Demarest Deserves Better

As a 44-year resident of Demarest, I am committed to protecting the special character of Demarest.

Ray Cywinski has lived in Demarest for 44 years. He served the town as mayor for eight years and as a councilman for more than twelve, and he has sat on boards, committees, and nonprofits here and across the state, including a national board that works with members of Congress and state legislators. In his career he managed a workforce much like a public works department, from snow plowing and road repair to landscaping, and he oversaw both the technical and the financial side of major projects. He owns no property in Demarest except the home he shares with his wife, has no business interests here, and has no family on the Borough payroll. Ray is running to put the budget back under line-by-line review and to get the town asking residents before it decides.

I’m committed to making better public spaces for the families of Demarest.

Steve Tillack has lived in Demarest for eleven years with his wife, Rhoda, and their four children. He is president of the Demarest Nature Center, a volunteer driver for the Demarest Ambulance Corps, and a founder of Boy Scout Troop 20. He spent more than thirty years in finance and business roles at global companies including L’Oréal, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble, where he managed large budgets and found savings without cutting what mattered. Steve is running to be a consensus builder on Council, and to restore the downtown and green spaces Demarest already has rather than replace them with something that could be anywhere.

I’m committed to sensible financial management for our town’s best interests.

Ted Martens has lived in Demarest for 45 years, and his three children went through Demarest public schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade. He is a retired partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a certified public accountant, and a forensic accountant. He served on the Demarest Council from 1996 to 1999 and chaired its Finance Committee. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the New Jersey Army National Guard, where he served as a combat engineer officer, and he is a lector at St. Joseph’s Church. Ted is running to go through the Borough’s budget the way he went through his clients’ books, fix the accounting control problems the auditor has already flagged, and make sure residents hear about big decisions before the vote, not after.

I’m committed to creating programs and spaces for seniors and their families.

Anita Gatto has lived in Demarest for 45 years and raised her two children here, both of whom attended Demarest public schools. She served on the Demarest Council from 2000 to 2006, including as Council President and Police Commissioner. She is a senior sales associate with Corcoran Infinity Properties in Alpine, and earlier worked at CBS Television in live broadcast and air control. She has served on the Northern Valley Regional High School principal’s advisory committee and the Bergen Board of Realtors Ethics Committee. Anita is running for the one-year Council seat to build programs and places where seniors, families, and kids can come together, and to bring the same care to every part of this ticket’s plan.