October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Franklin Lakes K-8 election has contest; regional race does not by Frank J McMahon The Franklin Lakes Board of Educa- tion has three trustee positions available in this year’s K-8 school board election. The candidates for those seats include an incumbent, one former board member, and two new candidates. Eight candidates had originally filed nominating petitions, but four withdrew before the deadline and will not seek election to the board. Incumbent Christine Christopoul and former board member and board presi- dent Kathie Schwartz remain in the race, along with Ralph R. Valvano and Anthony Zolfo, both of whom are newcomers. Christopoul has lived in Franklin Lakes for 14 years. She holds a BS in financial decision systems and an MBA, both from SUNY Albany. She has been involved in community volunteerism, including serving as a trustee of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education for the past three years. As a trustee, she has served on the Curriculum, Community Relations, Operations, and Legislative committees. She has also served as the board’s vice president. “I am running for reelection because I want to preserve and improve the high quality of the Franklin Lakes school Voters asked to endorse council representatives Franklin Lakes voters will be asked to endorse borough council candidates Ann Swist and Joseph Cadicina in the Nov. 5 general election. Both are Repub- licans. Cadicina is an attorney and manag- ing member of the law firm of Laufer, Dafena, Cadicina, Jensen & Boyd, LLC in Morristown. He is a member of several county, state, and national bar associations, and he has served on the planning board and zoning board in Saddle Brook. He previously served on the board of education in Garfield. Swist holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and is a retiree of Bristol Myers Squibb, where she was the direc- tor of strategic information and compet- itive intelligences reporting directly to the senior vice president of licensing and acquisitions. Her political involvement includes being a member of the County Committee representing District 2, and being membership chair of the Repub- lican Club of Franklin Lakes, where her husband, Peter, serves as president. system and our community as a whole,” Christopoul said. “My business back- ground combined with the knowledge and experience I gained while serving my first term on the board provides me with the unique opportunity to benefit the community I love and in which I have chosen to raise my children. “Additionally, I want to be a good role model for my kids by demonstrating the importance of both a good education and giving back to the community.” Schwartz has been a Franklin Lakes resident for 15 years, and has three chil- dren who attend Franklin Avenue Middle School. She has a BA in accounting from Rutgers University and an MBA in finance from NYU Stern School of Business. She spent 13 years in the bank- ing and finance industry, with her most recent position as a managing director with Deutsche Bank’s private client and asset management group. Having previously served four plus years on the board, Schwartz was the board’s president for two years, vice pres- ident and chair of the Finance Committee for one year, and served on all of the other board committees. She was the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation representa- tive for the board for two years and the Woodside Avenue School PTA liaison for one year. She has also been active in the community on the executive board of the Franklin Lakes Newcomers and Neigh- bors Club, a Meals on Wheels driver, and a member of the FAMS PTA and Valley Hospital Auxiliary. “I am running for the board of edu- cation again because Franklin Lakes deserves to be a top tier and model school district,” Schwartz said. “I want to bring experience back to the board’s table and work with the board to direct its focus on setting the vision for our schools, hiring (continued on page 15)