Four Candidates Compete For Two Washington Twp. Council Seats

Four candidates are seeking two seats on the Washington Township Council this year and Mayor Janet Sobkowicz is running unopposed for re-election following her victory in the primary this spring.

Republican candidates Peter Calamari and Tom Sears, who are running with Sobkowicz, both said they would help the town run more smoothly by working with the mayor.

“I want to bring some more peace and harmony to the council, to work better with the mayor, to have less controversy and give the townspeople a voice on the council,” Sears said.

Michael Ullman, a member of the zoning board who also frequently attends council meetings to question officials, is running as an independent candidate.

Ullman said he wanted to focus on traffic congestion, decaying infrastructure and revenue growth and expense management, noting that he would be able to work well with the administration.

Democrat Rosa D’Ambra is also running solo for one of the two council seats. She said she believed it was important to have someone bringing a different perspective to the township government and pledged to address the concerns of all residents.

“I feel that government works better when all political parties are involved,” she said.

D’Ambra has been particularly active in opposing developments at the corner of Pascack Road and Washington Avenue, frequently attending town board meetings and asking questions about applications like 5 Star Gas and CVS with a handful of other residents.

Calamari has also been frequently attending town meetings for the past few years, which is how he came to join the Sobkowicz ticket, he said. He pointed to several of the same issues as Sobkowicz as points he wanted to focus on, including getting a new road resurfacing program going and maintaining existing services. He also said he hoped to help get the fire house renovated.

“I’m approaching everything with an open mind,” he said.

Sears currently serves as the fire director, assistant director of the Office of Emergency Management, a member of the planning board and helps organize town events like Town Day, the Christmas tree lighting and Memorial Day parade. He also voiced support for some of the same issues as Sobkowicz, including eliminating the “no right turn” from Parkway Exit 171 in Woodcliff Lake in order to reduce traffic.

Like D’Ambra, both Republicans also voiced opposition to commercial development at the corner of Pascack and Washington, which Sobkowicz has also opposed.

The election will be held Tuesday.

Correction: an earlier version of this article omitted independent candidate Michael Ullman.