October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Mahwah Township council candidates prepare for election by Frank J. McMahon As the Nov. 5 election draws near, the four candidates seeking to fill a vacancy on the Mahwah Township Council have stated their reasons for seeking office. The candidates include former council- man and Bergen County Freeholder Robert G. Hermansen, planning board member and former council candidate Jonathan N. Marcus, Mahwah Environmental Com- mission member Gregg A. Sgambati, and Mahwah resident Jonathan S. Wong. Hermansen said certain council mem- bers asked him to seek election to the vacant seat because of his previous experi- ence as a councilman and a freeholder. He pointed out that when he was on the coun- cil the township had the 15th lowest taxes in the state and was rated as the ninth best town in the state. He said there are things he wants to do to get the township back to those levels. He added that when he was on the coun- cil he gave his stipend back to the town to be donated to the township’s senior citizen club and the recreation department, and he believes those groups benefited from his decision. Marcus said he feels the township is moving forward in a positive way and he wants to keep it going in that direction. “I have no other purpose but to serve the people of this town and I am here for the long haul,” Marcus said. He pointed out that he only lost his bid for a seat on the council last year by 32 votes and since then he has been at every council meeting and budget hearing, and he has served on the planning board and envi- ronmental commission. “I have been living and breathing this town trying to better understand what the issues are and trying to understand the pathway to moving forward and keeping the dialogue moving in a positive way.” Sgambati said he is running because he would like to make a more profound impact on the town as a public servant after eight years of volunteering in New Jersey and some time lobbying for economic develop- ment in Trenton. “I would also like to bring my balanced sense of fiscal sensibility and social envi- ronmental awareness to the council along with my characteristic skill of coalition building,” Sgambati said. Wong is a newcomer to politics in the township and he said he is running because he believes it is time for the younger gen- eration to get involved in Mahwah’s gov- ernment. “I want to help contribute my ideas to the town that has given so much to me,” Wong said, adding that he would like to see the council have a more unified agenda and hopefully work with the mayor moving for- ward. Hermansen, 44, is employed by Wells Fargo Advisors in Paramus where he is the first vice president, investments. He has been a resident of Bergen County since 1983 and has lived in Mahwah for over 12 years. He is married and has four children and has volunteered as a coach in the township’s recreation programs. A former township councilman, he was elected to the Bergen County Board of Freeholders in 2009 and served as a Bergen County Freeholder from 2010 to 2013. Marcus, 44, has been a resident of Mahwah for over 15 years and lives in the Fardale section of the township with his wife, Tammy, and his two young daughters, both of whom attend schools in Mahwah. He graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in law and society. He earned a juris doctorate, magna cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was a member of the Seton Hall Law Review. Currently, he is the assistant general counsel for one of the “Big 4” certified public accounting firms. Marcus is the immediate past president of the Ramapo College Alumni Association Board of Directors and he is a governor on the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors Sgambati, 50, has resided in Mahwah since 2000. He has been a volunteer rec- reational coach of street hockey, roller hockey, and soccer and he has served on the township’s environmental commission since January 2010. He holds a master of public policy and administration concen- trations from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. He has done additional course work through the Columbia Business School. He is also a staff assistant and lecturer in strategic corporate social responsibility at Columbia University, a certified project management professional, and a guest lec- turer at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Currently he is the manager, client devel- opment, corporate social responsibility for Tachymatics, LLC and Partners, where his key functions are new client development in 10 areas of corporate social responsibil- ity, and engaging new clients in creation or expansion of organizational CSR initia- tives. Wong, 22, is an 18-year resident of the township. He is currently an investment manager for Generation Investment Enter- prises, LLC in Ramsey and he is president and chief executive officer at Trinity Prop- erty Management, LLC in Midland Park. He is also a licensed real estate agent for Full Service Realty, LLC. Prior to that, he was president and chief executive officer of Twist N’ Dips LLC in the Palisades Center Mall. Wong holds a bachelor of business administration in finance and investments with a minor in English from City Univer- sity of New York--Baruch College. He was educated in the Mahwah schools and is a 2009 graduate of Mahwah High. He is also a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Filipino Christian Reformed Church in Jersey City. The vacancy on the council was cre- ated when former Councilman John Spiech resigned on June 27. The council was sub- sequently unable to reach a decision on appointing someone to fill the vacancy. As a result, the seat will remain open until the person elected in November is sworn in to the position in January 2014. Parade, Trunk or Treat set On Oct. 31, Mahwah will host its Hal- loween Parade and Trunk or Treat in the town hall parking lot at 475 Corporate Drive. Activities will begin at 6 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine. Treat sup- pliers should arrive between 5:15 and 5:30.