Majority of Hillsdale Council Seats on Ballot

Four of the six seats on the Hillsdale Council are up for election Tuesday, including two three-year terms and two unexpired terms, one for one year and one for two years.

Four Republican incumbents: Marie Hanlon, Anthony DeRosa, Frank Pizzella and John MacEwen, four Democrats: Larry Meyerson, Jason DeGise, Tom Kelley and Chris Looes and one independent candidate: Jim Moldow, are running for the available seats.

The Republicans have touted the council's decision to use in-house civilian emergency dispatchers and for road work as reasons they should be re-elected.

Hanlon has served several terms on the council. The other candidates have been appointed to the council over the past year. DeRosa joined the council in February to replace Jonathan DeJoseph when he left to become the borough's administrator. Pizzella was appointed to replace Rod Capawana in June and MacEwen was appointed to replace Leslie Becker in August. The candidates all have also volunteered with a variety of community groups in and around Hillsdale.

The Democrats have criticized the current council for taking too long to make a decision on dispatching. They also said they would pursue new solutions to keeping the borough's budget under the state-mandated 2 percent cap and more shared services.

Meyerson is an attorney who previously served as Hillsdale's municipal court judge and as a member of the Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education. DeGise is a member of the fire department and previously served on the planning board. Kelley is also a member of the fire department and a founding member of the Hillsdale and Westwood Flood Solution Group. Looes was previously the Meadowbrook Family and Faculty Association president.

Moldow, a registered Republican running as an independent, has also volunteered with various community groups. Moldow said he would like to introduce ordinances reducing council member salaries and restricting them from taking jobs with the borough. He also wants to work on a variety of flood-related issues, including obtaining more money for buyouts and relocating PSE&G's substation out of the flood zone.

Where to Vote

Some local polling locations have changed because of ongoing power outages. The updated locations for Hillsdale residents are as follows:

• Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5: George G. White Middle School, 120 Magnolia Ave.
• District 6: Ann Blanche Smith School, 1,000 Hillsdale Ave.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.