Thank you, Mayor Short, for all you do for our community. Not many people are willing to serve in an elected capacity for no pay and so much grief. I've never met you but I did see and hear evidence of your efforts, as well as those of other town employees/volunteers, during the past two weeks -- multiple radio updates, Nixel messages, town website information, portable electronic signs, warming shelters, etc. This unprecedented disaster will undoubtedly teach us how to be better prepared for future events.

I talked to numerous public works employees, fire fighters, OEM and CERT members post hurricane and they are all to be commended. They went above and beyond during this crisis. It was also heart-warming to hear of so many residents helping neighbors and strangers, donating food and games to the warming shelter, volunteering their time to help the community and the state. There are a lot of really good people in our town!

My family & I appreciate the work Mayor Ken Short has done. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of the tireless effort our local officials have made to insure our safety, & pushed for JCP & L to give us accurate info. that we ourselves could not get. While going foward, after we have all been restored to normalcy ..we will address how much we were lacking from our troubled energy company & how we should hold the management accountable for how the course of events unfolded. We all agree this event has destroyed our cherished beaches & our home towns in ways we can't fathom yet. Now is not the time to point fingers at our leadership, but rather a time to pull together & rebuild our beloved home of New Jersey. When it is all over, we will look for reform & will push our leaders to make the changes neccessary to insure that JCP&L will change the way they manage situations & keep us well informed, transparent to what their worklist timeline really is ..just to name a few. After a really long year of negative politics, and a long 14 days ..can we put aside all the name bashing & focus on what is truly important ..getting back to rebuilding the towns we love & live in.

I agree with Karen and Jackie. Serving in a voluntary capacity for the good of our community is an honorable and selfless commitment. Thank you for taking time away from your family to ensure that the safety and needs of the residents of Washington Township are met. Your constant presence on WRNJ and seeing you working along side the fire fighters, police officers, DPW workers, EMS squad, and OEM staff was very reassuring over the last two weeks. We are lucky to have such a committed official leading our community. Thank you, Mayor Short!! Enjoy your well deserved vacation!!

Given the extremely poor communication throughout this ordeal and the poor leadership demonstrated by leaving on vacation in the middle of this crisis, I find it extremely difficult to thank you mayor for your effort. In any situation that I can think of, leaving for a vacation while issues of this magnitude were pending would be grounds for termination.

It needs to be acknowledged that the position of mayor is not a salaried position, and it also needs to be noted that you ran unopposed. Perhaps the residents of this town need to be more involved so that we can Have more engaged leaders in position should this happen again.

It is doubtful that the remaining issues can be effectively handled from Aruba.
Where isthe vice-Mayor and why is he not present?
Why is the information on the town website incorrect and out of date?
Why did it take 2 weeks for an appropriate power company presence to show up?

A disappointing display of leadership in these trying times

with administrators like this who needs Al Qaeda. Please resign Short. You are incompetent and a disgrace to this twp

whether you like him or not, think he handled this well or not, whatever you are thinking....everyone knows damn well he or she would not have cancelled a vacation 8 months in the planning. get real.

I write this as I sit in my cold dark home for the 15th day. Shame on you mayor for thinking that sitting down in your hotel room for an hour writing to us on how you are tirelessly working from Aruba would fool any intelligent resident.

Don't preach to us about your non paying mayoral position. Leaders lead by example. You freely chose to vacate your town that you "love so much" to go on a vacation while I still sit in the dark with my wife and 2 children.

Shameful.

A self-serving letter filled with "I"s and not once a mea culpa. Granted, elected officials do not make everyone happy. However, saying we did everything and ignoring everyone's concerns, does not allow for future improvement. Where are the lessons learned? Hopefully, someone will feel it necessary to do a post mortem and report the same to the community.

Give the guy a break. What's he gonna do here that he can't do from there?

He can't be present.

Can't change a vacation? Give me a break. Whether its s paid position or not you chose the position. People like this like the title 'mayor' but have no interest in leading when needed. The title is simply a trophy to tell friends and colleagues they have. If you can't be present when we need you than we don't need you.

John M.

Thank you Mayor Short for all your effort and committment to the community to restoring power. We must all keep in mind the valid points made by Karen, Jackie and Douglas. How many of you would work for no salary? Lets take a moment to appreciate this man and the service that he willing 'volunteers'.

Although, I am very surprised that there are many without power for over 2 weeks. I would never have imagined that this would happen in such a great country.

