Seriously? The mayor did a good job? Updates? Maybe she was phoning you twice daily with updates, but the rest of us were left in the dark...literally and figuratively.

What is all this now?

It looks as though the Haimoff for Town Council committee is gearing up for the next election. My respect for The Short Hills Association hit a new low....what a bunch of fools.

Is this a joke? The mayor was grossly negligent in her duties during the aftermath of the storm. Days would go by without updates and most of those were either absent real information or relaying blatantly incorrect data about outages. It's almost as if the Mayor has never visited, let alone lived in, our town.

Who are the members of the Short Hills Association? Pray tell.

I'll praise the mayor/town council/town manager for learning through the 2 week ordeal. The early lack of information and outright false information was appalling. The lack of town shelter was appalling. The code red calls at the end and info on the website were a good start, but the website needs to be update more frequently and in place before an emergency. The town leadership finally realized they should track the power outages themselves and not be dependent on JCP&L for their info.

That said, towns with proactive mayors/town councils/town managers didn't necessarily get power faster than we did, they were just less frustrated and could make appropriate plans. We must find out Livingston's secret.

We can do better and perhaps the town should train, hire, or designate a volunteer technology guru to assist our technologically challenged town leaders. It is rather shocking that Millburn/Short Hills does not have a basic emergency plan to provide information to it's residents.

This is Mayor Haimoff's friend and long-time supporter playing damage control. - politics.
Frankly the astonishing way our Mayor, Town Council, and Business Administrator prepared, communicated, and took action throughout these past 2 weeks was shockingly disgraceful.
Ms. Wallen should stay clear because the majority of this community disagrees with her statement.

I am just glad they were able to (finally) use the info we all gathered to help those in need.

It would be nice if the mayor thanked the community for their patience and help.

Ms. Wallen just destroyed the credibility and political independence of The Short Hills Association. She is either a rogue member who failed to gain pre-approval for her public endorsement of the clearly inept Haimoff or leading a group of lemmings.

Per its website, the following are the lemmings, I mean, members:

2012 - 2013 Officers
President .......... Eleanor Wallen
First Vice-President .......... Marc Cooperman
Second Vice-President .......... Arp Trivedi
Secretary .......... Jessica Glatt
Treasurer .......... Milton Resnick

Board Members
Stewart Cohen
Fred Coombs
Thomas Hildner
Robert Iommazzo
Alan Kuritsky
James LaDue
Anne Levison
Mary McNett
Ben Zhang

and what is their purpose? Do they run this Garden Committee?

I have lived in Millburn for 10 years and have never heard of the Short Hills Association.

Do they have nothing to do with the town known as Millburn?

I never got twice a day updates. News to me.

The. code red calls came quite late in the process and were of little use to those who had fled their cold homes and/or had non-working phones.

I hope to see you at the township committee meeting on nov 20. And, personally, I believe that the person who has t been held nearly accountable enough is Tim Gordon. At the end of the day, much of thie distress was caused by very poor management.

The Short Hills Assocuatio is a distraction and a non-issue. Should be treated like a annoying gnat.

Shame on you Short Hills Association. Read thru all the posts from the township residents over the past 2 weeks. Lets put politics aside and focus on the lessons learnt and put together an action plan to deal with the next storm.

@sh resident

I agree. This is misplaced praise.

Are you kidding me. Did this woman spend her time in another Short Hills? I have never in my life witnessed such a poor excuse for a Mayor in my entire life. She failed on every conceivable level imaginable. Well over a week with no updates, no action on her part to this very day and finally her cockamamey code red updates when most of the residents don't even need them anymore. I don't know who is more pathetic the Mayor or her transparent, ill advised, ineffectual, obviously detached from reality friend.

I'd love to see the evidence - phone logs and web site details - of these numerous updates. I consider myself quite connected, and I never received any update other than a few anodyne website notes, buried deep away from those of us with power-limited mobile phones - until Friday when power - and my phone - came back..

I did speak to very nice police officers at the Town Hall and suggested that any news be posted on a notice board outside the building and at recharge stations. No joy, I fear- too Luddite. I also spoke to someone at the Town Hall on Thurs 1 Nov. They told me there was no news and hence no updates. Really made me feel guilty for asking. How that squares with twice- daily updates, I'm not sure. But I'll hold judgement until I see the evidence of the Mayor's engagement which has earned this fine tribute.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for a return to my many calls last week to Mr Gordon, and to my emails to him and the mayor.

The Short Hills Association is irrelevant....a biased, politically impotent group of locals parading as a civic association. Spread the word....ignore all forums they sponsor.

Remind me to cancel my membership with the Short Hills Association. Their comments are insulting to residents of this community. The mayor and her posse have let down the residents big time!

