Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • March 28, 2012 Mahwah Mayor honors long-term township volunteers by Frank J. McMahon Mahwah Mayor William Laforet has issued several proclamations honoring five residents for nearly 40 years of service to the township. The residents honored included John Brotherton, George Cimis, John Kelly, Carol Lee Phiefer, and Nicholas Savino. Laforet described the honorees as a distinguished group of residents who have dedicated their lives to serving the community. He said he considered it an honor to recognize these residents. “Your efforts can never be duplicated,” Laforet told them. The mayor presented each resident with a plaque indicating that they had “served the Township of Mahwah in an exemplary and outstanding manner for an extraordinarily long period of time, thereby acquiring the recognition and respect of the municipal officials and the citizens of the Township of Mahwah.” Brotherton has lived in the township since 1963 and has served as a member of the planning board since 1987. He has been the chairman of that board for the past year. He has also served on the township’s housing commission since 1994 and as a member of the township’s environmental commission since 1986. “I have been pleased to work with my fellow board members and employees over the years,” Brotherton remarked upon receiving his plaque. Cimis moved to the township in 1970, having been employed by Volkswagen of America and the Ford Motor Company, which was located on what is now known as the Crossroads property on Route 17. In 1973, Cimis was appointed as a member of the township’s board of adjustment, where he has continued to serve uninterrupted for 40 years. Laforet pointed out that Cimis has served one of the longest known terms of membership on any municipal board in Bergen County. According to Laforet, Cimis immediately became involved in municipal affairs and was appointed concurrently as a member of the township’s planning board in 1982. Cimis served as the board of adjustment’s vice chairman and chairman from 2006 until 2010. “It has been my distinct honor and privilege to have served my town,” Cimis said. Savino has lived in Mahwah for many years and has served as a member of the Mahwah Republican Club where (continued on page 14) He explained that the Ramsey OEM will be focusing on planning, mitigation, and recovery. Long-term planning, he said, will include working with Bergen County and the New Jersey State Police OEM as the local organization identifies projects that will be beneficial to the borough. “Planning is about keeping all emergency management plans current. If there is a disaster, we’ll have a blueprint,” Venturini said. He noted that the planning process includes having a list of available vendors should local employees become overwhelmed by a large-scale event. Mitigation involves initiatives that are pursued in advance of an incident to lessen the effects of a disaster, while recovery is the post-disaster phase that involves the identification and documentation of areas or structures that have been damaged. The recovery process also involves notification of the proper agencies, providing cost estimates, and attempting to obtain the borough’s share of funding available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. OEM coordinator (continued from page 3) a certified floodplain manager. He is trained in various areas, including Incident Command System 100, 200, and 300; National Response Framework 800; and CERT Train the Trainer. He is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers, the International Association of Floodplain Managers, the National Fire Protection Association, and the International Code Council. He is also a ham radio operator. In his new post, he will be working with three deputies, including Bruce Greenwood, Ramsey Police Sergeant Angelo LaManna, and Glen Karpovich, who also serves as OEM’s public information officer. “This is a team effort, and we have a great team in Ramsey,” Venturini said.