Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-November 11, 2009 Issue

Area November 11, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Council candidates in multiple municipalities ran unopposed for election and have received the endorsement of the local voters. Allendale Incumbents Jim Strauch and Member Elizabeth White, both Republicans, have won new terms on the Allendale Borough Council. Strauch received 1,547 votes and White received 1,518. Strauch, former assistant marsh warden and former chairman of the Allendale Board of Adjustment, was elected to the council six years ago. He operates an environmentally friendly window installation company and has been active in many environmental activities in Allendale. Strauch instituted a program in which residents contributed voluntary donations to attempt to purchase the 3.4-acre site on the Franklin Turnpike known as Orchard Commons, which had been zoned for 24 townhouses. Strauch’s campaign drew $400,000 in pledges and attracted a check from the Passaic River Valley Coalition for seed money for professional planning and grant applications. Orchard Commons was ultimately purchased from the owner and dedicated as a park with a smaller housing element. White was also instrumental in visiting state and county offices to help save Orchard Commons. She also joined Strauch and Councilman Ari Bernstein in drafting an ordinance to permit limited and supervised beekeeping in Allendale. Before the ordinance was adopted this fall, all apiaries were banned in Allendale due to a restriction on pets other than dogs and cats. White is also responsible for parks and recreation and recently reported at a council meeting that allowing families from outside the borough to join Crestwood Lake Park as paying members had improved the finances of the swimming and picnicking area without harming the aesthetics. Some residents had objected to people from outside Allendale using the facility, but council members asserted that the lake was under-used, and under-financed, and that accepting paying members from outside Allendale would rectify this condition. White told the council that this appeared to be working. Ho-Ho-Kus Republican incumbents Kevin Crossley and Doug Troast were reelected to the Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Council with 1,024 ballots and 1,021 ballots, respectively. Crossley has been a council member since 2002. He is managing partner and chief operating officer of Club Agency Insurance Brokerage, LLC, in Garden City, New York. He is past president of the Tri-County Independent Insurance Agents Association of Nassau, Queens, and Council candidates win voters’ endorsement Kings counties. He has served on the Safeco Insurance Advisory Council and the Nominating Committee for the board of directors of AAA New York, Inc. Crossley has chaired fundraisers for the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. Crossley serves the Ho-Ho-Kus Council as finance chairman, insurance liaison for the borough, commissioner of the ambulance corps, and deputy police commissioner. He has served as council president, deputy commissioner of the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Fire Department, and president of the Ho-Ho-Kus/Saddle River Athletic Association. He recently served on the Solid Waste Contract Committee and participated in the PBA contract negotiations. Troast joined the council in 2000. He also served three years on the borough’s zoning board. He is chief executive officer of the John Troast Group, a construction and real estate development company. He served on former Governor Whitman’s Property Tax Commission and as a trustee of the New Jersey Organization for a Better State. He and his wife, Joanie, have three children. They are members of Saint Gabriel’s Church. Saddle River Incumbent Saddle River Councilman John E. Murray won reelection with 949 votes and newcomer Bruce E. Walenczyk earned his first term on the council with 952 ballots. The candidates are Republicans. Upper Saddle River Republicans Vincent Durante and Dr. Joanne Florio have earned council seats with tallies of 1,766 and 1,747 ballots, respectively Durante, who was recently named to Ripston’s unexpired term, has over 25 years of professional and managerial experience in pharmaceutical and health and beauty products. He has also served on the local board of health and as a basketball coach for the recreation department. Dr. Florio, a lifetime borough resident, has been a practicing chiropractor and nutritionist since 1988. She is president/treasurer of Deer Creek Valley, Inc. and contributes to the sales and distribution of vitamin supplements and organically grown products. She is a member of the local board of health and is currently president of Saddle River Valley Junior Woman’s Club. Voters also approved a ballot question that asked whether the borough should explore shared services. The vote on that issue was 1,784 to 352. The Ho-Ho-Kus Girls and Boys Middle School Cross Country Teams ended their season by participating in the Darlington County Park Invitational, recently. Ten schools participated in the 1.6 mile course race. Girls’ team winner Ho-Ho-Kus seventh grade student Veronica Mahler came in ﬁrst place with a time of 10:23. Natalie Waterhouse came in fourth place with a time of 10:33. Christopher Maita came in sixth place in the boy’s race with a time of 10:12. Other medal winners included Kelly Hayward, Soﬁa Wyman, Cole Sonett and Michael Post. The team and cross country coaches Aja Carnosso and Shawn Sterbinsky applaud their efforts. Pictured are Coach Shawn Sterbinsky, Veronica Mahler, Christopher Maita, Natalie Waterhouse and Coach Aja Carnosso. On the run ��