LAMBERTVILLE: Mayor: Bad marks for JCP&L

By John Tredrea, Special Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — Mayor David Del Vecchio leveled withering criticism at Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) during his eighth inaugural address at the city’s Jan. 1 reorganization meeting.
   Mr. DelVecchio has been the city’s mayor since 1992.
   JCP&L supplies electric power to Lambertville.
   ”The length of the blackout was completely unacceptable, as was JCP&L’s response to our situation. These issues must be addressed. It has become clear that regular maintenance of our power lines has not occurred. The way that JCP&L tracks outages is completely inadequate. And it is also clear that years of patchwork has left the city’s power grid antiquated, where some homes get power while others on the same block remain dark,” the mayor said.
   After both Hurricane Sandy and Irene, officials and residents of many towns around the state, including nearby Hopewell Township, declared that JCP&L’s performance in both repairing damage and keeping customers informed was terrible.
   ”We may not be able to solve every problem, but we must at least make sure that they become part of the public record and discussion,” the mayor said.
   He noted that, on Jan. 3, he was scheduled to testify with the New Jersey League of Municipalities at the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU), which regulates JCP&L and other power providers in the state.
   He said the city’s Department of Public Works should have more autonomy. “I think that public works crews should be able to cut down trees affecting power lines,” the mayor said, adding that Rick Carmosino and Lester Myers, of that department, “saw firsthand that, during Hurricane Sandy, it was the downed trees that caused the power outage. The city should not have to wait on the power company to hire someone to remove the trees if our crews are properly trained.”
   The mayor said the actions of residents, merchants and officials during and after Sandy intensified his respect and admiration for the city.
   ”Even when events turn against us, we see the very best of Lambertville. And I can think of no better example of that than what we saw just two months ago, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. While I know that tempers sometimes flared, we never lost our sense that we would pull through as a community.
   ”One of the most satisfying sights was how City Hall became more than just a cell-phone charging station, but a community hub for us to escape the chill of our homes.
   ”I was heartened to hear stories of neighbors letting neighbors plug in to their generators, even if temporarily. And, as power began to return, it was satisfying to see residents opening their homes to those whose houses were still dark for hot showers and laundry.
   ”As our restaurants and shops began to reopen, I saw residents make a conscious effort to eat and shop locally, not only welcome them back, but to help them recover financially from being dark for 10 days. Our business community is a special part of our city, and we must help keep them strong, too,” Mayor Del Vecchio said.
   He also noted that he and the City Council have created a task force with the goals of making the city better prepared for going without electric power and of trying to reduce the number and severity of such outages.
   ”I have directed the task force to take a broad look at the city’s needs and capabilities, and to make recommendations as equally wide-ranging,” he said. “No idea should be dismissed out-of-hand.”
   ALSO DURING his address, the mayor said to the large crowd at City Hall:
   ”I think it appropriate that we also take a moment once again to thank Cindy Ege, our city clerk, and David Burd and his Office of Emergency Management team for being on-call non-stop throughout Sandy and its aftermath.
   ”I am ever thankful to the members of the Lambertville police and fire departments for their service to our city and its residents. And I thank the volunteers who helped out at City Hall to answer questions from residents and help keep up the morale of our city.
   ”And I thank the linemen who came from Ohio, Tennessee and, in particular – Canada — to turn our lights back on. We cannot forget that they traveled hundreds of miles to help perfect strangers.”