It sounds like you have power in your house. I do not, so shove your honey speech down your a... If not for Shahedy taking a strong stand on this the crews would not even have entered Springfiled. At least after name calling you can see some movement. Squeeky wheel gets the grease - forgot about this one?

More flies with honey than vinegar? No, sorry, this lifelong dem sincerely appreciates the stance and work Mayor Z has done since this storm began. You should be ashamed.

I am disgusted with you David!! Fleeing when Mayor Z stayed behind and did so much for our town! I certainly did not appreciate reading your statements. I've been very impressed by what Mayor Shehady has done for our town and respect him a whole LOT more than you!!

Don't use this mr Amlen for political purposes. JCP&L leadership was a disgrace, not their workers. Stop twisting what the mayor did in your favor. It was JCP&L lack of info that has caused panic and head scratching. So sit down and shut up.

Mayor Z has done the most for that town then anyone else from it's township government. His "blatant Liars" comment had Christie push PSE&G into work areas they don't even supply electric to. So this guy needs to learn how to research things before putting things to paper.

In my opinion there are two types of politicians, one who plays the politics game, and one who gets stuff done. We have WAY to many politicians that play stupid games and waste time to make sure they don't ruffle feathers, when what we need are more people like Governor Christie, and Mayor Shehady to do what needs to do to get things done. Mayor Shehady has worked tirelessly and has been nothing but an advocate for our town on all fronts, his hard work has got most of the town back to normal ahead of schedule. I do appreciate you writing this as now I know when I ever see your name on the ballot I need to vote for the other guy.

Matt Haber
Springfield Resident and VERY happy with the leadership of Mayor Shehady

The Mayor has been amazing. I commend and thank him for all he is doing for Springfield. He has a big voice for our small town. We are so appreciative of his hard work, dedication and all of his communication to the residents. You should be ashamed.

Are u kidding me??? Didn't see any of the Dems in any of the pictures of any of the emergency management meetings!! Were u even there? It amazes me that after what our town has been through & continues to deal with that u would have the nerve to denegrate the efforts & hard work that the Mayor, Mark Krauss & Jerry Fernandez have done on behalf of all of us.

I too am a lifelong Dem, but not this year locally!!!

So where you were you and Mr Huber during all this? Did you two make sure we had information? Did you two stay up night and day at the OEM and monitor progress? Did you two open Sarah Baily and Chisholm to make sure we could at LEAST charge our phone? Did you two call and fight to bring power back on? Did you two have to listen to angry and frustrated people as they complained to you? Did you two help calm worried and scared citizens? Simple question....Where were you and Mr Huber? I did not see or hear from either of you and now you DARE to come online and criticize?! Shame on you! In my humble opinion, you have a snowballs chance in hell of being elected!

I am glad that the mayor is standing up to JCP&L. That is what the mayor should do, fight for the citizens of the town

You may want to try that honey trick, as well. Perhaps your rule of thumb is "do as I say, not as I do." Your comments directed toward our mayor are shameful. Long live free speech, however.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Mayor Shahady has done an excellent job of keeping us informed and making the decisions he feels are necessary for the safety and well being his residents. I am proud to have him as my mayor. Kudos to him and to everyone trying to bring back some sense of normalcy to our town. During times like these we should be supporting one another not looking for faults and pointing fingers regardless of your political party. Shame on you!

Mayor Shehady has been doing an amazing job keeping the people of Springfield up to date as to what's happening. Whoever you are ... This is a shameful article. You know what he should be pissed off with JCPL because their storm readiness is horrible. I am on Fieldstone Dr. And have been without power for a week .... why because these a-holes from JCPL are dispatching crews from as far as Canada. On the other hand .... GET JCPL OUT OF OUR TOWN AND USE PSEG .... a local business not one that's based in Ohio

Whether I agree with this accusation or not (I don't), this was a stupid thing to say, especially on the day before Election Day. Do all the name calling you want after the crisis is over, not during. Christie and Obama were able to overcome their beliefs for the common good. Why can't our Committe people? And as my neighbor Aaron stated, all of Fieldstone Drive has been out of people for a week, even though the two sides of the street are on separate lines. Some households on the street have lost their power for over a week in BOTH calamities last year (Irene and Halloween) and now this is the third time. Enough is enough already.

