Wyckoff November 2, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Voters to cast ballots on reps, open space fund renewal by John Koster On Nov. 8, one Democrat and two Republicans will be vying for the two available seats on the Wyckoff Township Committee. Voters will decide whether Wyckoff will return to a solid Republican governing body or retain the 4-1 split between Republicans and Democrats established three years ago with the election of Township Committeeman Brian Scanlan. Scanlan is the only Democrat running this year. The Republican candidates are incumbent Thomas Madigan and Wyckoff Board of Adjustment Chairman Douglas Christie. Voters will also be asked to cast their ballots on the renewal of the township’s open space fund. The question on the ballot will ask if voters wish to set aside a half-cent for each $100 of assessed valuation for the purpose of purchasing open land for recreational and conservation purposes. Money from the fund would also be used to maintain those lands. Wyckoff voters first approved the open space fund in 2006, and this year must decide if the fund should be continued. Christie is a life-long resident of Wyckoff whose parents moved to the township in 1953. An independent contractor, Christie has coached recreational sports, and volunteered for Habitant for Humanity. He has been a member of the Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years and serves as the department’s chaplain. He is an elder of the Wyckoff Reformed Church. Christie attends most meetings of the Wyckoff Township Committee as a member of the audience. Madigan, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term, is a 12-year veteran of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional Board of Education and has been active in many sports and charitable activities. He is a sales executive for a paper container company. Madigan and his family have hosted a number of Gift of Life youngsters who came to the United States for medical treatment, and the candidate is chairman of the Elizabeth “Bitsy” Madigan Memorial Scholarship program, named in honor of the Madigans’ daughter. Madigan has been active in local environmental issues and has been active in the WOLF group, which promotes shared services in Wyckoff, Oakland, and Franklin Lakes. He and the other township committee members have lined up grants that should make it possible for Wyckoff to purchase and preserve the Russell Farms tract. In a joint statement, Christie and Madigan said they would work for the betterment of the community to ensure a Wyckoff that is affordable for residents of all ages. The candidates support the Fair School Funding Plan, which calls for equal distribution of state aid to every student regardless of demographics. They say this will increase Wyckoff’s state education aid from two percent to over 15 percent. Scanlan, the first Democrat elected in Wyckoff since the Great Depression of the 1930s, is a graduate of Rutgers and is the president of a medical and technical publishing company. He is fluent in German. Scanlan is the former president of Friends of Wyckoff, a group that advocates environmental concerns and acquisition of open space land through grant applications. He resigned as president of the Friends of Wyckoff on his inauguration as a township committeeman in January 2009, but continues to take part (continued on page 15)