Area December 5, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9 Northwest Bergen mayors and administrators last week met with NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) President Robert Hanna to discuss the local utilities’ response and effectiveness in restoring power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Hosted by state Senator Kevin O’Toole, the meeting provided the state official with a first-hand account of the difficulties suffered by District 40 municipalities during and after the storm and highlighted the need for better coordination to deal with future disasters. The meeting resulted in a positive open exchange of ideas, practical suggestions from the local officials and assurances from Hanna that systems will be put in place so that the errors and overlaps experienced during Sandy will not be repeated. “It was a good, productive meeting. We mayors had an opportunity to have a frank, thoughtful conversation with the BPU president. It was clear that he not only understood O’Toole hosts meeting between mayors and BPU head the difficulties that Ridgewood and other towns experienced with PSEG in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but that he is committed to addressing them,” said Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn after the meeting. “I think the message got through that improved communications from the utilities to public officials is essential. Lack of timely, accurate and useful information led to an uncoordinated and inefficient response on behalf of the utilities,” said Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona, who praised Senator O’Toole and his staff for their assistance to the municipalities during the storm. “We felt we were not left alone in the storm. Senator O’Toole was there for us during the storm, in the weeks following and now. He was seriously concerned to make sure our needs were met,” said Waldwick Mayor Tom Giordano. “To the credit of the utility companies, we were informed that service help was requested before the storm landed here in New Jersey from other state utilities. We saw the results by having crews from Michigan, Georgia, Louisiana and many other states working in our neighborhoods. The utilities deserve the credit for the preparations, not knowing the potential damage that would occur,” said Midland Park Mayor Bud O’Hagan. “On the other hand, they missed out on the opportunities to have additional assistance at their disposal because of a breakdown in local communications,” he added. O’Hagan displayed a color coded map he had prepared for Midland Park showing the actual power situation in every street in the borough. It could have been shared with the work crews, if only they had asked. Aronsohn lamented that the crews didn’t know the priorities in the towns, turning off the power to a Ridgewood (continued on page 25)