I for one applaud Shehady's efforts to bring to light the issues we are having with JCP&L. While I agree times are hard right now and unexpected things can happen, JCP&Ls poor management and customer service is out of line as there are BLATANT inconsistencies in their responses/reporting. My experience today is a PERFECT example of this. I personally called JCP&L this morning and waited to speak to a representative so I could know what is going on. When I spoke with the representative they reported they were NOT AWARE of any outages on Garden Oval as none were called in. They were also NOT AWARE that THREE POLES and related TRANSFORMERS were down on Garden Oval. This is BULLSH*T as I called in the outage using the automatic number provided in Shehady's announcements as did other neighbors. Also, if they were "surveying the area for damage" this past week how could they have missed a WHOLE LINE OF DOWN POLES? If they didnt physically see it I am sure it was on the report from the town to them as the police had to block the road for awhile and the DPW crew came out to clear the trees and poles the best they could. I know things will take time to repair, but in these desperate times cant we at least expect a little respect and honesty in business so that we can plan our lives as best as possible? It is true the line men are doing their best to meet our needs the best they can. My issue is that management and customer service is NOT and IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Mayor Ziad is one of the best mayors Springfield has ever had. It's ALWAYS easy to criticize others when you sit by doing nothing so you can pretend you're blameless. Ziad did everything possible to make YOUR life easier, better and safer. Ziad has extensive emergency training as U.S. Military so rest assured Ziad did what was right and actually FOUGHT for his town which is what the elected official is supposed to be doing. RIGHT ON ZIAD!

I think Mayor Shehady is doing an outstanding job, and we need more people like him out there holding companies accountable for what they report and promise. His communication via updates has been incredibly helpful for us to know what is going on and what we can do. Actions speak louder than words.

Mr. Amlen, where were you during the storm and aftermath? I spent the first part of the week running the shelter and YOU were the ONLY member of the Township Committee that didn't come through to check on us. I didn't see you in the EOC or at the Fire Department where I spent time, or at the Bon Fire. For you to make comments like this about people trying to get things done, while you did nothing, proves just how much trouble the town will be in, if the current make up of the Township Committee is changed tomorrow.

Dave - I am at a loss for words as to why you would choose to write a letter like this at a time when so many of our residents and commercial businesses are without basic necessities such as electicity, heat, water and food. Instead of this politically motivated gibberish, I would have expected you, as a township committe member, to send a letter to JCP&L or contact them via other means to express the frustration of your felllow residents as it relates to their performance for the second year in a row. This is the time for all of us to come together as a community. Not a time to throw stones from one political party to another.

This is a disgusting attempt to politicize a natural disaster a day before election day. This just reaffirms my support for Jerry Fernandez, Marc Krauss, and Mayor Shehady. As if I needed another reason to support them, we now know David Amlen and Rich Huber (and, presumably, David Barnett and Margaret Bandrowski) want to "make nice" with the JCP&L. That's not how things get done, and it's the reason why things would not get done if they had their way. I'm glad those who read this have been able to see through such inappropriate nonsense. For the first time in years, our town is on its way up thanks to Ziad, Jerry, and Marc. Their response, communication with, and support of residents has been absolutely amazing and has been lauded by people in surrounding towns. They didn't get things done by sucking up to the power company.

I don't have a problem with the article calling JCP&L management liars, it's probably the nicest thing that can be said of them. I would have preferred to also see an acknowledgement of their work force for their tireless efforts in trying to restore power throughout the state. The workers are not the liars and many of those people live under the same conditions as us and left their families and homes to work on our behalf.
Just like the other residents I appreciate information being diseminated to the public but some of this was a little over the top. Maybe its my cynicism of the mayor that makes me wonder if the photo's of him with OEM and handing out fliers are anything more then photo-ops. There are plenty of people doing a lot of work who aren't looking for their pictures to be taken; OEM, PD, FD, public works and Auxillary Police have been working just about round the clock and they are the ones doing the heavy lifting. This shouldn't be a time anyone looks for publicity or credit for their actions.

