DUARTE 4
MENDHAM

Committeewoman Amalia Duarte is excited to seek re-election to the Township Committee to continue solving problems that are important to residents and making a positive difference in the community.

“It would be an honor to serve Mendham Township for another term and continue listening to residents’ concerns, and working to solve problems – whether it’s a missed garbage pickup or helping a homebound senior get a document notarized,” said Committeewoman Duarte. “It’s a role I take very seriously. We must be careful stewards of our community.”

Since first winning election in 2017, Committeewoman Duarte has been a consistent voice for transparency, protecting the environment, and pushing back against overdevelopment. Her dedication to the community is clear: She has never missed a Township Committee meeting in her nine years of service.

She has worked with colleagues on the Township Committee in adopting fiscally responsible budgets, meeting the needs of first responders, and addressing tough challenges, including affordable housing mandates.

During her tenure on the Township Committee, Duarte has served on the Planning Board, and as liaison to the Environmental Commission; Fire Department; First Aid Squad; Historic Preservation Committee; Marketing Communications Ad Hoc Subcommittee; Mendham TV; Old Police Station Reuse Committee; Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee; Police Department; Surrounding Town Outreach; and Shared Courts.

In 2018, she established the Mendhams Stigma-Free Task Force, which she leads in partnership with Co-Chair Mary Kornick of Mendham Borough. The Task Force hosts annual community events: the “Beat the Winter Blues” party, "Stomp Out the Stigma" Walk in May for Mental Health Awareness Month, and a “Hike for Hope” in the Fall. The group also sponsors the town’s June PRIDE event and senior luncheons.

With a steadfast commitment to protecting the environment, she was the only Township Committee member to support residents by voting against rezoning the former Irene Spring Tree Farm, after neighbors packed meetings to try and stop it. Following that, she was endorsed for re-election by the New Jersey League of Conservation voters. Among key accomplishments, Duarte spearheaded getting the township to conform to the Highlands Council, which provides greater environmental protection in the face of development. She invited the Highlands Council to present at the Township Committee in 2022, which launched the process. It became official with a unanimous Township Committee vote on Feb. 23, 2026.

She has been a leader in transforming the former police station into a renovated space for residents to hold meetings, events, or workshops. And, the building is now the new home for the Mendham TV station, and the Historic Preservation Committee’s archives.

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“I am not afraid to take a stand and fight for issues that are important to residents,” said Duarte. “I am committed to preserving the unique small- town charm that makes Mendham Township such a special place to live and raise a family.”

In an effort to reduce light pollution, Duarte wrote a local law unanimously adopted last year, mandating that any future developments conform to Dark Sky lighting requirements, and to educate residents about what they can do to reduce unnecessary nighttime light pollution.

She also serves on the subcommittee focused on creating a small affordable housing project at the former Alcott Manor on Mendham Road. The goal is to partner with a nonprofit for 100% affordable housing at the site, avoiding a large unwanted development like surrounding communities are experiencing.

A strong believer in transparent government, she pioneered hosting open Office Hours in 2018 to meet with residents at Town Hall and listen to their concerns. She continues this practice on a monthly basis.

Other initiatives led by Duarte that have benefitted residents, include:

• Publishing an email newsletter with news about Township Committee meetings and other local updates. She led a Communications Committee that helped enhance the town's Website; and started the monthly township email newsletter, “Mendham Matters,” which she wrote for several years.

• Spearheading the establishment of the Sewer Advisory Committee, giving residents of Drakewick and Brookrace a direct voice in decision-making impacting their neighborhoods.

• Creating a program for students to serve as members of the Environmental, Historic Preservation, and Recreation sub-committees.

• Introducing a Film Ready Ordinance, with an eye on generating revenue from any future film productions.

• Organizing and leading a ceremony last year to honor the town's first woman Mayor Marion Wysong, with a plaque in her namesake park.

• Proposing the town join an energy aggregation program, which was supported unanimously, and has saved residents more than $534,082, from its inception on April 1, 2020.

Prior to running for office, Duarte was a longtime community volunteer, primarily in recreation. She was a girls’ basketball and soccer coach for many years and served on the West Morris Soccer Club Board. She served on the Recreation Commission for 12 years and as the Chairwoman. She was part of the group that founded the annual Mendham Patriots’ 5K Race & Kids’ Fun Run, a township tradition. She also served as the Vice Chair of the Board of Adjustment and was a member and Chair of the Open Space Trust Committee.

She, with other members of the Recreation Commission, fundraised more than $100,000 in the Rebuild Ralston Playground campaign in 2017. And, they fought to save Brookside Beach in 2015, when the Township Committee threatened to close it down.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Head Start of Morris County; the Board of the Schiff Nature Preserve; is a member former Trustee of the Brookside Community Church; volunteers as a Boy Scout Merit Badge counselor; is a member and past President of the Rotary Club of the Mendhams; and serves on the Board for The Sharing Project.

Duarte is a graduate of New York University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and journalism.

Professionally, after a successful career in journalism and corporate communications, she joined the nonprofit sector. Duarte works as the Public Affairs Director for ECLC of New Jersey, a nonprofit that provides “Education, Careers & Lifelong Community” to nearly 900 children and adults with special needs. She has lived in Mendham Township for 27 years, and raised two adult children, who both attended and graduated from the township public schools.