Keep up the good work and enjoy your well-deserved vacation.

Last time I checked phones and emails work fine in Aruba - probably better than LV right now, so what is the difference in his physical location?

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Let's please keep the name calling and direct insults out of this thread so we don't have to close it. Civil discourse is encouraged, and let's keep it at that. Thanks!

... We are in this together. .... except for me I'm in Aruba .....

Please!

Really?!! People can defend this "mayor". Regardless of whether or not he could have done any better dealing with JCP&L, regardless of whether or not you think the communication was effective he CHOSE to be mayor, as such he gets to thrust HIS agenda on this town and as such he needs to fulfill ALL his duties. His leaving the town during a major crisis is akin to a captain deserting a sinking ship. Especially knowing that Roehrich was leaving at the same time (not that he would be any more effective). They both chose to take these positions and should take their responsibilities seriously. It continues to be the same R.O.B. (Republican Old Boy network in this town due to the apathy and ignorance here. We have to do something to ensure that we don't get fooled again. Shame on Short, Roehrich and their defenders.

Serving Washington Twp. in any capacity can be a thankless job at the best of times. I, for one, appreciate Mayor Short’s efforts on our behalf.

People have been droning on and on about a “lack of communication,” but let’s face it, none of us will be happy until we hear the words “everything has returned to normal.”

It’s counter-productive to demonize anyone who is trying to make that happen.

While the mayor and his political team have put together a nice letter and some canned replies, I think required reading for all should be the lead story from Sunday's Star-Ledger, "Responses from Sandy: From great to galling". Read about what other mayors have done and how they handled this crisis. I think if you do, you will conclude like I have that the mayor's letter is little more than political cover and a massive load of complete, self-serving nonsense. As one of the Union County Freeholders said: "This is when the rubber hits the road and leadership is differentiated" . Read about what the Scotch Plains mayor did: she fired the town's OEM co-ordinator because he failed to come up with a way to contact residents and provide information. Westfield's mayor hosted two community-wide dial-in conference calls in order to update them. Other mayors come up with other novel and creative ideas. I didn't notice that any of them went on vacation. So please mayor short, stop acting like you are the victim here. Township residents are suffering and deserve more than a second-rate effort. You at least owe the residents of Washington two very big words: I'm sorry. Have a nice vacation.

I’m curious exactly what Mayor Short considers a “personal attack”. To criticize his response to the hurricane is not attacking him personally, but rather his actions as leader of the town. Mostly what I’ve read is that he was very angry and waited for days for JCP&L to get back to him. Not exactly very proactive. How about travelling to the office of JCP&L with the other committee members and demanding to speak with the CEO? Whether it bore fruit or not, it would show that he was making some kind of effort rather than simply making phone calls.

To simply say that it was out of his control is a cop-out. In the private sector, we often have to influence people who we have no official direct control over… it’s part of the job. To simply say that a situation is out of our control would not be acceptable.

Hundreds of WT residents still have no power! Don't forget them!

This letter shows how far Mayor Short is out of touch with reality and the residents of Long Valley. The only reason you are writing this sorry letter now is because you got caught going on vacation during the biggest nautral disaster to ever hit NJ, and you are trying to save face. If it weren't for Jason and the Patch, this town would have had zero information regarding the impact of the storm. Thank God this is not a paid position, but you took on the position, and with it comes responsibility. Are you even the least bit sorry for the people who are still without power? I highly doubt it. Leaving town during this time of crisis shows your lack of character and nothing more. What a disgrace!

Still without power on Squire Hill and Ranney. And yes, we've been calling JCP&L...45 min on hold this morning & then told that they have "an open work order."

I have absolutely no desire to personally attack the Mayor or his family. From what I know of all of them, they are wonderful people. This isn't about party politics - I voted for the Mayor.

I'm very disappointed with his decision to go on vacation at this time.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that pretty much every person defending his decision has had power back for a while. For those left in the dark for 2 weeks or more, it is unthinkable that our leader would leave.

On Saturday, when Mr. Short left, a school was still without power and it was possible that the Township would be shifting two schools of children to different locations. I can only imagine what an enormous undertaking that would have been. There were still large numbers of people without power, lines down, roads unsafe.

I understand and appreciate the fact that the Mayoral position in our Township is unpaid. But if you choose to take that position, I think you have to accept that there will be times (especially during crises) when it is inconvenient and interferes with your personal plans.

And yes, we all know about working remotely. My concern is that it's usually not as effective, communications are slower and frankly, it's an optics nightmare. People feel abandoned, and rightly so.

