On Jan. 1, Woodland Park’s Borough Council saluted three outgoing members and welcomed three newcomers.
The Borough said “thank you” to outgoing council members Gary Holloway, Rita Pascrell, and Joseph Spinelli as all three retire from their posts. Holloway has served the Borough for 12 years. Pascrell and Spinelli both served for 21 years.
Mayor Keith Kazmark embarked on a journey together 21 years ago with Pascrell and Spinelli in running for the Council.
“The Borough will forever be indebted to these three public servants,” he said. “You do this because you want to help. You do this because you want to make a difference.”
The three outgoing council members helped oversee a 15-year road resurfacing plan, the McBride Streetscape project, the installation of the first turf field and revamping of Zaccaria Park, and the revamping of the recycling center, among their many accomplishments.
Kazmark then swore in the newly elected trio of newcomers to the Council – Michael Sica, Christine Tiseo, and Sam Yodice Jr.
In selecting the candidates, the precursor was that they have to care, Kazmark noted. “Beyond that, you need to look at what they represent,” he said. “I don’t think we could have found a better group to follow out outgoing council members.”
Councilman Sica serves as president of the Four Seasons at Great Notch Homeowners’ Association, having served for five years. Most recently, he helped to manage a $1.2 million capital improvement project at the FSGN Clubhouse including HVAC replacement, interior reconstruction, and electrical/utility upgrades. He also serves on the Passaic Valley Regional Flood Control Board and is a member of the Office of Emergency Management.
Sica holds three master’s degrees in Organizational Psychology, Measurement Evaluation & Statistics, and Education from Columbia University, and serves as interim director of employee relations at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was previously employed at the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, Brink’s Inc., and Yeshiva University, all in Human Resources.
Sica is an avid student of history and has frequently presented historical programs. He also serves on the Board of the Institute of New Dimension, an adult education program centering on American history, government, and culture.
Sica and his wife Marilyn, a retired career educator in New York City, raised their family in Teaneck before moving to Woodland Park in 2015. They have three adult children, one granddaughter, and one great-granddaughter.
Councilwoman Tiseo served as president of the Woodland Park Board of Education in 2022, where she worked to expand tuition-free Pre-K, install air conditioning in every classroom, and launch the Education Foundation. A veteran of the United States Army, she is a graduate of Montclair State University with a degree in sociology.
She serves as a member of and was vice chair of the Stigma Free Task Force, where she became mental health first aid certified, and a member of the Mayor’s Good & Welfare Committee.
She previously was secretary of the Beatrice Gilmore Home & School Association, class parent, and chair of the 4th Grade Committee. She is also a former member of the West Paterson Boys & Girls Club.
A resident for 15 years, Tiseo and her husband Jason, who is a special education teacher and the head baseball coach at Passaic Valley High School, have two children, Izzy, a student at PVHS, and Patty, who attends Memorial School.
Councilman Yodice is a nine-year member of the Passaic Valley Board of Education, most recently serving as President. In 2021, he guided the search for a new Superintendent of Schools, oversaw many facility upgrades at the school, and spearheaded the new turf athletic field, lighting, and track project on the main field at PV.
A graduate of Passaic Valley High School and Montclair State University with a degree in History, Yodice serves as the executive director of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Athletic League (PAL) and is the former executive director of the Passaic County Department of Senior Services, Disability & Veteran Affairs in Totowa. He has also coached football locally and at PVHS.
Yodice is a past president of the West Paterson Boys & Girls Club, served as chair of the Recreation Advisory Board in 2022, and was a member of the Alfred H. Baumann Library Construction Project Committee, the Open Space Committee, and a Mayor’s Delegate to the Planning Board.
A life-long resident, he and his wife Danielle, a salon owner in Paramus, have two daughters, Ella, who attends Charles Olbon School, and Olivia, who attends School 1.