Ridgewood Village Council Candidate Profile: Siobhan Winograd

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — While the focus on Nov. 3 will be on the Congressional midterm elections, several North Jersey towns including Ridgewood are seeing contested races for local government.

In Ridgewood, four candidates are running in a non-partisan election for two seats on the five-member Village Council.

Every two years, the council members choose a mayor from among themselves.

New Jersey's voter registration deadline for the election is Oct. 13. Early voting in New Jersey runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

Those competing for the four seats are:

• Evan Weitz (incumbent)
• Siobhan Winograd (incumbent)
• Hyunju Kwak
• Denise Pierce

Patch is running profiles submitted by candidates via a form. Below are candidate Evan Weitz's biographical details and answers to two questions, verbatim.

Check Ridgewood Patch for the other candidate profiles, and sign up to receive our free newsletter full of daily news each morning here.

Profile: Siobhan Winograd

Age: 53

Education: I am a proud graduate of the Ridgewood public school system (Orchard, GWMS, and RHS ’91). I earned a BA in engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from Fordham University School of Business

Work and Volunteer: In addition to my educational background, I worked at Tiffany & Co. for almost ten years, where I was Director of New Product Development & Engineering. I later founded Womily LLC, a boutique company that specialized in custom design jewelry, and then was employed part time at Borobabi, a sustainable clothing company headquartered here in Ridgewood. As described below, I also have a proven track record over many years of serving this community and playing instrumental roles in successful community initiatives.

I have always endeavored to serve our wonderful community in meaningful ways, including through key roles with, e.g.: Ridgewood High School Alumni Association One Village One Vote, Ridgecrest Toiletry Tuesday, HSAs, Ridgewood League of Women Voters, Ridgewood Guild, Feed the Front Lines, Ridgewood Mom & Dads Facebook Forum, Ridgewood Community Relations Advisory Board, Ridgewood Pride Committee, Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ridgewood and Glen Rock, Women for Progress, 2020 Complete Count Census Committee, RHS Reunion Committee, Lafayette College Reunion Committee, Project Graduation

For the past four years, it has been my honor to serve on the Ridgewood Village Council, where I am the Council Representative on the following committees:

• Fields Committee
• Project Pride Committee
• Shade Tree Commission
• Ridgewood Community Access Network
• Stigma Free Task Force
• Residential Flood Advisory Committee

I was born and raised in Ridgewood and while I moved away in 1991, Ridgewood has always been home since my parents continued to lived here. My husband, Mike, and I returned in 2005 to raise our two children Liam and Chloe and to be closer to family.

Longer Questions

1.What do you think are the biggest problems facing your electorate right now, and how do you hope to help solve them?

My campaign focuses on several challenges and opportunities for Ridgewood. 1) improvements to the CBD, such as the future use of the Town Garage site on Franklin Ave and upgrading the train pedestrian tunnel, as well as enhanced beautification through tree planting, flowers, and holiday lights and also working to convert Warner Theater into a performing arts center through a NJEDA grant; 2) improving our parks system, including moving forward with and opening Schedler, implementing an inclusive playground (now that Ridgewood is eligible for Jake's Law grants) while continuing to address flood mitigation for low-lying areas.

2. Why are you the most qualified for the spot?

My strong educational and professional background, years of meaningful involvement in this community, and unique set of interpersonal skills make me the ideal candidate for Village Council. I was born in Ridgewood, lived most of my life here, raised my children here, and have always been active in this great community. .Four years ago, I set out to be an engaged and independent voice for the residents of this great Village with the goal of helping our community move forward on vital issues that had lingered for too long. Through initiative, collaboration, and hard work, this Council has been able to achieve an unprecedented number of improvements for our community over the past four years. From large to small, these accomplishments have helped further enhance the Village we all love. I am running for re-election to continue to contribute to this Village, along with my fellow Councilmembers and our professional staff — and to carry on the civil tone that we have helped establish at Village Hall, where transparency guides communication and where Councilmembers and staff alike are reachable and responsive. Winograd2026 has highlighted what I have done, what I plan on doing and why I am the exact candidate to get these initiatives done.

More About The Race

Each term is four years, with elections held in staggered years. Read about the Village Council here.

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See the New Jersey voter information portal and election timelines here.