Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Members of the Hillsborough community were left reeling last week after news came out that a long-time township employee and public servant succumbed to his battle with cancer.
Edward “Eddie” Wasser, assistant building sub-code official of the Hillsborough Township Building Department, passed away on Monday, June 12 at 62 years old.
“Eddie was a very dependable reliable friend, colleague and employee,”Hillsborough Construction Official John Fiedler said. “He helped train me as an inspector in the 90s and he has a legacy that’s living on in several other code officials that went on to good careers.”
Having started his career as a redevelopment assistant for the city of Bayonne back in June 1978, Wasser spent a large majority of his professional life in Hillsborough, where he started as a building inspector in June of 1989.
Throughout his career, Fiedler said Wasser quickly became known as someone who was willing to put in more work to ensure that Hillsborough’s residents understood what was required of them in the township’s code book. He was most notably recognized for his plan review skills, which he employed to help homeowners with a wide variety of applications.
“He’d be willing to provide an education to people who may not have had an opportunity to do that,” Fiedler said. “Rather than going to the library and figure it out themselves, Eddie would take the time to explain how the codes were developed, why they’re required and what their impact could be on a homeowner.”
During a recent township committee meeting on April 25 where a proclamation was made in Wasser’s honor, Mayor Carl Suraci referenced Wasser’s willingness to set aside time for the public if they needed it.
“One resident wrote a letter of thanks stating how Eddie helped him for five hours to understand the process to submit a complete application, displaying excellence in customer service throughout his career,” he said.
Eddie’s brother, Jim Wasser, received the aforementioned proclamation and cited his brother’s love of Hillsborough as a major reason why he enjoyed working there for nearly three decades.
“He constantly talks about everybody here (in Hillsborough) and it’s just nice to see how people appreciated him as much as he appreciates (the community),” he said. “When he starts talking about Hillsborough, he goes on and on … but he had a love that’s very deep for the people (here).”
Years of working in the building department ultimately led him to become the assistant building sub-code official for the township.
As someone who worked extensively with Wasser, Fiedler said his long-time friend was pivotal to the building department and its current batch of employees.
“The impact he had on other code officials throughout our industry, he had the ability to make us look for detail and to do things the right way no matter what,” Fiedler said. “He trained us to become good inspectors and we went on to become good code officials as well.”
Wasser was ultimately laid to rest on Saturday, June 17 at his family’s church, St. John Paul II Church (formerly known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel) at Bayonne.
The Wasser family has since requested that donations be made in Eddie’s name to the American Cancer Society.
