Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • October 5, 2011 Mahwah Township council wants election sign flexibility by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has agreed to ask the township’s zoning enforcement officer not to change the long-standing policy of permitting political signs in the township’s rights-of-way if they are not considered a safety hazard. The November election will be contested, with Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio and zoning board of adjustment member William Laforet challenging incumbent Mayor John DaPuzzo to become the township’s next mayor. Incumbent Councilman Chuck Jandris will compete with volunteer athletic coach Steven Sbarra for the available seat on the council. A sign with a political message that was placed on the median on Macarthur Boulevard by Laforet’s campaign was taken down at the direction of Gary Montroy, the township’s zoning enforcement officer, because he determined that it was placed in the public right-of-way in violation of the township’s zoning ordinance. That apparently led DiGiulio to raise the sign issue at a recent township council meeting, where she explained that, since the township’s current sign ordinance does not permit signs in the township’s rights-of-way and no one wants to violate the ordinance, all political signs that are usually placed on Macarthur Boulevard will have to be taken down unless the council takes action to allow them to remain in the right-of-way. DiGiulio advised that she had talked to Montroy and he recommended the council pass a resolution to allow the political signs in the township’s rights-of-way. Council President John Roth pointed out that the township has not enforced that restriction on political signs for decades, although he said the political sign that was recently removed from Macarthur Boulevard was taken down because it was too big. Mahwah Township Attorney John Conte told the council he is aware of the township’s policy to permit political signs in the rights-of-way unless they pose a danger to public safety, but he pointed out that that the township’s current ordinance does not allow political signs in the township’s rights-of-way and perhaps the council should consider introducing a new ordinance to permit political signs in the rights-of-way. DiGiulio responded that there is not enough time to adopt a new ordinance to affect this year’s election. She said she favored passing a resolution to permit the political signs in the township’s rights-of-way. The council then engaged in a lengthy discussion about what to do about political signs, including limiting their size and height. DaPuzzo pointed out that the current ordinance contains a provision that gives the council the authority to permit certain signs, so the council could allow standard-size political signs by resolution. Conte cautioned the council that if a resolution were passed to permit signs in the rights-of-way and an accident were to occur, the township could be deemed to have liability. Roth then asked DaPuzzo to send Montroy a note asking him not to change the way the township’s sign law has been enforced for decades, but DaPuzzo said he cannot (continued on page 9) The Mahwah Library Board of Trustees will sponsor a Candidates Night for the five candidates who are seeking election in the township in the Nov. 8 general election. Samuel Alderisio, the mayor’s alternate to the township’s library board of trustees, advised the council that the library board is sending letters to the candidates in the municipal election about the event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the senior center at the Richard J. Martel Municipal Center on Corporate Drive. Curtis Koster, the president of the library board of trustees, explained that since the Mahwah League of Women Voters has disbanded, leaving the township without the organization that had sponsored prior Candidates Nights, the library board agreed to host the function. The format will allow each candidate to explain his or her reasons for seeking election and what issues they would act upon if elected. Koster emphasized that the event will not be a debate, but rather an opportunity for the candidates, regardless of their campaign funding, to meet the township’s voters and to present themselves to the voters. He said the format will provide five minutes for each of the candidates to tell the Library to sponsor Candidates Night voters what they stand for and five minutes to respond to a list of three or four questions that will be submitted by the public to the library board and given to the candidates prior to the meeting. Each candidate will be asked the same questions, Koster said, and there will be no questions permitted from the public at the meeting. “It will be a presentation of the candidates and not a debate,” Koster emphasized. There are three candidates seeking election to the position of mayor of the township. Incumbent Mayor John DaPuzzo, Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio, and local businessman William Laforet are all seeking election to the position, while incumbent Councilman Chuck Jandris and volunteer athletic coach Steven Sbarra are seeking election to the position of township council member. All five candidates are seeking election to these positions for the first time because DaPuzzo was appointed by the township council to the position of mayor in March after former Mayor Richard Martel died. Jandris was appointed to fill DaPuzzo’s vacant position on the council at that time. F.J. MCMAHON