Yitzy Ullman has something that nobody running for a town wide office has, and that is his youth. His running mates, Supervisor Christopher P. St. Lawrence and fellow Councilman David J. Stein, may have energy and experience as well, but Ullman has captured the title of being the youngest elected official in any office within the town of Ramapo or any of its villages.

Youth is the trademark of Ullman’s campaign and a symbol of a slate of candidates with diverse life experiences and assets that each brings to the election. While it may seem that Ullman mostly brings youthful vigor to the ticket, he brings far more than that.

For almost 10 years, Ullman, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration, worked as an administrator of assisted living facilities in Ramapo serving the elderly and disabled. That work, he said, “kept me connected to the community and families in this town.”

Ullman is no stranger to politics. A well-known leader in the Spring Valley Democratic Committee for years, he has run for office before, including in 2007, when he ran against Jacques Michel, currently a candidate for mayor of Spring Valley.

When speaking about his campaign and the role he plays on the Town Board, Ullman was firm in his belief that all of Ramapo needed a representative on the board. “It’s important that we have a councilman who is from the religious community but can also represent the needs of all communities in Ramapo, especially those in Spring Valley,” said Ullman.

Yitzy Ullman was appointed to the Town Board about a year ago, and in that time has made his mark on the board and the town. He worked to get a state grant for the town to get a traffic light on the corner of Maple Avenue and Route 306 that would help pedestrians over Shabbos by extending the time that walking is allowed in the intersection.

He also worked with other members of the board and the supervisor on issues such as expediting the paving of different streets, and early snow removal in the Monsey area.

He worked on expanding the Maple Avenue project to include more areas and assisted in the project to add a turning signal by the intersection of Route 306 and Viola Road.

Looking forward, Ullman has set his sights on two major goals. He intends to work to create more neighborhood parks for children who live in densely populated areas, and he would like to see the bidding process reworked to benefit Ramapo businesses.

Currently, any company can apply for a contract with the town, which announces bidding opportunities to the public. However, many businesses in the Ramapo community are small businesses, which can provide the same services to the town for cheaper prices, but are unaware of available bids and are uneducated on the bidding process as a whole.

“It only makes sense to support business growth and job growth within Ramapo,” Ullman said. His proposal calls for prioritizing Ramapo businesses for consideration, but also proactively seeking out other available bids from Ramapo businesses that could do the job just as well as any other, and helping familiarize business owners with the bidding process.

Ullman stresses that with the town weathering the financial storms relatively well, it’s important not to upset the balance of successful governance that exists on the town board. “We need someone who has experience,” he said. “We can’t afford to have someone who will learn on the job.”

“I have experience that dates back from before I became a town councilman, and the residents of this town know that,” Ullman stated.” That’s what I’m running on, and that’s why I’m asking for their support.”