At the Mahwah Planning Board’s reorganization meeting Monday night, mayoral appointments Daniel Weixeldorfer and Todd Van Duren were sworn in and assumed their new roles.

The duo replaced two former planning board members – John Brotherton and John Kelly – who Mayor Bill Laforet said chose to retire before the New Year. The two gave “service to this community that was historic,” Laforet said.

Weixeldorfer, who many remember from a run for town council in 2010, is a RE/MAX real estate agent who has lived in Mahwah for the past ten years. The President of the Ramapo Ridge Condo Association said the major issues about to face the Planning Board are the main reasons he was interested in the position.

The upcoming Crossroads Town Center public hearing and the revamping of the township’s Master Plan are “important things that could really change the face of Mahwah,” Weixeldorfer said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”

Weixeldorfer live in the township with his wife, Kristine, and two daughters Lauren and Jenny, who are both attending Pace University.

For Todd Van Duren, whose family has owned and operated the Ramsey Auto Group since 1968, this is his first venture in township government. “I have lived here almost my entire life,” Van Duren, who said he’s lived in Mahwah since 1975, said. “It’s a great town, and if I can help steer it in the right direction, then I want to do that.”

Van Duren lives in Mahwah with his wife, three kids and a dog.

Laforet said he is proud of the two appointments, especially moving into what promises to be a controversial year on the Planning Board. “These are really good guys, and we are thrilled to have them.”

The Planning Board’s next meeting, on January 23, will begin the Crossroads Town Center public hearing.