April 11, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Midland Park Sharing cultures Midland Park resident Claire Kinney, the great, great granddaughter of a slave named Mary Walker, speaks to Highland School children about her family history during the recent Cultural Fair produced by Midland Park Elementary PTA parents. One of the sections of the fair depicted the Underground Railroad and the Quilt System, which was a way for slaves to communicate an escape route through certain patterns depicted on quilts, and Walker had used one those escape routes. Mrs. Kinney’s granddaughter, Leland Gutkin, is a fourth grader at Highland. At right, the surprise thank you Highland teachers posted on the outside message board at the school. The three incumbent Midland Park councilmen up for election this year filed unopposed to run in the June Republican primary. No Democrats filed by last week’s filing deadline. Councilman Bernard Holst, Jr is seeking reelection to his sixth term, and Councilman Scott Pruiksma to election to his fourth full term. Councilman Jack Considine, appointed to his position in January to replace Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan when he became mayor, is running for the one year left in O’Hagan’s term. “It is clear to me that the climate of our economy continues to be unstable, and there is work to do and many challenges for our town to face and overcome,” he said of his reasons for running. “The good news is that over the last several terms, our council has succeeded in building a foundation that sustained us through some very difficult times. The great news is that over the past decade and Republican incumbents file for reelection unopposed a half, because of your votes, Midland Park has been exceptionally well managed by a strong team that I am proud to have been a part of for 16 years. I wish to continue to be a part of building and maintaining our strong position with your support,” Holst said. Pruiksma said that he considers it “to be an honor to represent the people of Midland Park.” “We are a very unique community. The Mayor and Council have adopted a pay as you go philosophy. If we cannot afford a project we will set aside funds to pay for the project over several years,” he said, adding: “I am firmly committed to looking for every shared service or grant funding opportunity before we allocate our borough funds for projects. Our municipal department heads are always looking for cost effective methods to keep the budget at the lowest costs possible. I feel that our council (continued on page 25)