When I tell friends who live in other towns that the Mayor left for a trip to Aruba in the middle of this, they are appalled. It was not a good move, I'm sorry.

I would also like to call out those who have criticized Mayor Short and remain nameless. I think Mr. Short has done an excellent job for our community over the years and has volunteered his time to this community. If you dont agree than feel free to quit your jobs, volunteer your time, and run for mayor next term.

Scott Drown

ggg

Whether or not a poster uses their given name or an online moniker is beside the point. And telling everyone they should run for office is ridiculous. If Short took this office willingly he needs to fulfill his duties 100%. Imagine if Chris Christie had gone on vacation during this disaster? No supposed leaders should be abandoning their constituents during such an important time of need whether they are voluntary or not; whether we choose to run or not. Going on a vacation during this crisis was:
W-R-O-N-G!!

The fact that Mayor Short just throws in the fact that he is unpaid for this position is such a direct slap in the face. This letter was filled with such resentment towards the Long Valley people who are obviously upset with his actions and it is disgusting that this man can say "it’s simply not possible for me to work harder or care more" because he is being "attacked." We have been quiet and cooperative as we are now sitting here on Squire Hill Rd still without power, but this pathetic attempt at a heartfelt and dedicated letter is so dissapointing and maddening. His family and friends could have gone on their trip while he stayed back with his town that was hurting. He was ELECTED to serve this town. He is a PUBLIC OFFICAL and therefore is open to PUBLIC SCRUNITY. In reading your clearly defensive letter, where you can't handle the criticism of being on Facebook or Twitter, I actually DO think you are sitting there in your room in Aruba crying your eyes out like the insecure, pathetic man you are.

My name is Rich,
I must say I dont know the mayor from a hole in the wall, but I can not see how we can blame him for being on Vacation with his family that was planned 8 months ago. this is a voluntary position and I am grateful for all our volunteers. Would the town paid for his change fees if he had to cancel. It takes me a whole year to save for vacation. I mean would you be pissed at the fire chief if he was away when we had a fire or had to leave because his daughter was getting married etc... As he said we have someone representing us, the acting Mayor. If you are unhappy for some reason blame that guy.

The power company does not care if the mayor or the pope called. If we want to hold our public officials to blame for this issue that happens every year in this town it is in not forcing the power company to clear the lines in advance! Or have the town do it for them. Really have you driven around this town and saw the trees growing over the lines, the vines up the poles. the downed branches sitting on them all year long? It seems to me a little prevention is worth it for all concerned. Make them cut back the growth for gods sake it may not prevented all the damage but I am sure it would have helped. I would also work with the gas stations or station and get them generator compatible, even if we have to provide the generator during time of emergency. Most of us or at least a good number of us have generators we just need gas! Kind of like we did with Bobs pizza. I knew they were going to be open and my family was grateful to be able to go somewhere for warm food etc.. Well first time I posted anything so go easy on me lol.

absolutely prime for an arnold diaz "shame on you" segment.

But, again, I ask, "What can he do here that he can't do from there?"
I'm sure he is in communication with those back here who can provide him with the information he needs to make decisions. That's what we hired him to do, right? Make decisions? Does he need to physically be here to do something imparticular? Should he be removing trees, fixing wires or cranking a giant generator?

I live on Schooley's Mtn, and we've been out for a least a week for the past 3 years in a row. I know what it's like. So I get prepared, and make the best of it.

Without getting into the middle of a "who shudda, and who cudda" let me just applaud Tracy Tobin for his absolutely tireless efforts to "man the fort" around Washington Township during this emergency.

It seemed that every time I looked up as I criss-crossed Schooleys Mt. checking on many of of "older" or more "physically-challenged" Veterans I bumped into Tracy doing "something", or "manning" some post (even down to managing the water and ice distribution at the WTPD) even enlisting his daughter as his aide-de-camp on many of his self-appointed "assignments".

Well done, my friend.

