September 5, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Mahwah Two prospective candidates withdraw from election by Frank J. McMahon As the deadline for the filing of nominating petitions was running out, two candidates who had been expected to seek election in Mahwah dropped out of the race. Former mayor and councilman John DaPuzzo confirmed last week that he will not file a nomination petition to challenge Mayor William Laforet in this year’s mayoral election. Likewise, Daniel Weixeldorfer, a planning board member who sought election to the township council last year, has withdrawn his nominating petition and will not seek election to the council in November. DaPuzzo explained that he obtained more than the necessary number of signatures to challenge Laforet, but has decided instead to support Edward Sinclair, the superintendent of the department of public works, who will be seeking the mayor’s post this fall. Weixeldorfer has been a licensed real estate broker for over 20 years and is the past president of the Passaic County Board of Realtors. In his letter of withdrawal, he explained that he has accepted a job offer that will not afford him the proper time to serve as a council member. Councilman Samuel Alderisio is not seeking reelection to the township council, but incumbent Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio will seek reelection. DiGiulio has been a resident for 31 years and has been on the council for 20 years. She is serving her sixth term in office, and has been the council’s vice president five times and its president three times. Incumbent Councilman John Roth, who has served as the council’s vice president and president, and has been the council’s liaison to the Cable TV Committee, will be seeking his third full term in the November election. Roth served on the Mahwah Board of Education from 1999 to 2002 and was a member of the planning board from 2002 to 2003. He was elected to the council in 2004 and reelected in 2008. Several others have obtained nominating petitions from the township clerk’s office, but had not officially filed them at press time. Candidates must obtain the supporting signatures of 155 Mahwah residents in order to file a nominating petition. The filing deadline was 4 p.m. on Sept. 4. Mayor William Laforet has been the owner of the Sunoco Gas Station at the corner of Franklin Turnpike and Miller Road in Mahwah for the past 35 years and is a current member of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance. He will be seeking election to his first full four-year term as mayor after being elected last year to serve out the final year of the unexpired term of previous Mayor Richard J Martel, who died in March 2011. Prior to his election as the mayor last year, Laforet was a member of the Mahwah Beautification Committee and a member of the township’s board of adjustment. A former member of the Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters and coach for Mahwah football, Laforet has been a member of the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce for 35 years. He has been named the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year twice, and was Bergen County Man of the Year in 1991. He received the Mahwah Pride Award in 2003. Laforet also was the co-organizer of the first Mahwah Day and has helped raise money for various charities. Sinclair is a volunteer firefighter and former fire chief and a life-long township resident. He grew up on First Street in West Mahwah, and attended Immaculate Conception School. He graduated from Mahwah High School in 1975. He and his wife, Jackie Borish Sinclair, have two children, Benjamin and Melissa, who graduated from Mahwah’s public schools. Prior to becoming the township’s DPW superintendent, he was superintendent of water and sewers for the Borough of Ramsey. As DPW superintendent, he advised that he is responsible for preparing and controlling annual budgets, setting capital budgets, hiring and managing all personnel, and directing daily operations. In addition to being a volunteer firefighter at Company #2 on Island Road, Sinclair was a volunteer EMT driver for Company #1 Ambulance for five years. He coached Mahwah DARE street hockey, youth baseball, football, T- ball, softball, and coordinated dozens of badge projects for Eagle Scouts. Sinclair received his Public Works Manager certification from Rutgers University and received additional certification in public service administration from Fairleigh Dickinson. He is a New Jersey licensed fire official and a nationally certified municipal pool operator. He holds state licenses in public water distribution, water treatment, and waste water collection.