Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 18, 2009 FLOW Area Two candidates withdraw from school board race by Frank J. McMahon Two candidates who filed nominating petitions to seek election to the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education withdrew their names from the campaign prior to the March 11 deadline. Thomas Madigan, a long-term Wyckoff representative on the regional school board, withdrew his candidacy after another Wyckoff resident, Robert Gebhard, filed a nominating petition before the extended deadline, but after Madigan had filed his petition. Mark Durfee, a resident of Franklin Lakes for 12 years who has a son who will be graduating from Ramapo High School this year, also withdrew his name from the race. He has been active in the Ramapo High School Athletic Booster Association and has been the president of the school’s Touchdown Club. Durfee declined to comment on his reasons for pulling out of the race, but his withdrawal leaves Ira Belsky, a Franklin Lakes representative, who is completing his second term on the board, as the only candidate from Franklin Lakes. Madigan said he felt it was time to let someone else from Wyckoff serve on the school board. “After 12 years, it’s time to give someone else an opportunity to serve,” Madigan said. “I am pleased that Rob Gebhard has decided to step up and represent Wyckoff on the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education. I have known Rob for many years, and he is a person of integrity with a demonstrated commitment to our high school district. I am confident that he will continue his hard work on behalf of the students and taxpayers, and he will be a tremendous asset and a valued trustee on the Ramapo Indian Hills School Board.” He added, “It has been rewarding and an honor to have been elected four times to represent Wyckoff on this regional board of education.” He recalled the tumultuous times in the district when he was first elected to the board as it struggled to end the Franklin Lakes split, a district policy that split the Franklin Lakes student body between the two high schools, while Wyckoff students attended Ramapo and Oakland students attended Indian Hills. Madigan said his biggest accomplishment was working with the community to implement the Horizon facilities program on time and on budget after receiving over $18 million from the state toward that construction project. His biggest disappointment, he said, was last year’s defeated budget and the subsequent budget cuts made by the governing bodies in the three towns in the district. He claims the cuts will have a long-term impact on the district’s programs. Gebhard lives on Rodger Court in Wyckoff and has two children who have graduated from Ramapo High School. He has a BS in marketing from Lynchburg College in Virginia and is employed as a senior account executive with a division of MeadWestvaco, a packaging and printed plastics company. He has been active in the Boy Scouts and in coaching in Wyckoff where he was the baseball commissioner for four years. He also served on the Ramapo High School Sports Boosters for five years and he was vice president of the organization for four years. In addition, he helped build the concession stand at the Ramapo High School football field and he oversaw that operation for four years. (continued on page 23) In Home PERSONAL TRAINING • Flexible Scheduling • Nutrition Guidance • Sports Specific Training • Men, Women, Children & Couples Michael R. Marcus, C.P.A. Personal & Business Tax Preparation 851 Franklin Lakes Rd, Ste 30 Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 Tel: (201) 560-0130 Fax: (201) 560-0019 Cell: (201) 803-5257 Email: MMarcusCPA@aol.com Evening & Weekend appointments available With Brad M.S. Taxation Non-Medical Home Care Services ������������������ ��������������������� ������������������� ��������� �������������� �������������� ��������������� �������� �������� ���������� �������� ��������������� ���������������������� � ����������� �������� � ���������� Lose 20 lbs in 10 Weeks Insured Degreed & Certified For Free Consultation call: TONE UP/LOSE FAT/ FEEL GREAT 201-925-0381 345 Route 17 South • Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 • 1-201-962-3222 ComForcare Services www.ComForcare.com For Peace of Mind Call Today ee fr 3-18-09 Janine AtlanticSteward6x6(2-25-09)