Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 23, 2012 Franklin Lakes Council appoints Thomas Lambrix to fill vacancy by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes governing body has unanimously appointed Thomas Lambrix to fill the vacancy on the council that was created on May 1 when former Councilman William Smith resigned and was appointed to the post of borough attorney. Lambrix was one of three nominees whose names were submitted to the council by the borough’s Republican County Committee. State law requires that a council vacancy be filled by the governing body’s appointment of a new member from a list of three nominees submitted by the county committee. Nominees must be from the same political party as the person who created the vacancy. Lambrix was nominated to join the council by Councilman Frank Pedone and that nomination was seconded by Councilman Charles Kahwaty, with all the members of the council present voting in support of the nomination. “Tom Lambrix is a very good replacement for Councilman Smith,” Councilwoman Paulette Ramsey stated after the vote to appoint him to the council. “He has experience as chair of the environmental commission, he runs a good meeting, and he is dedicated to Franklin Lakes.” Lambrix was immediately sworn in by Mayor Frank Bivona and took his seat on the council. After the meeting, he commented on his appointment. “I’m honored to have received the appointment from the mayor and council to take the seat of William Smith,” Lambrix said. “I’m excited about getting to work right away and getting up to speed on the issues and making a contribution as soon as I can. “I’m going to be particularly interested in issues where I have had some background already in the borough, such as environmental quality, parks and recreation, and also in the finance and administration area. I just think Franklin Lakes is a great place to live. We have a mayor and council that are on the right path in terms of their attention to the fiscal issues and also the intent and desire of the mayor and council to continue to promote and enhance the great quality of life that we enjoy here in the borough. So it’s going to be a privilege for me to work with them.” Lambrix previously filed a nominating petition to seek election to the council in the upcoming primary and general elections to replace Smith, who previously announced that he would not seek reelection to the council. Lambrix will now fill out Smith’s unexpired term to the end of this year, while seeking election to a full three-year term on the council in the November general election. Lambrix has lived in the borough for 20 years. He was appointed chairman of the Franklin Lakes Environmental Commission in 2007 and still serves in that position. He is an adjunct professor of management and communications in the Anisfield School of Business at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he has taught graduate business administration courses and is teaching several undergraduate business courses. He has a degree in chemistry from Rutgers University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts. Lambrix has been active coaching in the recreation program. He was a member of the committee that analyzed the controversial split of the borough’s students between the two schools in the regional high school district. That situation, which was in effect in the 1990s, has since been reversed. Lambrix was a member of the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education’s Horizon Project and Community Issues Committee. For 10 years, he helped write scripts and performed in the regional high school district’s FLOW Follies scholarship fundraising program. His last corporate position was as executive vice president of the Hawthorn Group, a Washington, D.C. public affairs company, where he led the firm’s energy and environmental practice. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of communications and public affairs for Union Camp Corporation, a company he joined in 1992 as vice president of communications. Before joining Union Camp, Lambrix spent 10 years with Phillips Petroleum Company in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where he was manager of external communications. Prior to his tenure at Phillips, Lambrix received a presidential appointment to the White House domestic policy staff as assistant director for energy and natural resources. He also was the founding chairman of a Washington, D.C. industry group called the Global Climate Coalition. He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Nature Conservancy of New Jersey. Children of all ages are invited to the Summer Reading Club’s first event: a party that will be held June 27 at 7 p.m. “Bubble Trouble,” featuring Jeff Boyer, will include music and comedy. Registration to attend will begin May 29 for Franklin Lakes residents. Register by phone at (201) 891-2224 or visit the library at 470 DeKorte Drive during regular library hours. This event is sponsored by The Friends of the Library. This year’s Summer Reading Club “Dream Big: READ!” is open to Franklin Lakes readers and pre-readers. Participants may sign up for the club at any time at the library or at www.franklinlakeslibrary.org. The club will begin June 18 and ends Aug. 11. Early bird registration will be held beginning June 11. Young readers are encouraged to keep track of how many books they read throughout the summer on the library’s official reading log. Children who will be entering grades one and two may come to the library on June 12 at 4 p.m. to design a tile that will decorate the ceiling of the children’s department. Students in grades three through five may make tiles on June 13 at 4 p.m. Registration for this “Michelangelo” craft will begin May 29. Reading Club party set