Mayor Short has failed to perform his full duties as mayor during this crisis. To excuse his absence because he is not paid to be mayor; and to accept his letter explaining away his behavior are truly incredulous responses to a major catastrophe unlike anything NJ has ever experienced. As an elected official, Mayor Short has the responsibility to be at the helm, physically here, making sure that all is in order. He was voted into this office. He willingly accepted the position. Voters trusted him to fulfill his job. Sitting in Aruba - out of the country - because a vacation was planned months ago is inexcusable behavior as Mayor.His family could have gone without him. There is vacation insurance which costs peanuts. Everyone who travels knows this and buys it because emergencies do occur in life and trips must be cancelled. To those who say he can perform his job via email and cell phone – you seem to forget that cellular phone/internet service were severely disrupted for days/weeks. Don’t assume that once services are established they won't be interrupted again. Weather is unpredictable. A prudent, intelligent person, serving in the capacity of a leader, must be where the crisis is occurring. Mayor Short: The problems are in Washington Twp.- not in Aruba.The rules of leadership are not flexible. Being out of the country vacationing during a crisis is dereliction of duty. Vacations come and go - catastrophes like Sandy come and stay. Why didn’t you?

LV, I was out last year for the same periods of time. Going from one week out to two weeks out is a HUGE difference. We lost 1/2 a month of our lives. It's so, so much more inconvenient and anxiety-causing than I can even tell you. And trust me, we prepared and made the best of it.

To answer your question, there are a number of things I would have personally liked to see the Mayor doing. I'd like him to be on the ground, touring the hardest-hit areas to see the damage and the work progress for himself. I'd like to have heard about him talking to residents whose houses were seriously damaged. I'd have liked daily updates in a centralized location. Perhaps he's not "into" Facebook or Twitter, or the town website - but that could have been delegated. Or, an e-mail blast could have been sent out daily to residents to update them on progress - but that would have required the foresight to set up the distribution list.

Maybe there was outreach on his part to see what the town could do to help the businesses that were out and losing money for 2 weeks, but I didn't see that. I would have liked to see his office coordinating food and shelter providers such as churches, the library, etc. - we had no shelter system in place to speak of and everyone was on their own to help their neighbors.

If the Mayor's office did do these sorts of things, then my apologies - but I didn't know about them, so the communication, if nothing else, was lacking.

I am extremely disappointed with the letter from our mayor. Was he forced into his postion? I don't believe so, he asked to be elected and running away from responsibilities is bad leadership and bad judgement. Many times I have had to give up vacations for work, that is my job, my responsibility and what I teach my kids every day. I am sorry you planned it 8 months ago but none of us planned for this either. In addition, the fact that you think your the only one giving up something is again a selfish statement. How many couples of LV just spent money set aside for vacation for the holiday's and now spent it on moving kids into various hotels and paying for breakfast, lunch and dinner since I they had no power or school for 13 days. Is that not the same as you having to change or delay your trip? I think its worse. In addition, if you did a great job the first week I doubt anyone would be giving you as hard of a time if you did go on vacation towards the end of this disaster. I never expected you to give us power back but to be a voice of empathy and concern, a voice of our town. You say you did alot, but you give no real examples therefore once again leaving people in the dark to just assume you did something. I have not seen anyone state what you did at all just what you didn't do so then set the story straingt. So I suggest you do some real reflection in Aruba on where your priorities lie and if its not in being our mayor then you should consider resigning.

It's clear that all the Mayor Short supporters are those who did not suffer long term power outages. Those folks were probably annoyed by sitting in line waiting for gas, annoyed by the number of people filling up gas cans, annoyed there was no food on the shelves, annoyed that's schools were closed for 2 weeks, annoyed their internet didn't work, etc, etc, etc. No, he can't do anything to get JCP&L to restore power more quickly but that's really not the point. This is a leadership question. You have to question the judgement of a man who thought it was OK to go on vacation while the town he leads is suffering the worst crisis in probably it's history; if you think that was a wise decision because the trip was planned 8 months ago, I question your judgement too. Whether it's a paid position or not he has a responsibility to see the town through the crisis, period. Forget power restoration, where was the overnight shelter in this town? Oh yeah, there wasn't one. Why did it take 2 weeks to organize a hot meal for residents? Where was the outreach to seniors and others in need? Where were to other twp committee members during the crisis? Here's a little exercise for all you Short supporters...go ask the DPW guys or the other twp employees, or mayors from other affected towns, and see what they think of the decision to go on vacation. Yeah, I'll bet they would agree with you it was the right thing to do. Wake up and start acting responsibly.

