendham Twp. council seat - Daily Record