Up until very recently I have been undecided regarding who to support in tomorrow's election with regards to the town council. The efforts of Mayor Shehady and his colleagues over the past week pretty much finalized my decision and this op-ed sealed the deal. During the hurricane and snow storm outages last year, there was virtually no communication to town residents. In fact, the only information I recall finding anywhere was from Mr Shehady who posted updates on Patch, and he was not even on the town council at the time. It takes holding feet to the fire to get anything done with utilities, and the Mayor has been doing that. Making nice did not help last year, and no utility work was seen in town this year until the Mayor called JCP&L out. He, Jerry and Marc deserve to be lauded, not criticized, and in my estimation they deserve to continue running the council based on their efforts.

While I don't personally agree with my ex-husband's use of the media to criticize the work that the Mayor has done, I WOULD like to put some perspective on the "fleeing."

My former inlaws were the only people we knew with power at the time. Dave took our kids there so they would be safe and warm. My inlaws are elderly and not really up to caring for two kids by themselves, so he stayed with them.

Dave's heart is in the right place, as are those of all of the Township Committee's.

Wow - what an incredibly stupid letter to write the day before an election. Shameful, disgusting are just a couple words that come to mind. Jerry and Marc just won the election because of this ridiculous letter. I can't see how anyone can vote for the other 2 after reading this. The Mayor has been an absolute leader through-out this entire catastrophe which is why we elect officials. What town would want someone on the committee that is going to just try and play nice after repeated failures by a company?? My hat is off to our leadership in Springfield how they handled this. I am not a republican nor a democrat, I am a person that believes in doing what is right. This letter should be put out all over town to show the type of people that are up for election.

Shehady has been all over this, working tirelessly for the residents. When ALL folks have power restored, Shehady should be saluted by the community. As should Jerry and Marc. Go ahead and tell people without power that Shehady is bullying the power company. Boy did you ever shoot yourself (and other democrats) in the foot with this article.

I have to join this chorus. First, I remember last year during Irene when Ziad wasn't even on the council, and he still worked hard to get JCP&L to drag their sorry butts to Springfield and do something. The township then did not distribute any information etc. Contrast that experience with this time - Ziad has worked tirelessly and transparently to give us info, to push JCP&L, to get shelters, ice, FEMA, etc. In response to the Dem's article, I quote Seth Meyers from Saturday Night Live: "REALLY?!?!". Dave, you should be ashamed of yourself. This lifelong Democrat will be voting straight Republican locally tomorrow.

Is this guy serious? What a joke. Mayor Shehady has done a phenomenal job. Going above and beyond and more. He has been our lifeline through out this. Very bad move on this article.

In the 13 years that I have lived in Springfield and the 12th time that I have lost power for several days, this is the FIRST time I did not have to spend my time screaming at JCPL. ZIAD did it for me. THANKS SO MUCH!!! Ziad, Jerry and Marc did a great job. The other 2, where were they? We still don't have power and we didn't flee.

I am honestly disgusted by both the article and the comments on this article. People have lost their homes, the state has been devistated, the shoreline redefined and this is all a bunch of campaign hot air on both sides. The hero is not the mayor who told off PSEG. It is the rescue workers and volunteers who are wading through rubble as we speak and not following themselves around with a camera taking credit. A persons true character is defined by what they do when no one is watching. And what about the office of emergency management? They in my opinion have done an amazing job. Don't let others take credit for what they do just because they are not publicizing it.

Congratulations on being able to concoct six paragraphs and articulate absolutely nothing. In essence, you are disagreeing with Mayor Shehady's actions for the sole purpose of disagreeing with Mayor Shehady's actions. Not surprisingly, you fail to articulate how YOUR leadership would have been more effectual in the face of JCP&L's "blatant lies." I believe a closer reading of the Mayor's email to JCP&L does not insult JCP&L workers who (once arrived) are doing their best. Rather, the Mayor attacks the root of the problem and our collective frustrations: JCP&L's management. JCP&L claims there are more outages than customers served. Sounds like a lie to me. Or, to throw "honey" on it, gross incompetence on their part. JCP&L refuses to give town administrators areas of restoration so that the public can be advised in an orderly manner. Sounds like "withholding information" to me. Lastly, JCP&L's area managers refer the Mayor to the conference call while the conference call refers the Mayor back to the area managers. Again, sounds like "withholding information" to me.