I had no idea the mayor was not a paid position.. does anyone else wonder where taxes go? Every other town around is hving dpw choip and remove branches you bring to the curb. But our town? You had to cram piles upon piles in you Camry and make trp after trip to the Dpw lot. I'm not sure why our town is not offering that. I have seen a lot of volunteers in long valley step up and really show they care the past few weeks. Just a little disappointing that the job gets done when the mayor is no longer here. Not that he did a horrible job.. but could have been here for us a little more.I had no idea the mayor was not a paid position.. does anyone else wonder where taxes go? Every other town around is hving dpw choip and remove branches you bring to the curb. But our town? You had to cram piles upon piles in you Camry and make trp after trip to the Dpw lot. I'm not sure why our town is not offering that. I have seen a lot of volunteers in long valley step up and really show they care the past few weeks. Just a little disappointing that the job gets done when the mayor is no longer here. Not that he did a horrible job.. but could have been here for us a little more.

To address a few inaccuracies I've seen in the comments here, just for clarity:

- There was an overnight shelter available since Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Schooley's Mountain Firehouse until this past weekend. That was conveyed both here (regularly) and on the Washington Township website as well as its Facebook page.
- Fairmount Firehouse acted as a warming shelter and charging station during daytime hours throughout the two week period. That was also reported here and on the town's web page/Facebook page.
- Hot meals were consistently served at both
- Outreach to seniors and disabled persons was conducted regularly by police and members of the office of emergency management (also reported here)

This is an objective statement - I just noticed a few comments searching for answers on those specific questions. Thanks!

I agree with Rick Dacey. Everyone is being awfully hard on a guy who volunteers his time. I don't remember seeing anyone else on the ballot.
I know those of you without power are upset and probably down-right depressed at this point, but there's really very little the Mayor can do. JCPL has it's own agenda. Want them to take notice? Switch power companies as soon as it's possible.

To LV Taxpayer: "What can he do here that he can't do from there?" Well, considering he didn't do a single thing for this town WHILE HE WAS HERE, what makes you think he would actually lift a finger to help this town while he is in Aruba? He is on vacation for Christs sake, and he doesn't care about you or anyone else in this town! He cares more about his precious vacation than the cold, tired people without electricity who he claims are "whining back in Long Valley." You are telling me that the man who sells insurance does not know how to obtain vacation insurance? How can anyone in their right mind support this man??

For the record, I'm not a Mayor Short supporter.

In my OPINION, there is nothing wrong with him working remote, even it is from such an envious place as Aruba.
In this day and age, many jobs that historically required physical presence can now be performed remotely thanks to the wonders of modern communications.

The REAL problem was/is JCPL's reluctance to provide relevant, accurate and timely status information, and Short's reluctance to push them for it. THAT was where he failed us, my friends.

My 83 year old mother had no power until late Saturday. I don't know Mayor Short, but I do know that appearances count. And phoning it in from vacation in Aruba is NOT the right appearance for a mayor whose town is a disaster zone. If you are looking to restore your reputation, don't whine about personal attacks and "blame the victim." It doesn't sell.
As LV Taxpayer stated, the real failure was the mayor's lack of visible efforts to push JCP&L and bring attention to the western edge of Morris County, which JCP&L itself finally admitted was damaged far more than they knew. Tewksbury's Mayor Dana Desiderio (a WMC grad) has been far more proactive in getting the media spotlight on JCP&L's poor response. She contacted the New York Times and a reporter is in that town today. Whether or not it results in power coming on sooner, that kind of visible effort and outreach makes residents feel like they have an advocate, not just a mouthpiece for the utility company.

I agree with the majority of the statements on here, just resign Mr. Short.

you can not blame the mayor for going on vacation he planned it 8 moths age .Remeber last year the govenor was at disney world durung Irene .He did not come back early .
I lost power for 12 days and what I did was start to take things into my own hands like contacting the media .Like I told everyone else to do I got cbs onto my block to bring light to this situation.
I dealt with Mayor Short last year I never met him but last year he was helpful .This time I will go to town meeting to meet him.Like evry one esle should do
Remeber what would you do if you where on vacation ?
the airports where closed for 2 days how was he going to get home (drive)
as far as people many the phone and keeping us informed THANK YOU

a

the Mayor can stop by my house any time

LOL wow and I was wondering how he could have run unopposed, who the hell would want the job. No one has addressed the helpful things I suggested, its all negative. My grand ma use to say "if you have a complaint better have a suggestion how to fix it as well" And for the record I just got power today. From the sound of it the acting mayor was busting his behind and Mayor Short I am sure was in contact with him at all times. Mayor thanks for taking the flack keep strong because from what it sounds like if you did not step up we would not even have a Mayor!

