September 12, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 13 Mayor was honorary delegate at national convention by John Koster Wyckoff Mayor Christopher DePhillips said that being an honorary New Jersey delegate at the Republican National Convention in Florida was a memorable firsthand look at a process he has admired since he was a teenager in 1976. “It was a wonderful experience to see something in person I had only seen before on TV,” DePhillips said last week, after his return. The downside, he said, was that people who watched the convention on television got the benefit of better audio services than the delegates and other guests at the event. DePhillips reported that he saw Clint Eastwood’s speech to an empty chair representing President Obama, but had some trouble hearing parts of it. The Wyckoff mayor had arrived on Sunday and had stayed through the entire convention, including the wipeout due to rain from Hurricane Isaac. DePhillips, who had previously announced he would not be seeking reelection this November, said that New Jersey, with more than 500 official and honorary delegates had one of the largest delegations at the convention. One of the best parts of the convention, DePhillips said, was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s keynote speech. “I think he put New Jersey on the map by talking about how smaller government and lower taxes had started to turn things around in New Jersey and how they would turn things around nationally when Mitt Romney and Pat Ryan were elected,” DePhillips noted. Members of the Wyckoff Township Committee, who heard briefly about Mayor DePhillips’ convention trip at the governing body’s Sept. 5 meeting, said that just as Governor Christie had put New Jersey on the map, Mayor DePhillips had put Wyckoff on the map. “I think it’s really great that he was there to represent us,” said Township Committeeman Rudy Boonstra. The Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department will host a Memorial Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The service will be held at the Wyckoff Fallen Firefighters Memorial located at Fire Company #1 at Scott Plaza. All are invited to attend. The service will honor all those who were lost on Sept. Township to host Memorial Ceremony 11, 2001, including 11 residents of Wyckoff. One of those residents was Dana Rey Hannon, a former member of the Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department who was serving with the FDNY the day of the attacks. Wyckoff also lost David Brady, Thomas Bowden, Alan (continued on page 15) Mayor Christopher DePhillips