Boonstra Expected to be Named Mayor

Deputy Mayor Rudy Boonstra will likely be named mayor of Wyckoff for 2010 when township government reorganizes on Friday.

Boonstra, a lifelong Wyckoff resident who is in his first term on the governing body, is expected to assume the mayor's seat from departing Mayor Joe Fiorenzo. Under the township's form of government, the five members of Township Committee stand for election and then vote to appoint the mayor for a one-year term. The mayor, while generally leading meetings, does not enjoy any privileges over his peers.

The current committee—Boonstra, Fiorenzo, David Connolly, Brian Scanlan and Richard Alnor—will conclude its Dec. 15 meeting, which wasn't adjourned, at 11 a.m. Friday. Fiorenzo, who did not stand for re-election this year, is expected to make a statement before the existing governing body adjourns for the last time. Incoming Committeemen Kevin Rooney and Chris DePhillips will be sworn in at noon, and the newly constituted governing body will solicit a nomination for 2010's mayor.

Barring any surprises, Boonstra is expected to be named by his peers. The longtime volunteer is part-owner of Sicomac Dairy and has a long history of service to the township, including stints on the zoning Board of Adjustment, Wyckoff Board of Education and Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education. He is a 40-year member of the Wyckoff Fire Department and volunteers on the board of the Children's Day Nursery and Family Center in Passaic.

The committee also is expected to pass proclamations in honor of Fiorenzo and Alnor, who also did not stand for re-election this year. Fiorenzo has served three years as mayor in his three terms on the committee. An attorney, Fiorenzo has chaired the Parks & Recreation board and has been a Planning Board member since 1996. Alnor, also a lifelong Wyckoff resident, is completing his second term in office. A firefighter, Alnor served as chief of the department from 2000 to 2003 and has served on the Board of Adjustment.

The reorganization meeting, which will be held at noon in the Municipal Courtroom, also will see votes on a slew of policies and procedures that need to be adopted or re-adopted on an annual basis. Additionally, the committee will appoint residents to various volunteer boards to fill seats expiring this year. All of the following appointments are subject to an affirmative vote of Township Committee.

Board of Adjustment

Members Doug Christie, Carl Fry and Colin Bell's seats are expiring this year, and Christie and Fry are expected to be nominated for re-appointment to the board, along with current Environmental Commission member Mark Borst. Additionally, Robert Decker, a retired home builder and former recreational coach, and Karl Drehwing, a contractor and former recreational coach, are expected to be nominated as alternates to the zoning board. Rooney, the incoming committee member, is expected to be the governing body's liasion to the zoning board, which he currently chairs.

Planning Board

This body is expected to see greater turnover, with the likely departures of Fiorenzo, Connolly, Gordon Stanley, Chairman Bob Steinbruch and Randy Hoogerheyde. Current members Jaime McGuire, Robert Kane and Fred Depken, the township's fire marshall and zoning officer, are expected to be reappointed alongside current zoning board member Rich Bonsignore, Drita McNamara, Boonstra, Rooney and Douglas Macke, a former engineer.

Environmental Commission

Current members Henry Shotmeyer and Hoogerheyde are expected to be reappointed to the Environmental Commission. They may be joined by Kathy Scarpelli, who serves on the Planning Board, and Peter Wiederhold, a quality assurance analyst with AIG Inc. and a former Wyckoff recreation coach.

Shade Tree Commission

This body expects the departures of members Don Smith and Alnor, who may be replaced by Daniel Kindergan and Glenn Sietsma. Kindergan is a self-employed landscape designer who has lived in the township for 10 years. Sietsma is a 20-year resident who owns a landscaping business.

Library Board

Boonstra is likely to continue serving as liaison to the board of trustees, and current members Lauren DeKorte and Vince Antonacci are expected to be re-appointed. Member Nancy Perry's seat may be filled by resident Grace White.

Board of Health

Current members David Klopp, Linda Brock, Patricia Reineke and President Dorothy Fish are expected to be re-appointed to the Board of Health. Steven Sclafani's seat may be filled by Donna Garbaccio, while incoming Committeeman DePhillips may take over the role of liaison from Committeeman Scanlan.