Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 11, 2012 Franklin Lakes Two file for council election; Smith eyes attorney’s post by Frank J. McMahon Two Republican candidates, incumbent Charles Kahwaty and newcomer Thomas Lambrix, have filed nominating petitions to seek election to two seats on the Franklin Lakes Council. One of those seats will be available because current Councilman William Smith has decided not to seek reelection. Smith announced that he intends to resign from the council this month so he can again be appointed to the borough attorney’s position when the current borough attorney, Richard Lustgarten, leaves that position. Smith is an attorney with the Franklin Lakes law firm of Hook, Smith & Meyer. He explained that he had only intended to serve one term on the council when he was elected in 2009. Kahwaty and Lambrix, who is chairman of the Franklin Lakes Environmental Commission, will seek election together. No Democrats filed nominating petitions, and Independent candidates have until the primary election date of June 5 to file. Any Democrat who receives two or more write in votes in that party’s primary will also have an opportunity to accept or decline a nomination to seek a council seat in the November general election. Kahwaty will be seeking his first full three-year term. He has been a councilman since he was chosen by the governing body in February 2011 to fill the vacancy created when Frank Bivona was sworn in as mayor. Last year, the borough’s voters elected him to Bivona’s unexpired term, which will end in December. Lambrix will be seeking his first full three-year term on the council. Kahwaty has been the vice president of the Franklin Lakes Republican Club and he is an attorney who was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1980. He has also been admitted to the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Third Circuit Court, Tax Court, U.S. Supreme Court, and the District of Columbia and the New York Bar. His practice areas include personal injury law, commercial litigation, municipal court law, driving while intoxicated cases, and collections. A graduate of the Seton Hall University School of Law with a JD degree in 1979 and Georgetown University with a BA degree in 1976, he is a member of the Bergen County Bar Association and was its president from 2002 to 2003. He has also held several positions on the New Jersey State Bar Association and is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the Republican National Lawyers Association. Kahwaty said he is fortunate to have a running mate like Lambrix, who represents a new and independent voice for the community and will be a valuable addition to the council. “I believe that the mayor and council collectively have done what the voters wanted us to do,” Kahwaty said, “and that is to maintain a fiscally responsible budget, while attending to debt reduction and maintaining a high quality of life for Franklin Lakes. We still have the second lowest tax rate in the county and, with a budget of approximately $16.5 million, most residents will see their taxes increase (continued on page 10)