Kathyln Carter, please, are you for real? "This is the kind of thanks that Mayor Short gets?" Are you out of your mind? Poor Mayor Short has to make a few pathetic phones call that amounted to nothing and he should be relaxing and enjoying himself? He doesn't have to be mayor, and stop mentioning that he doesn't "receive any compensation." He wanted to be mayor and those are his duties as such. Really, Mayor Short is the only one who confronted JCP&L and he made "numerous demands?" Such lauhable drivel. Sorry to say that you are living on the same planet as Mr. Short, or maybe you are in Aruba enjoying cocktails together, because you sound out of it.

As I said before, based on his performance, Mayor Short is incompetent and lacking of judgment. Nothing personal.

Honestly, folks, what do you think would carry more weight at JCP&L: A phone call from an irate small town mayor saying "my town is without power", or six thousand calls from six thousand irate residents of that same small town saying "I am without power" ? I personally called several times. I reached a live person immediately every time I called. That says to me that they weren't very busy on the phones because there weren't enough of you calling. I'd love to see the statistics on how many calls they received from Washington Township residents, and specifically how many calls they received from disgruntled Patch posters.

The long and the Short of it: a mayor should not leave his town when it is in crisis. The citizens want their leader to jump into the fray, literally & figuratively, with sleeves rolled up, ready to do the work he was elected to do. He knew when he took the job that there was no pay, that someone would always be unhappy with his decisions, etc. So what if he planned this trip 8 mos. ago--travel insurance is a good investment. Yes, a lot of people do their jobs remotely, they are set up to work that way. A town mayor by definition, does his job in town. They don't leave with the town still in crisis. Someone said "how was he supposed to get back", he never should have left in the first place! And for those of you saying we should use real names (like Johnnythetruck?). There are two reasons I don't: my name is not relevant to what I post and, I don't trust strangers!

Thank you Mayor Short for your hard work during Sandy. I heard you on the radio many times giving information and know you did your best to get JCP&L to repair the lines. You did an outstanding job and deserve a hard earned break. Enjoy!!

Well, Steve, I'm glad you agree about not trusting strangers! And it's the free speech part that allows you to post "crap." (Duh) Your real name means nothing, I don't trust you anymore than I do "Johnnythetruck."
And no, Jon, we used our own chain saw to clear the tree. And he wasn't away when it happened, he left while it was still going on--that's the part people take issue with.

The best thing for our family was listening to the WNRJ with our radio. Mayor short was on their almost everyday giving status on what he knew. It was awesome to see how people called in to give data on who had gas, which roads are blocked and so on. You have to make best of the situation and when it get's tough saying the "Serenity Prayer" does wonders.

"A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not".

Wayne, NJ already has a petition on their town website to remove JCP&L's franchise to sell electricity to their town. Their mayor was on News 12 today talking about how PSE&G, which services most of Wayne, had power back in their service areas in a few days while it took JCP&L two weeks. I would love to know what our options are. I switched to Dominion as our electricity supplier earlier in the year and got a lower price for supply, but know JCP&L still delivers the electricity. Is there a way to totally cut JCP&L off in this town, or are all the transmission lines/transformers, etc their property and is getting rid of them impossible? I do agree with the majority of folks posting and neighbors I've talked to...no one can believe the mayor left town during this. He should resign without question. But I am very grateful for the folks who stayed, all the volunteers I saw at different churches helping people in the community, and all those hardworking people from places like Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania far from their families, working until all hours to get our power back.

I would like to thank Mayor Short for all he has done and continues to do for the town. I don't think many residents know how much he has done over the past two weeks. Since the morning after the hurricane, everyday and all day, Mayor Short was with the OEM, organizing shelters, getting food to the elderly, meeting with the police, driving around town to survey and report the damage, talking to residents, passing out ice/water to the community, updating WRNJ and the Patch, calling, helping, and emailing hundreds of residents about their concerns. He contacted and had numerous conversations with JCP&L, Senator Bucco, Assemblyman Bucco, and the Governor's office. He has worked and continues to work for the town, for you, even those of you that insult him.
It seems to me that he left the town in good hands, the Township Committee that we elected. They know what to do. Before leaving, Mayor Short knew what JCP&L's plan was, that their priority was to get the schools up and running over the weekend, and that most, if not all, people would have power in town by Sunday night. All of this did happenend, even while working remotely.
I think we need to remember all that he has done for our town, during the first two weeks after the hurricane and what has still been accomplished while traveling, rather than dwelling on the fact that he took a well deserved, planned vacation.