Ridgewood could see a new mayor this summer

Ridgewood Mayor David Pfund isn’t up for reelection tomorrow, but he may not keep the mayoral seat much longer.

The town’s five member council, governed under the Faulkner Act, chooses one of its own every two years to become mayor.  Pfund has been mayor for four years, and his council seat is not up for reelection until 2010.  But with five candidates vying for three seats on the body in tomorrow’s election, Pfund may either step down and allow someone else to take the helm.  Or he could try to hold on for reelection at the council’s July 1st reorganization meeting. 

As of right now, Pfund isn’t letting on what he’s going to do, though some local insiders have suggested that he's getting ready to step down. 

“The focus right now is on the municipal election, and afterwards we’ll have a closed-session meeting and we’ll discuss all these issues to move forward in the next term,” said Pfund. 

The position of mayor pays $5,000, as opposed to the regular $3,000 council salary.  While the mayor leads the council, most of the day-to-day operations of running the municipality are the responsibility of the village manager. 

One possible contender for the mayoral spot is Councilwoman Betty Wiest, who’s running for her second term on the council and whose husband, Quentin Wiest, served as mayor between 1986 and 1990.  She was the top vote-getter in the 2004 municipal elections.   

Also running for council is incumbent Jacques Harlow and newcomers Paul Aronsohn, Anne Zusy and Keith Killion. 

Pfund has stayed neutral in this year’s election.