Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 15, 2009 Franklin Lakes Four Republicans compete for two council seats by Frank J. McMahon Four Republican candidates have filed nominating petitions seeking their party’s nomination in the June 2 primary election to run for election to two seats on Franklin Lakes Borough Council in the general election in November. No Democrats filed by last week’s deadline. Incumbent Councilman Brian Trava and newcomer Tom Murphy will be challenged by William Smith and Frank Bivona. Incumbent Councilwoman Leslie Greer opted not to seek another term. The winners of the primary will be the virtual winners of the two seats unless an Independent candidate files for the general election by the June 2 deadline. Trava, whose first term on the council expires at the end of this year, and Murphy, a resident of the borough for 15 years are members of the Franklin Lakes Republican Forum, a political organization that was formed in 2006 in support of the candidacy of Mayor Maura DeNicola. Smith, an attorney with the Franklin Lakes law firm of Hook, Smith & Meyer, and former Franklin Lakes Municipal Attorney, and Bivona, a resident of the borough since 1995, have been endorsed by the Franklin Lakes Republican Club. A father of three children, Trava is an endodontist and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Medicine & Dentistry New Jersey, where he is on the board of the alumni. He is a 33-year borough resident and a graduate of Ramapo High School. He holds a BA from Lycoming College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a DMD from UMDNJ. Trava currently serves as the chair of the council’s Planning and Development Committee and he is a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee. He previously served on the Public Works and Technology Committee and the Cable TV and Ordinance committees. A member of the borough’s Memorial Pond Committee, he is also a member of the Rotary International and has been a basketball coach at the Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Murphy has three children in the local school district. He has BS in finance from Ohio State University and an MBA from Rutgers University in finance and E-commerce. An Internet marketing consultant, Murphy is currently self-employed and maintains a business office in the area where he designs websites and improves existing ones. Prior to that he was a business solutions manager for Trinity BioTech, a global technology company where he ran the • ALARMS • CAR AUDIO • REMOTE STARTERS • NAVIGATION • SATELLITE RADIO • MOBILE VIDEO • IPOD INTEGRATION • BACK UP CAMERAS • EXTERIORS ACCESSORIES any installation over $200 AUTOMOBILE ELECTRONICS SPECIALISTS $25 OFF Expires 8/31/09 - Limit one per customer. May not be combined with any other offers. 526 Route 17 N • Ramsey, NJ 07446 201-961-1717 Open M-Sat 8am - 5:00pm information systems department for the US. During his 11 year career in information systems, Murphy said his forte has been in business process automation and business design. Smith has resided in Franklin Lakes for 34 years and has four children, all of whom attended the borough’s school system. A Fairfield University and Fordham Law School graduate, he was elected to the council twice previously, in 1976 and 1979, and he served as borough’s municipal attorney from 1980 through November 2009. Presently a member of the Franklin Lakes Lions Club Smith is a life member of the VFW, a former member of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish Council, and presently member of the Indian Trail Club Advisory Committee. He has been active in the borough’s recreation programs for many years, including basketball coach at the middle school and assistant tennis coach for eight years at Ramapo High School. Bivona has two children and has been active in the borough’s recreation program and the recreation program at the Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He received a BS degree from Adelphi University and was employed previously as the chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of FGIC Corporation. Before joining FGIC, Bivona was vice chairman and chief financial officer of the Ambac Financial Group, Inc. and Ambac Assurance Corporation. In addition to his chief financial officer role his other responsibilities while at Ambac included: head of The Financial Services Group, senior member of the Portfolio Risk Management Committee, and President of The Construction Loan Insurance Company (Connie Lee), an Ambac subsidiary. Prior to Ambac, Bivona was with Citibank in various finance positions including chief financial officer of Citibank’s Global Insurance Division. Councilwoman Greer, who will complete her first term (continued on page 21) 4-1-09 joan/janine ModelElectronics2x4(4-1-09) 2x4