Allendale October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Three candidates compete for two council seats by John Koster This November’s Allendale Borough Council election will feature three candidates competing for two seats on the governing body. The three hopefuls include Demo- cratic candidate Carol Sheehan, Republican Stephen Sasso, and incumbent Republican Councilman Ari Ber- nstein. Susan LaMonica, who served on the borough council for two terms, elected not to seek re-election this year. Bernstein is seeking his third term on the council. He is a graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School and Johns Hopkins and received a law degree from Pace University. He is an attorney and partner in a regional law firm. “As a member of the planning board, we conducted a complete revision of the master plan to address the future of Allendale and its development for many years to come,” Bernstein said of his credentials for seeking a third term. “As the chairman of the Public Safety Committee, I have been fortunate to work with the police department, fire department, ambulance corps, and CERT, particularly through Hurricane Sandy, to address the safety, concerns, and well-being of all our residents. If re-elected to the council, I will continue to do my utmost to work with the mayor and council, all of the departments, and the resi- dents to preserve the unique character of this town while ensuring the necessary discipline in all aspects of town management so that future generations can continue to enjoy this wonderful community.” Sasso is a member of the Allendale Planning Board and treasurer of the Allendale Republican Club. The candidate grew up in Bergen County. He holds an MBA in finance. “When we decided it was time to move back to New Jersey, we chose Allendale because of my fond memories as a child coming here during the summers, and Allendale is very much the same as it was then,” said Sasso. “I was honored to have been appointed to the planning board in 2009, as the board is second only to the mayor and council in its contribution to the long-term direction of Allendale. As part of the last master plan re-examination, we made decisions from which future generations will benefit, and I’m proud to have helped protect the character of our town. I was further honored this year when the WTC Steel Memorial Committee asked me to be their treasurer. “The council is the next step for me to contribute more... As a fiscal conservative, I am thankful that they have delivered a zero municipal budget tax increase three years in a row...I would like to join that team, to continue the work needed to keep our town the model of fiscal respon- sibility, the model for open space protection and thought- ful growth and to keep Allendale the jewel of Northwest Bergen, the town we love.” Sheehan has lived in Allendale for 17 years with her husband Neil and their children, Tim and Meaghan. Shee- han is a member and secretary of the Allendale Planning Board and is active with the Field of Dreams at Northern Highlands. She also serves on the Ridgewood Concert Band Board of Trustees. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Sheehan is a gradu- ate of Douglass College and holds a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation. She has been employed by Plymouth Rock Assurance and its predeces- sor since 1981. Sheehan believes her skills will complement those of the current council members. As a director at Plymouth Rock Assurance Company, she has managed people for most of her career and has a solid track record in motivat- ing her staff to work as a team to deliver results. She has managed a number of projects and has been responsible for several new system deployments. Sheehan feels very strongly about maintaining the small-town feel of Allendale while fostering a sound eco- nomic base. She believes elected officials need to main- tain municipal services while controlling property taxes. If elected, she said she would direct more attention to the promotion of shared services. Candidates for the Allendale K-8 and Northern High- lands Regional High School boards of education will be running unopposed in the Nov. 5 election. Northern Highlands Three Upper Saddle River incumbents will vie for two available seats on the Northern Highlands Regional Board of Education in November. Dr. Robert A Hands Jr., Ann Pagano, and Robert C. Wei will run for new terms on the regional board. Wei previously served on the Upper Saddle River K-8 board for seven years. Pagano unseated prior incumbents to win election to the regional board. Dr. Hands is a pedi- atric physician with a local practice. Allendale, which also has voting rights in the regional district, does not have any trustees up for election this year. The Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education also accepts students from Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus. J. KOSTER BOE candidates seek endorsements Allendale K-8 Allendale voters will be asked to endorse two incum- bents this November, with an unexpected incumbent on the ballot. Veteran trustee and present Board President Melissa Duncan will run for election to a third term, and Gwen Keeble, appointed in June, will run for the seat left vacant by John Geraghty who resigned this year when he encoun- tered increased business responsibilities. Keeble is an environmental manager for Rockland Electric and has a degree from Rutgers University in envi- ronmental science.