Bradley Campbell will become a co-deputy director of Lambertville’s Office of Emergency Management.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE Bradley Campbell, who has led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for four years, will become a co-deputy director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, according to Mayor David Del Vecchio.
The official appointment is expected to be made Monday during the City Council meeting.
A resident of Lambertville, Mr. Campbell has agreed to accept the volunteer appointment to the OEM, according to Mayor Del Vecchio.
Mr. Campbell has led the DEP since 2002 and is expected to leave soon. Last week, Gov.-elect Jon Corzine nominated Lisa Jackson, an assistant commissioner at the DEP, to head the department. Her appointment must be approved by the Senate.
Prior to Mr. Campbell’s appointment to the DEP, he was a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina’s Law School. In 1999, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mid-Atlantic region, according to the DEP’s Web site.
The commissioner could not be reached for comment.
Public Works Director Paul Cronce will serve as co-deputy director under OEM chief David Burd.
The OEM has had a workout in recent years. In one eight-month period, the city experienced two floods, the most recent in April 2005.
To better protect residents, a special study is about to begin to try to prevent a reoccurrence of some of the more serious flooding incidents on Swan, Union and Ferry streets, according to Mayor Del Vecchio.
The city will contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of installing floodgates and a pumping system on Swan Creek so it does not back-flow during a flood.
"If it works here, we’re obviously going to look at it for the Alexauken, too," Mayor Del Vecchio said.
Much of the city’s problems during recent floods came from the Swan and Alexauken creeks, according to the mayor, who is a member of the Technology Subcommittee of the Governor’s Flood Mitigation Task Force.
The Swan Creek study was announced during the city’s reorganization meeting Jan. 1.
Also during Monday’s scheduled meeting, Rick Buscavage is expected to be confirmed as chairman of the board of the Lambertville Sewerage Authority. Mr. Buscavage, currently the authority’s treasurer, will replace Al Komjathy, who resigned Dec. 31.
City Council President Cynthia Ege also has tendered her resignation from the authority’s board. Her replacement will be Jeanne MacGregor.
Also appointed to the authority’s board Jan. 1 was Councilman Frank Kramer. Robert Hayes is an alternate.
During the reorganization meeting, the mayor outlined plans for the city and announced appointments to the city’s boards and commissions.
On the horizon in will be a $930,000 project to refurbish the exterior of the historic City Hall, including a new roof and an elevator to enable handicapped access to all floors; a plan to spend $150,000 to refurbish the exterior of the historic Lilly mansion, which houses the Lambertville Free Public Library; the reconstruction of Ferry Street and a part of Mount Hope Street; and the implementation of the city’s traffic-calming plan with a $1.56 million grant from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
Also upcoming will be a request for proposals on the installation of solar panels at the Justice Center. The panels could shave about $5,000 per year off the city’s electric bill, according to Mayor Del Vecchio.
Appointments made Jan. 1 include Philip Mackey and Pasquale Pittore to the Zoning Board of Adjustment with Allen Sassman as an alternate; Piper Trelstad to the Environmental Commission; John Hencheck and Michael Burns to the Historic Preservation Commission; and Mr. Cronce, Councilman Ron Pittore, Beth Gardiner and Lisa Nichols to the Planning Board with John Miller and Derek Riseman as alternates.