About The Candidates - Bernards Township Democratic Committee

DR. SOPHIA CHADDA

Dr. Sophia Chadda has lived in Bernards Township for over 20 years and, with her husband, Dr. Konstantine Trichas, raised her three children here. She has been practicing as a board-certified periodontist for 20 years and established her thriving dental practice on Stonehouse Road in Basking Ridge in 2004.

A graduate of Columbia University and SUNY Buffalo Dental School, she completed her periodontal residency at Rutgers Dental School (formerly UMDNJ), conducted research on the link between cardiovascular disease and dental disease and was twice awarded “Top Dentist” by New Jersey Monthly Magazine. She is a former assistant professor of Periodontics at Rutgers Dental School and she is the Past-President of the Tri-County Dental Society and the Past Vice-President of the New Jersey Society of periodontists.

Chadda also is on the board of trustees of the International Foundation for Progress, which runs a free school and health clinic for 175 children in Pakistan and aims to provide education and healthcare to impoverished children in the developing world.

Chadda is a graduate of Leadership Somerset, a county program that supports leaders dedicated to their local communities. Locally, she has served on the Bernards Township Board of Health and previously ran for Bernards Township Committee. She also is a member of the Bernards Township Domestic violence response team which works in conjunction with the Bernards Township Police Department and volunteers and has been class mom several times at the local schools her children attend.

“I chose Bernards Township 20 years ago as the place to raise my family and 5 years later chose to build my business here. I’m confident I will be a valuable asset to our town’s future,” Chadda said. “Although I came in a close second in the previous township committee election, I learned so much speaking individually with more than 200 business owners and knocking on more than 5,000 doors, and am even more determined to make a difference in the town I love. I am confident my evidence-based approach to solving problems and making decisions will increase transparency, reduce waste, and encourage greater participation of more of my fellow residents in our civic affairs. I would be honored to serve my township neighbors and work to improve our future together.”

JONATHAN SANDLER

Jon Sandler, a lifelong New Jersey resident and attorney in the Commercial Litigation practice group of Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland Perretti, LLP in Morristown since 2007, has lived in Bernards Township since 2015. He resides with his wife Kelly, also a practicing attorney, and daughters Avery and Finley, students at the Oak Street School.

A 2002 graduate of Montclair State University with a B.S. in Business Administration with a double concentration in Finance and Management, he graduated Rutgers Law School in 2006. Following law school, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Yolanda Ciccone, A.J.S.C., who is the Assignment Judge for Somerset, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties.

Active in Bernards Township, Sandler has coached his daughters’ basketball and softball teams and has also been the Circle Leader in the YMCA Adventure Guides Program. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Temple Har Shalom in Warren.

“I’m honored the BTDC endorsed my candidacy and supports my desire to serve the community that means so much to me and my family,” Sandler said. “With my legal and business experience, including successfully representing municipalities and negotiating with developers, I will proactively, effectively, and efficiently advocate for township residents and businesses. I will work tirelessly to ensure that Bernards Township’s potential as the preferred community to live, work shop, and operate a small business is maximized and maintained for years to come.”