If the Mayor used "juvenile" words like "blatantly lying" to describe JCP&L's response to the storm, so be it, he's factual. I invite you to articulate how YOUR response would have been more productive. It is the day before Election Day, I'm certain the citizens of Springfield would like to be able to compare the leadership we have now to the honey you'll be selling us in the future. Pretty please?!

A family member used to be a Director with the NJ Board of Public Utilities. She said that whenever she had a problem with JCP&L, the local management could never make decisions for themselves. She always had to go over their heads and talk to someone in Ohio for something to be done.

I honestly haven't seen JCPL crews in my neighborhood unless u count walking around with a clip board. I see comcast and Verizon trucks around which is great for people with power but half of us still no power no heat!

This is a disgusting article. People from all neighboring towns have said that their Mayors are useless, and all praise Mayor Z for doing the most for his town. In fact, many of them have been following his Facebook page as their source of information. The fact that the authors try to politicize a disaster that affected so many people is gross. Also gross are the Democratic candidates flyers that were put in my mailbox the last two days. Help out instead of distributing flyers. I am a life-long democrat, but there is no chance I will be voting Democratic at the town level tomorrow. You should be ashamed.

Bill Ruocco
less than two years of republican leadership on the township committee and the partywho had control of the township committee for seventeen of the past nineteen years is chastizing the effort of the Mayor to get something done with a power company management who has done a miserable job with our town for years is not to be believed.we all know that the power company field workers are doing the work beyond the call of duty. their management is to blame for lac k of information
as they sit back in their ivory tower in Ohio. A tremendously thanks to our Mayor
his township committeemen Jerry and Marc, all our town employees PD. FD DPW
office staff and all those volunteers who gave their time to help Springfield on the road to recovery. god. Bless you all
believed.

While I understand that Amlen needed to take care of his family, no different from everyone else who has a family, at a minimum, he as well as his political party colleagues, should have devoted and dedicated time to the recovery efforts. To my knowledge, not one shred of information was forthcoming to the community on the crises by Amlen and his party. Yet, this letter is generated, ironically, one day before the election. It would have been better if it was not written at all. Clearly, this letter was a political move to secure votes for the democrats. Politics at it's finest I suppose. As an independent registered voter, Amlen just made my decision on tomorrow's election much easier. Actions speak louder than words. The actions that the Mayor, Deputy Major, and Committeemen (Krauss) did all week long and continue to do hold value and merit. They demonstrated leadership, fought, and stood up for Springfield when it was needed most.

Clearly, Mr. Amlen was given really, really bad advice by those who either encouraged this article; or failed to discourage its posting. I'm thinking he would love to pull it back; but alas...too late. Thanks again to our mayor Ziad, and to Jerry and Marc for showing what leadership is about. Lead, follow, or get out of the way!

Ziad goes HAM. Props to him.

After reading Mr. Amlin's post (today) it just confirms my opinion of the sad state of choices the Dems have offered in the past (and based on the recent debates) currently running for office.

I think the Mayor was much more pro active and has a better handling of the recovery then Mr. Keffer ever did (just one year prior). Shame on the Democratic party and Mr. Amlin for his negative post. My vote will not be with my party this time around - locally or (considering the sad state of the economy these past 4 years) Nationally. Sorry Mr. Obama but your promises were far from kept.

I saw Mr Fernandez and the Mayor before, during and after the storm showing support, making decisions and implementing plans to help Springfield get back on track. My hat off to them, our Police Dept, The First Aid Squad, Fire Dept and DPW. as well as the Auxiliary PD and all other volunteers who helped and continue to help get Springfield through this terrible event and back on our feet.

Who is this guy? I don’t recall seeing him around town during any of the recovery efforts? This is a disgusting, unbelievably stupid letter, the day before election. How can you criticize someone for trying to help while you sit there and do NOTHING?!?!
Shehady has been working tirelessly for our residents to keep us constantly updated. He has been on conference calls, in meetings, out on our streets, updating web pages and helping us through this catastrophe. David Amlen should go back to the hole he's been hiding in!!

Hay anonymous, have the strength of your convictions to put your name on it next time, I might be interested then.

