Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 30, 2014 FLOW Area Regional trustees interview four candidates for board by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education recently interviewed four candidates for the vacant Franklin Lakes seat on the board. That position became available when the former Frank- lin Lakes representative Debbie Strauss suddenly resigned from the board on Feb. 24 after an executive session at which the search for a new superintendent was discussed and it was decided to hire a search firm to help the district find additional candidates. The four candidates interviewed to replace Strauss were Rakesh Chopra, Joseph Conte, Lisa Sciancalepore, and Evros Vassiliou. The candidates answered questions from the board con- cerning their backgrounds, the areas in which they think the district could be strengthened, their ability to make the necessary time commitment to serve as a trustee, and where they would like to see the district in five years. Chopra holds an executive MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford and a BS in account- ing from Rutgers University, where he was on the Dean’s List from 1981 to 1982. Prior to that, he received an AAS in accounting from the Bergen Community College in Para- mus. He is a 1978 graduate of Bergenfield High School. Since 2001, Chopra has been the principal of Chopra Financial Consulting, LLC in New York City. Immediately prior to that, he was the accounting manager–controller of Pompei AD, LLC in New York City, where he was in charge of all of the company’s financial activities. Chopra voiced concern about the Common Core Stan- dards that are being mandated by the state. He said the dis- trict is one of the better districts in the state, and he wants to continue that success. Conte has lived in Franklin Lakes for more than 25 years and has one son who will be graduating from Ramapo High School in June and anther who graduated in 2008. From 1997-2012, he was a member of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education, where he served as president and chair of the Finance and Personnel committees. He holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, a master of science degree from Seton Hall University, and a bachelor of science degree from Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City. Recently, he joined the Blue Buffalo Company in Wilton, Connecticut as a regulatory and development executive. Conte said every child is important and he would like to contribute across the board. He said the district has made good progress and he would like to see it continue to grow. He added that the board has a lot of important decisions to make as they look for a superintendent and work to resolve the teacher contract dispute. Sciancalepore has been a resident of the borough for 22 years. Her husband is a Ramapo High School alumnus, her son graduated from Indian Hills High School in 2012, and her daughter will be graduating from Indian Hills in June. Sciancalepore holds a master’s in public administration from Rutgers University, a BA in political science from the University of Colorado, and teaching certification for Grades K-8 and K-12 social studies from William Paterson University. She is deputy clerk for the Bergen County Freeholder Board. Previously, she was president of the Woodside Avenue School Parent Teacher Association and a member of the executive boards of the Parent Teacher Student Organization at Indian Hills and the Association of Parents Teachers and Students at Ramapo. Sciancalepore said she would like to see technology used more in the district and for the district to stand out more and receive more awards. She said she is excited about technology in the classrooms. Vassiliou has lived in the borough for about three years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Montclair State University and earned a master’s degree in molecular biology and a doctorate in molecular immunology from Rutgers in 2002 and in 2004, respectively. He is an associate professor of immunology in the School of Natural Sciences at Kean University and he is the vice president of the American Academy Alumni Association of New York Inc., an organization that provides scholar- ships to promising but financially disadvantaged students. Vassiliou said he would be able to make the necessary commitment to serve on the board and he would like to see the district become as good as the Ridgewood’s school district. The school board went into closed executive session following the question and answer period, but no action was taken on the appointment that night. School Board President Thomas Bunting advised that once a candidate has been chosen, he or she will be notified by Business Administrator Frank Ceurvels and will be sworn in at the April 28 board meeting. Shawnee property (continued from page 4) primarily to amend the definition of impervious coverage and it is also unconstitutional. In January 2014, the borough planning board unani- mously denied the application by Sabbagh for a variance from the total coverage requirement in the borough’s ordi- nance. Following that denial, the board discussed Sheta’s tes- timony and a concern was expressed that his opinion may not have been contradicted by the borough’s engineer in one single document. It was pointed out, however, that an expert from Boswell McClave Engineering, the borough’s engineering firm, who also has a Ph.D. in hydrology, concluded after reviewing Sheta’s report that neither the openings nor the sub-stone base under the driveway is capable of infiltrating the rainfall described by Sheta and, therefore, the pavement cannot be accepted as a pervious surface. In addition, photos were submitted to the board showing the “ponding” of rain water on the driveway and running off the driveway, which was in direct opposition to Sheta’s testimony.