January 11, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Mahwah Health benefits for elected officials eliminated by Frank J. McMahon At a public meeting at the end of 2011, the Mahwah Council voted unanimously to eliminate health benefits for elected officials in the township immediately, or at the end of 2012 for those officials currently receiving the benefit. The council’s action took place following an open debate at a public meeting and a subsequent 90-minute closed session that took place after midnight. The public debate focused on the impact of such an action on the current members of the council who accept the benefit without specifically referring to any particular council member in order to avoid discussing a personnel matter in public. At a previous meeting of the council during the campaign, however, it was revealed that Councilman John Spiech and Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio receive the health care benefit as did former mayor John DaPuzzo. The other members of the council advised that they do not receive a health care benefit from the township. Both DiGiulio and Spiech explained that they accepted the health benefit because neither of their other sources for health care coverage, Medicare or their place of employment, would provide their primary health care coverage if the township offered a health care benefit. The action of the council was prompted by a letter from Mayor William Laforet to the council urging the governing body to eliminate the benefit immediately. The elimination of the health benefit for elected officials was a campaign issue in the 2011 mayoral race in which Laforet was elected. During that campaign, Laforet said he was not running for mayor to get free health care or a pen- sion and, if elected, he would refuse to accept those benefits. Laforet claimed during his campaign that many towns across the state are considering the elimination of health benefits for elected officials in order to reduce expenses during these difficult economic times. Explaining his request for an immediate cessation of (continued on page 22) Romains wins architecture competition Peter Romains of Mahwah has been named the winner of first Core V Studio Design Competition held by The School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Romains won first place in the week-long competition that asked the advanced architecture students to design a new entrance to the college campus. The completed project included field sketches, scale drawings, and a proposal paper explaining how the project improved this section of campus. The contest winner received a plaque and cash award. Romains is a 2009 graduate of Mahwah High School, where he was active in the school’s art and mechanical drawing programs, and was actively involved in design and construction for the drama productions. At right: Peter Romains