Wyckoff February 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Petition will be needed to allow games of chance by John Koster Wyckoff Mayor Christopher DePhillips reported that an initiative to permit games of chance for charity could not be placed on the November ballot by a vote of the Wyckoff Township Committee. The mayor explained that the initiative would require a petition signed by 15 percent of Wyckoff’s registered voters from the last election before the question could legally be placed on the ballot. “The township committee can’t just put it on the ballot. It must be done by petition,” Mayor DePhillips said. Wyckoff Township Attorney Robert Landel, who was not present at last week’s meeting, previously explained the situation. During a statewide referendum in 1954, Wyckoff voters rejected the option to allow games of chance for fundraising purposes. Because the rejection took place in a public referendum, any attempt to reverse the decision would require a petition signed by 15 percent of the registered voters before the question could be placed on the ballot. The response followed requests that several civic groups had made to members of the township committee to allow games of chance within the borders of Wyckoff. When the township committee discussed the proposal for games of chance at a work session a few weeks ago, most members said they had no objections, and some demurred. However, all of the committee members said they would abide by a public vote in a November referendum. Members of the township committee tacitly indicated that the ball is back in the proponents’ court. The rejection of games of chance is believed to have been rooted in the Calvinist theology of the Reformed Churches that predominated in Wyckoff 60 years ago. Calvinists of the Christian Reformed, Dutch Reformed, and Presbyterian Churches generally disapprove of gambling both for religious and economic reasons. Some township committee members believe that the demographic shift has since changed to such a degree that the majority of Wyckoff residents now have no objection to games of chance, especially for charity, but the law mandates the petition before a referendum can be placed on the ballot. The Wyckoff Township Committee has approved the posting of signs for the Wyckoff Education Association’s Spring Fling fundraiser. The event is scheduled for March 24. The Wyckoff Education Foundation, a citizens’ group, raises money to pay for school enrichment programs to enhance the quality of education in Wyckoff without further burden on the township’s taxpayers. The group regularly pays for outside lectures and equipment to raise students’ interest in science and the arts through funds the group obtains from voluntary donations. The organization is frequently praised for its contributions to the excellence of education in Wyckoff’s K-8 school system. The permit approved at last week’s meeting of the township committee will allow the signs to be placed in public spots for 14 days, starting on March 11 and remaining through March 24. Locations, which have already been Signs approved for Spring Fling approved by the property owners, will include the lawn of Grace Methodist Church, the lawn of a private residence at the intersection of Cedar Hill Avenue between Wyckoff Avenue and Route 208, the lawn of a private residence at the Russell Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue intersection, the lawn of DeFino Realty at Franklin and Godwin avenues, the lawn of a private residence at Wyckoff Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue, and the lawns of all the Wyckoff public schools: Eisenhower, Washington, Sicomac, Coolidge, and Lincoln. The township committee also approved temporary signs advertising Wyckoff Day, an event sponsored by the Wyckoff YMCA. This year’s Wyckoff Day is scheduled for June 9. The signs were approved for 12 days between May 29 and June 9 at Advent Lutheran Church and Cornerstone Church, and at 521 and 295 Russell Avenue. J. KOSTER Tradition continues Columbia Bank Vice President and Regional Branch Manager Paul Vicente and Assistant Branch Manager Marie Kidd recently continued the tradition of donating a book to the Wyckoff Public Library in honor of Black History Month. Librarian/Circulation Supervisor Sue Lazzari accepted the donation.