The Villadom Times Weekly Newspaper Online-Jul 14, 2010 Issue

Franklin Lakes July 14, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 GOP welcomes Independent candidate’s withdrawal by Frank J. McMahon Franklin Lakes GOP ofﬁcials welcomed Independent mayoral candidate Lisa Sciancalepore’s decision to withdraw from the race just hours before a judge was to consider a challenge to several of the signatures on the petition she ﬁled. Frank Bivona, the Republican candidate for mayor, said, “Her withdrawal will allow us to concentrate on supporting the party and our two Republican candidates for borough council, incumbent Councilwoman Nathalie Lota and Frank Pedone,” Bivona said. “I have spent most of my ﬁrst six months on the council working with the governing body on making changes that have substantially cut our cost base and stabilized our ﬁnancial position. I will use the time that would have been spent campaigning to focus on additional measures to ensure that we comply with our governor’s proposed 2.5 percent property tax cap along with the tool kit to control municipal costs. My support for those proposals has been constant throughout my time on the council.” Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman Robert Yudin also reacted favorably to Sciancalepore’s action, saying it was a very good decision and he was very glad she withdrew her petition. He emphasized that, as Republican County Chairman, he supports the winners of the primary election. “I’m delighted that, for whatever reason, she withdrew her petition,” Yudin said. “Our job now is to work for the Republican candidates. Franklin Lakes gives the Republican Party the largest plurality of any of the 70 municipalities in the county and I’m looking forward to even doing better in the November election. I’m looking forward to a clean Republican sweep this November and the return of Republican government, an honest government, to the county level once again.” Sciancalepore’s nominating petition was challenged by borough residents Peter Swist, the current president of the Franklin Lakes Republican Club; and Vincent O’Brien, a past president and current member of the FLRC. The challenge was based on the belief that several unregistered borough voters signed Sciancalepore’s petition, while other residents signed the nominating petitions of both Sciancalepore and Bivona. Sciancalepore is a current member of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education who was appointed in 2007 and then elected to a three-year term in 2008. She is currently a registered Republican, but she ﬁled a nominating petition on the day of the primary election in June to seek the position of mayor in the November general election as an Independent candidate. She had intended to challenge Bivona in November, and she was supported by current Republican Mayor Maura DeNicola, who signed Sciancalepore’s petition. Neither Sciancalepore nor DeNicola responded to requests for their comments on the withdrawal of Sciancalepore’s petition. Bivona was the lone Republican candidate to ﬁle a nominating petition seeking his party’s nomination for the position of mayor in the primary. In that election, Republican voters endorsed Bivona and selected Lota and Pedone to seek election to the borough council. Borough residents Joan Mokray and Lorenzo Puertas received more than the ﬁve necessary write-in votes to be on the ballot as Democrats in November. Mokray and Puertas will challenge Lota and Pedone for election to the available seats on the council. �� & FLOORING �� Guitar Sale! Music �� and will even leave a piece of chocolate on �� your pillow �� ACKERMAN’S �� Center �� FREE ESTIMATE – REGULAR PRICES �� 6-16-10 pat/janine EcoGreenHome2x(6-16-10) 2 x 2.5 rev1 ��