Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • May 16, 2012 Mahwah Three seats available on township’s school board by Frank J. McMahon The three seats now held by Mahwah Board of Education trustees Christine Davis, John Dolan, and Candace Larson will be on the ballot in the Nov. 6 general election. All three terms are due to expire at the end of the year. Davis and Dolan have confirmed that they will seek reelection, while Larson has advised that she will not be seeking reelection after five terms on the board. Larson has served on the school board since 1997, and held several positions including first vice president and second vice president. She has served as the George Washington School HSO’s president and has held various other positions in the Home & School organizations at George Washington, Joyce Kilmer, and Ramapo Ridge schools. Davis has lived in the township for 18 years and has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Ramapo College. She will be seeking her fourth term on the school board, where she has served on the Finance, Facilities, Public Relations, and Executive/Planning committees. She has also been the board’s liaison to the Thunderbird Scholarship Committee and to the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. She has served as president and vice president of several home and school organizations and has been a religious education teacher at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Dolan currently chairs the school board’s Finance Committee and is a member of the Facilities Committee. He is a long-term member of the board, having been appointed in October 1992 to serve an unexpired term that lasted until 1995. He was elected again in 2000 and has since served four consecutive terms. This fall, he will be seeking his fifth consecutive term. According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, a person seeking election to a school board must complete a nominating petition that includes the signatures of at least 10 qualified voters who reside within the school district, one of whom may be the candidate. A petition form must be obtained from the Bergen County clerk’s office in Hackensack, and the petition must be submitted to the county clerk on or before 4 p.m. on primary day, June 5, 2012, for the 2012 general election. To become a member of a board of education in New Jersey, a candidate must be able to read and write, hold U.S. citizenship and at least one year of residency in the school district, and must be registered to vote in the district before filing a nominating petition. Candidates may not have any interest in, contract with, or claim against the school board, and may not hold office as mayor or member of the municipal governing body. Candidates must not be disqualified from board membership due to conviction for certain crimes. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal history background investigation through the New Jersey Department of Education within 30 days of election or appointment to the school board.