I have the privilege to see leadership in Action this past week. I have seen Jerry, Marc and Ziad at the shelter at least every day. I don't know I'd most of you know, but Jerry's restaurant was flooded during the storm on Monday. He had at least 3-4' of water in his basement. I saw him everyday, helping in he town when he could have been cleaning out his business, his livelihood. That's dedication. Jerry and Marc have my vote.

A big thank you to Mayor Ziad, Jerry Fernandez, and Marc Krauss for the tremendous community service during and after this disaster. They work tirelessly to restore us back to normalcy. I personally watched Jerry Fernandez and a team of volunteers take down trees off of 3 different homes the day after the storm... and it wasn't a photo opt. Then you've got David Amlen, who has the nerve to critisize the folks that are actually doing something. Actions speak louder than words! David Amlen, I am "appauled" at your lack of support as a township committee member. I am embarrased that you represent our town, but not for long....

Dear Anonymous (A.K.A. Damage Control for Amlen's Letter). Thanks for wasting 14 minutes and 81 seconds (to be precise) of my time watching the pointless videos you presented. I see nothing that supports your theory of our Major treating citizens in the manner you claim. Folks, please do not do what I did and watch these meaningless videos. It's a complete waste of time. Has nothing to do with the letter, the recovery, and leadership our Mayor has demonstrated, especially this week. Don't know what is worse, Amlen's letter or the manner/attempt you did in presenting the videos. Perhaps both. Either way, I will not change my mind on tomorrow's vote. Amlen's letter convinced me which way I need to go, your approach and comments simply affirmed it.

Mr. Amlen,

As a lifelong Democrat, I must say the following: Open mouth, insert foot, try not to choke. While I certainly do not support all of the Mayor's initiatives, or the manner in which he accomplishes them, there is no basis to fault him this time for taking a hard stance with JCPL, a company with a long and horrendous track record for taking the residents of Springfield for granted. You picked an odd time and manner to emerge from the shadows during this crisis. Next time, perhaps it would have been better for Springfield if you stay in them.

Instead of being appalled with the mayor's behavior I wish Mr Amlen was outraged at the fact the Springfield Township , one week after the storm STILL has a significant number of people without lights, heat or hot water.

For a small town ....Shehady has done ten times my expectations. Information, support and real updates. Never voted and no party. I have always left my "imaginary" vote reserved to exceptional performance and i think it may now be warranted for me to actually register. Good job Z.

So I watched those videos and frankly, I do not see where Ziad behaved inappropriately. He answered the questions asked in a straightforward manner. I am a liberal Democrat, but in terms of what is best for Springfield, the actions of Ziad, Jerry, and Marc, compared to those of the Democratic majority during last year's storms is striking. They, along with Scott and the OEM have shown tremendous leadership. Since the social issues about which I care about dearly are not impacted by local party affiliation, I will vote to keep Ziad, Marc and Jerry in power.

Our mayor has done his job...what would you have done for us Amlen? Your disrespectful liberal babble is not productive for this situation...so keep your mouth shut and stand on the sidelines and see how a "MAN" unlike yourself gets the job done!! If you have nothing positive to say or do for the town...then go away! I know first hand how Mayor Shehady worked tirelessly throughout this disaster....He has done a Great job for all of Springfield!! You need to retract your statement and apologize to the man!

Dave
I have to disagree with your perspective. I applaud Ziad for his leadership
And assertiveness in getting getting the Power Company to pick up the pace.

Whether you like him, hate him or disagree with him, the man gets things done and and that's why he got my vote as will Jerry and Marc tomorrow. These guys were there for the community when we needed them and the level of communication during
This disaster was the best I have experienced in the 20 years my wife and I have lived in Springfield.

Dave you are a very bright guy and you are smarter than this. Follow the example of Governor Christie who put partisan politics aside during the storm to do what was best for the state

As the Springfield residents go the polls tomorrow, I will assume that they will do the right thing and vote for Fernandez and Krauss. Perhaps the residents haven't always agreed with all their decisions during the last 3 years. But the one thing that we have all learned in the last 9 days is that they would NEVER run away as the two current Township Democratic committeemen have. You were elected to serve our community,not bail out on us when the going gets tough. I don't care what political party affiliation you are with. The character of a person is defined by their deeds and actions not by their words and rhetoric.

