November 13, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Ho-Ho-Kus Incumbent, challenger ran tight race for board seat by Jennifer Crusco At press time, Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education Presi- dent Colleen Federer appeared to have been the winner of the single seat available in this year’s election. However, challenger Amy Langevin was still awaiting a count of the provisional and absentee ballots before conceding this very close race. After the polls closed, the Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Edu- cation reported that Federer had received 386 votes with Langevin close behind with 351 ballots. Certification of the ultimate tally is anticipated this week. “I want to take a minute to say thank you to all of my sup- porters,” Langevin said. “I’m very proud of the campaign that I ran and the very positive response that I received. As I have stated, the bar is being raised on our parents as our children are faced with dealing with more adult-like challenges at younger ages. I want to ensure that everyone knows my commitment to the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School will never waiver. I look forward to seeing the final results once the (mail-in votes) are tabulated.” Federer expressed her concern that the school board candidates’ names had been listed at the bottom of the ballot, and pointed out that voters had cast significantly more votes for the council candidates than for the school board candidates. Forty-six percent of the borough’s registered voters turned out at the polls on Nov. 5. The board of education election, which featured a challenge, drew relatively few votes when compared with the council election. Council candidates Kevin Shea and Phil Rorty each received over 900 ballots in their uncontested run for re-election. Federer is a regional sales vice president for a major insurance company. If the final statistics confirm her appar- ent win, she would begin her third term when the board reorganizes. Prior to becoming school board president, she served for three years simultaneously on both the North- ern Highlands Regional High School and Ho-Ho-Kus K-8 boards of education. As a Ho-Ho-Kus trustee, Federer has served on several negotiating committees, including those responsible for the last two agreements with the Ho-Ho-Kus Education Asso- ciation and the current contract with Northern Highlands. She chairs the Borough Liaison Committee and recently spearheaded the district’s bond refunding, which resulted in approximately $1 million in savings to Ho-Ho-Kus tax- payers. Federer and her husband Fred have been Ho-Ho-Kus residents for 17 years. They have two children and multiple nieces and nephews in the local school. Federer said her goals include the implementation of the Common Core Standards and the review of the newly- launched NJAcheive Teacher Evaluation System. She said she also plans to focus on future contract negotiations with the Ho-Ho-Kus Education Association and with North- ern Highlands, the regional high school district that now accepts Ho-Ho-Kus students. Langevin has been a Ho-Ho-Kus resident since 1999, and currently has two children in the school system. She earned a degree in accounting from Ramapo Col- lege and works for KPMG, LLP, where she manages a multi-million dollar budget. She supports volunteerism (continued on page 17)