It’s been less than two months since Leon Mowadia joined Brick’s Township Council, but his presence has electrified the group.
Whether or not voters extend Mowadia’s term in November, he can’t say he didn’t make the most of his time.
Last week Mowadia urged his colleagues to support an ordinance that would fine anyone responsible for stray voltage in Brick $1,000 per day. He decided to introduce the ordinance after visiting residents whose lives have been disrupted by the electric shocks. The councilman felt for himself what power provider Jersey Central Power & Light considered a safe level of voltage for humans and concluded that action must be taken.
A public hearing on the ordinance is expected Aug. 26.
Driscol Drive resident Gary Smith offered a disturbing account of how stray voltage has robbed him of the simple right to protect his family, as his children now can’t walk around their yard barefoot, and potential conductors like a metal swingset and a sandbox had to be removed from the lawn. The Smith family’s story has played out on television, radio and print media outlets over the last year, but not until now has any government agency joined their fight.
It’s not certain that Brick’s proposed ordinance would hold up if challenged in court since matters of consumer complaints vs. utility companies typically fall under New Jersey Board of Public Utilities jurisdiction. But if it is considered a matter of public safety, there’s at least a chance it can hold up as an emergency safety measure. Several state municipalities went that route to ensure bans on cell phone use while driving weren’t squashed for undermining state law.
But if the proposed ordinance can’t hold, let’s hope it will at least accomplish its desired effect: to spark lawmakers and power companies into examining this issue with renewed vigor.