Ramsey October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Voters to have choice of candidates on Election Day Ramsey voters who head to the polls on Nov. 5 will have a choice of four candidates for the two available seats on the borough council. Incumbent Republican candidates Vanessa Jachzel and Harry Weber will be running for re-election against Demo- cratic challengers Kelly Van Horn and Edward Falato. The Democratic candidates received enough write-in votes in the June primary to assure their place on the general elec- tion ballot. Falato is a 28-year Ramsey resident. He is married and has four children. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1970- 74, and is a member-at-large of the Vietnam Veterans of America. He is also a member of American Legion Post 57 of Waldwick. Now retired, Falato logged over 30 years as a letter car- rier with the United States Postal Service. He is director of retirees for Branch 120 of the National Association of Letter Carriers and a Congressional District liaison for Bill Pascrell (District 9) for the NJ Association of Letter Car- riers. “Ramsey lacks a new point of view; it has been run by one party for far too long,” Falato said. “Without a two party government, the council becomes complacent and unmoti- vated. I will question what is considered standard and poli- cies that are ‘givens.’ A fresh set of eyes and an open mind are often all you need to revitalize a community. “I want to be a voice for Ramsey seniors and working families…I want to be the face behind anyone feeling frus- trated with the community.” He said his experience as a union leader, football ref- eree, and umpire taught him about fairness, obeying rules, and considering both sides of every situation. Falato also said he would like to make Ramsey more affordable for residents and businesses. “We need two parties to solve this growing problem,” he added. Van Horn, 24, has lived in Ramsey for 13 years. She attended Smith Middle School and Ramsey High School. After high school, she attended University of New Haven, where she earned two bachelor of science degrees, one in chemistry and the other in forensic science. Immediately after graduation, she decided to pursue graduate school and received a master’s in education from University of New Haven. She currently teaches middle and high school math and science at Barnstable Academy. She also teaches dance at Robyn D’Angelo’s in Ramsey. “As I have grown up in Ramsey and watched the town change, I can’t help but feel that we can do better and I want to be a part of the new changes to come,” Van Horn said. “There are many issues that need to be addressed, but I feel that the most important issue facing Ramsey is the fact that the town has been under one party rule for far too long. Having one political party so firmly entrenched has prevented all voices in Ramsey from being heard. It also makes it very difficult to accomplish goals that will benefit the residents who are not part of the circle surrounding the current governing body because if an idea or a person with that idea is not part of the group, the idea or person is dis- missed. It is impossible for a town and its people to grow as a community when only one set of voices and ideas is being heard. I will be a strong voice for my fellow Ramsey residents who are being ignored by the current administra- tion.” Jachzel has lived in Ramsey for nine years and has three school-aged sons. She has a busy law practice representing children with learning disabilities in New Jersey and New York. She began serving on the council in 2008. As chairwoman of the Finance and Administration Committee, Jachzel is responsible for preparing the bor- ough’s annual budget and allocation of capital expenditure funds. Faced with a flat state aid amount and a loss in over- all property valuation, the 2013 municipal budget was pre- sented under the two percent cap, and was smaller than the 2012 budget. Jachzel is also liaison to the board of adjustment and a member of the Building, Planning and Zoning and Public and Governmental Relations committees. She served as council president in 2012. She also helped develop the Ramsey Farmers Market, The Ramsey Journal, “A Taste of Ramsey,” and “Softball for Veterans.” Jachzel is also a member of the board of directors of the Greater Ramsey UNICO. “I pledge to remain a vigilant steward of public funds, and to keep property taxes stable without sacrificing Ramsey’s high quality of life,” Jachzel said. Weber has been a Ramsey resident for over 17 years and is seeking a second term on the council. He has been employed by the New York Stock Exchange for the same 17 years and brings extensive experience in large scale project management, operations, and budgets. Weber is married with two children. As chairman of Utilities, Buildings, and Grounds, Weber had the opportunity to work with outstanding committees such as Environmental Commission to achieve Bronze Status in Sustainable NJ and the Recycling Committee (continued on page 6)