While volunteering this week, I have never seen the current democrat candidates there. It's my understanding that Ms. Bandnowski claims she had no idea that there was anything going on until last Friday. Are you saying that you, Mr. Barnett or Mr. Huber couldn't or didn't keep her informed? After researching this further, I come to learn that she doesn't even have a computer at her home. My question for her would be how do you plan on being informed if you want to be one our township representatives? I know that she was at the Bonfire. How did she learn of that? And while at the Bonfire, she was just reminding people to vote. "Was this one of the Photo Ops" for your party? If so, that's a disgrace!

I believe that the Springfield residents will do the right thing and continue to move forward with Fernandez and Krauss.

8 days and counting and I still have no power in my home or surrounding neighborhood, Yet I applaud the mayor and his team for the extraordinary efforts around the town's recovery to this point. What is appalling is the attempt to politicize this horrific event on the backs of those who have suffered and continent to do so. Your motives not go unnoticed when I vote today,

. Yeah everybody has an opinion bottom line is we just had a natural disaster and this is not easily solved and will take patience and perseverance by all of us

I feel annonymous should not be allowed to post if he can't be man enough to put his name. Everyone else put their name. I would love to know who this is because I don't want my family anywhere near this moron.

Mayor Z is doing an outstanding job communicating with residents through texts, email, calls. He is working tirelessly to get some answers from the inept management at JCP&L.

He is one man. He's not the governor or the president or the head of the BPU. Let's praise his efforts on our behalf. I have been out of power for 11 days and there are disabled people on my block who have no access to the items Z has informed us about, so neighors get together and help them out.

Any politician who posts a comment here in an effort to further his agenda and belittle the work of the Mayor will never get my vote, ever. I am a registered Democrat but I view elected officials on the basis of how they perform, and Z has performed in an outstanding fashion, given his limited abilities to force a powerful utility company to stop its previously-accepted lying practices.

Stop with the name calling and personal attacks behind anonymous computer screens. Help out your neighbors or volunteer or otherwise do something positive instead of acting like a petulant, churlish brat.

It has nothing to do with taking credit. It's all about doing what is right and servicing our community. All of our elected officers (EO from herein) take an "Oath" to serve the people of Springfield to the fullest, in good times and especially in bad times. It's their responsibility. Since the storm, it's clear which EO's carried out their oath and which EO's did not. I would bet for the EO's that did step up, had they elected to take a side seat, they would be criticized as well from people like annonymous. So for annonymous and for anyone who thinks like you, you make no sense. You criticize the EO's that got involved, stick up...defend...make excuses for the EO's that did nothing, and there is no doubt for the EO's that did get involved, had they elected not to, you would blast them for that. Hypocrite to say the least.

Anonymous, I am an independent. I refuse to align myself with a party because in my opinion, it's nonsense. I support for the person who does the best job or has the potential to perform in doing the best job, in the best interest of the community regardless of the party they belong to. There's nothing wrong with being a career politician providing the person does the right thing for the community. Perhaps it's better to have a career politician on a full-time basis as opposed to a politician who does it on the side. Had Amlen not send out the letter, there would be no responses from people. He was the aggressor and went on the attack against Ziad during the worst storm NJ ever had. I question his integrity of his timing. Day before the election? I'm sure he found time to assist his party in campaigning just like he found time to write the letter though. Amlen was told not to get involved? Sorry, not buying it. He should have been out there on the streets with the other guys. In terms of Huber, I would not be surprised if he had nothing to do with the letter that Amlen presented. I bet he did not even know about it until it was written and published. Not the first time this has happened to him. Finally, it's clear you are not a Ziad fan. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. However your hatred to towards him is rather pathetic to the point that you simply cannot even acknowledge that the man was out there since the storm busting his hump every day.

Cannot comment on how he hurt you and your family. It's a personal issue and none of my business. To reiterate, if those are your opinions of the man, that is fine. I do know that there are always 2 sides to every story, sometimes 3. To me, actions speak louder than words. I have seen the actions and the lack of actions by our elected officers in our time of need. I support those that demonstrate actions when needed. When you speak with Amlen, ask him why Huber was not informed of the letter being published yet his name was attached. Gut feeling, this happened. Thanks for the communication exchange. I wish you and your family well.