April 10. 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Ramsey On April 16, Ramsey voters will go to the polls to cast their ballots on the tax levy associated with the proposed $58,407,487 school budget for 2013-14. Voters will also select three of the four candidates who are seeking seats on the school board. Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The budget includes a general fund that totals $54,818,333, special revenue in the amount of $1,167,258, and debt service that totals $2,421,896. If approved at the polls, the budget would result in a 2013 school tax increase of approximately $15 for the owner of a house assessed at $427,200. According to the budget brochure, over $550,000 has been included in the budget to address increased security in all of the school buildings. The district’s many appropriations will include $18,134,025 for regular programs – instruction, $4,110,390 for special education – instruction, $4,568,598 for operation and maintenance of plant services, $1,786,914 for student transportation services, and $8,249,179 for personal services – employee benefits. Of the figures listed here, the appropriations for special education and employee benefits have decreased by $117,754 and $995,566, respectively. The candidates who will appear on the ballot, include newcomer Reena Chawla and incumbents Timothy Finnegan, Claudia Monteith, and Carrie Williams. Chawla has been a resident of Ramsey since 2008, although her association with the town and its families goes back to 2005, when her children joined the local Cub Scout Pack. The candidate is an electronics engineer and is cur- Voters to elect candidates, decide on budget rently working on an MBA specializing in entrepreneurship and strategy from Babson College in Wellesley, MA. She will graduate in May. Her work experience has primarily been in the IT consulting arena. In 2005, she founded a social enterprise in the area of preventive health and fitness. She is also a member of the Woman’s Club of Ramsey. Chawla is married and has two boys who attend Smith Middle School. Her sons have been part of the Boy Scout program for many years, and both boys now belong to Troop 31. Finnegan won his current term in 2010 and is now seeking a second term on the board. He is serving as chairman of the board’s Finance Committee and as a member of the Personnel and Community Action committees. A 16-year borough resident, Finnegan has been involved in the Ramsey Junior Football Association and the Ramsey Baseball Association. His three children attend Ramsey’s schools. Finnegan holds a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is a managing director at JP Morgan Chase, where he has been employed for 15 years. Monteith was a Ramsey Board of Education trustee from 1996 to 2007, when she opted not to seek a new term. In 2009 she returned to the board, replacing trustee Erik Endress, who resigned. She is a graduate of Ramsey High and of the University of New Hampshire, where she received a bachelor’s degree in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. Now retired, she worked for over 30 years in the diagnostic/biotechnology industry. Her community involvement has included work with the local Boy and Girl Scout organizations. She has also been a Sunday school teacher at the First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey, where she is currently serving as a deacon. She and her husband Bob have two children, both of whom are Ramsey High School graduates, and two grandchildren. She currently chairs the Negotiations Committee and the Policy Committee and serves as a member of the Personnel Committee. She previously served as chair of the “Who’s Who” publication that used to be published for the Borough of Ramsey. She served two terms on the Ramsey (continued on page 29)