May 9, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Wyckoff Madigan appointed to zoning board in 4-1 vote by John Koster All five members of the Wyckoff Township Committee praised former Township Committeeman Thomas Madigan for his love of Wyckoff and his hard work in the community, but when the vote was called on his appointment as an alternate member of the board of adjustment, Democrat Brian Scanlan split with the four Republicans and voted “no.” Scanlan concurred with the Republicans that Madigan was an asset to Wyckoff through his many years of hard work. However, Scanlan criticized the fact that two other unnamed candidates for the board of adjustment, one with a master’s degree in planning and the other a candidate for a master’s degree in planning, had been passed up. Scanlan said he had not known that Madigan would be appointed until earlier that same day, although Scanlan is the township committee’s liaison to the board of adjustment. “It came as a surprise to me that the appointment suddenly appeared on the agenda,” Scanlan said at the May 1 Wyckoff Township Committee meeting. “I would have wanted to cast a wider net with regard to an appointment.” Mayor Christopher De Phillips, Deputy Mayor Kevin Rooney, and Township Committee members Rudy Boonstra and Doug Christie all spoke briefly, but warmly, about Madigan’s long record of service to Wyckoff – including The Wyckoff Police Department arrested a suspected burglar who was reportedly looting homes even as some residents were attending a lecture about home security at Wyckoff Town Hall on May 2. The 24-year-old Englewood man had reportedly been out of New Jersey State Prison for three days, police said. He was ultimately charged with burglary, theft, and possession of burglar tools and was committed to Bergen County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. A resident, who was not at the evening’s safety lecture, reported a suspicious vehicle parked on Ravine Avenue. Police Chief Benjamin Fox, Lieutenant Dave Murphy, and Detective Sergeant Joseph Soto -- all of whom were speakers at the home security lecture -- joined the officers on patrol in the investigation. As Patrolman William Plisich drove past the suspicious car, the driver turned on the lights and drove off. Patrolman Plisich pursued the car and stopped it on Route 208. Chief Fox and Sergeant Jack McEwan checked houses on Ravine Avenue while the other officers and Patrolman Kevin Kasak were busy with the suspect, and they found that the door of a Ravine Avenue house had been forced. The 24-year-old ex-con was arrested and a search of his car turned up gloves and two ninja-style masks. Police said evidence at the burglary scene suggested that another person was involved, and the Bergen County K-9 Unit, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Unit, and officers from Midland Park, Ridgewood, Franklin Lakes, and Hawthorne joined Wyckoff in the Township police nab burglary suspect during security briefing search. The police found that every room in the house had been ransacked and found a pillowcase full of loot that had been dropped on the floor of the house. The other suspect may have fled when he saw police come in contact with the Englewood man, who had been released from Rahway State Prison on April 29. He had been convicted on narcotics and weapons possession charges. “My only regret is that we did not get the second guy, although this is still under investigation,” Chief Fox said. “This arrest came together perfectly for us. We had extra officers who were at the crime prevention meeting who were able to assist at the scene. I had Detective Sergeant Soto working the phones to develop information...Most importantly, I had a citizen who called in on a suspicious vehicle. “At the meeting, we stressed that we want residents to call us about anything they think is suspicious. Quite often, it is citizen observations and their willingness to call the police department that leads to burglary arrests. The vehicle that (the burglar) was driving was rented by another individual. We also reported at the meeting that these professional burglars do not drive old junk-type vehicles that might make them stand out in neighborhoods. They rent nice vehicles so they can blend in and draw as little attention to themselves as possible. Still, residents should call us about anything at all that they observe which they think is out of place.” J. KOSTER many years on the K-8 and Ramapo Indian Hills boards of education – before voting in favor of his appointment. The appointment was seen as acknowledgement and recognition of the fact that Madigan, convicted last year of simple assault in a scuffle with an intoxicated high school student while performing crowd control at a football game, had been exonerated on appeal in Superior Court. Madigan had argued that the teenager, who was taken off the field while intoxicated by a police officer, had struck him first and dislodged his eyeglasses, and that his own response was defensive. The Franklin Lakes judge disagreed, but the Superior Court judge agreed that there were no grounds for an assault conviction. “They’re book smart,” Christie said of the other two candidates for the alternate’s position, “but I don’t know if they have the understanding of the community that Tom has. I think that makes him an ideal candidate.” “I can only say that we don’t know about the other candidates because they were not interviewed,” Scanlan said. “I do agree with Brian that (Madigan) has been an excellent record working for the community,” said De Phillips. “He’s a dedicated, hard worker and, when he sinks his teeth into something, he doesn’t let go until he has a full grasp of it,” said Rooney. Boonstra, a life-long resident, also agreed that Madigan was the right man for the appointment. Sue Winton, the only member of the audience to speak to the issue, agreed that Madigan’s appointment was appropriate. “I am very glad you are going to appoint Tom Madigan again,” said Winton, a long-time resident of Wyckoff. “He was an excellent representative of the community and I thank you for putting him on….I think it’s a very positive thing.” “I’m pleased to serve and look forward to making a contribution,” said Madigan, who sat in the audience and did not come forward to the microphone.