The Short Hills Association sponsored a debate among the recent BOE candidates. Coincidentally, their President, Ms. Wallen, posted lawn signs at her home for the three candidates running together. Now, after the recent power disaster, she has stepped up to defend Mayor Haimoff. The Association's website claims their mission is, among other things, "to promote the interest and welfare of the Township of Millburn." I'm not sure what this means, but clearly, Ms. Wallen has no problem using her role as Association President to further her own point of view.

This past election, we had one township committee opening and only one person stepped forward to serve the town. It has been said, that get the government you deserve. Next time it sure looks like we will have no shortage of people to step up, get off the sidelines and into the arena of public service. I look forward to see the deep field of candidates during the next election cycle.

The only people that should be praised in town are the Police, firefighter,rescue squad and the DPW. The Mayor, Business administrator and the township committee members did a poor job thru the whole aftermath of the Hurricane.We need new leadership in town. On a side note. I am very happy our police dispatch is still in Millburn and not Livingston. Can you imagine what a nightmare it would have been after and during the Hurricane. I know I called dispatch the night of the storm and they sent someone to take care of the problem I called about. Hmmm wasn't it our business administrators suggestion to move the dispatch, the same administrator who when you called or went to town hall after the storm was never around? Just saying change is good!!!!

Are these the same a**kissers who got a private meeting with the "Mayor?" These people need to hide their heads in shame (not that they know the meaning of the word). No sooner do they have their private session with "Mayor" Haimoff than all the trucks are deployed to their own streets! I'll be voting against any of these people who run for public office (Board of Ed, or whatever). They only have their own private interests at heart!

For what it's worth, Ferncliff Terrace power was restored Wednesday night, November 7. I don't know who from the Short Hills Association lives there. BTW, does the SHA represent only Short Hills? If you have a Millburn post office address, are they not interested?

To the Short Hills Association, Chinese Confusious states "for those who can not and do not remember the past, are destined to repaeat it"/ Time to impeach and/or recall Sandy Haimoff and et. al. from their position of leadership in Milburn / Short Hills. The leadership that Sandy Haimoff provided to the residents of Short Hills was deplorable and she ought to be ashamed to be Mayor of the Community. Next week;s public forum ought to address not only the inadequate job the utility company provided to its custormer base but, also its elected representatives. A recall election is in order......so moved is my motion for all recently elected position to the Council and the Board of Directors @ JCL&P. Do I hear a second?

I agree that Tim Gordon, as a paid township administrator and as our alleged director of emergency management, was shockingly uncommunicative and unhelpful during this latest storm, and must be held accountable. We can't keep going through this once or twice a year with no response or emergency plan from the town. Other local towns are not having these issues.

It does seem that Mayor Haimoff at least tried to communicate with residents more than the administrator whose job it is to do so, and I give her credit for that. However,
- Code Red updates were late and unhelpful (compared to, say, updates from the school district)
- the announced warming/charging station at South Mountain School was locked with no updates posted
- instead she directed residents to the Codey Arena shelter even after it had been closed
- no plans were made to set up a new shelter even as temperatures dropped into the 20s in week 2, despite many township buildings with power by then

Much praise to the hardworking police, fire, and DPW employees who put themselves on the line again and again to keep us safe. I say we offer one of them an annual stipend to serve as a real director of emergency management. I'd gladly pay a tax increase to cover costs, to know there'd be a safe shelter where I could take my kids in the next storm if my house became uninhabitable. You know, the kind of emergency shelter Summit, Maplewood, and South Orange were able to provide for their residents.

Let's distinguish between the "forum" that the Short Hills Association (a private, civic group) is sponsoring about power issues and the regularly scheduled Township Committee meeting next Tuesday, November 20 at 8. I think it's important that concerned residents go through established, public channels and bodies, not through independent groups whose membership/base/constituents are far from clear. Personally, after the Short Hills Association's statement yesterday, I don't wish to support any program of theirs.

Mayor Haimoff and the town committee are great at cutting ribbons but lack the mental horsepower and organization skills necessary to take care of our town in the time of need. Mayor Haimoff has lived in this town for decades and still has no clue how to provide for her neighbours. Why didnt we have 24 hour warming station? Why didnt we have a place to get a warm meal? Why wasn't a group set up to knock on the doors of the elderly? Why didn't township employees work overtime to clear leaves and debris from streets. Somehow it was better to use our garbage trucks to block overpasses then to use them to collect leaves and garbage. As a resident for 40 years I would be happy to get involved and make sure the next time we face a natural disaster we are an example to follow not one of total faliure.

Have the Mayor and/or the Town Administrator explain and tell the residents, at the public forum of Milburn/Short Hills what Code Red is; No let me tell you, my Town is also a subscriber to the subscription of Code Red... Code Red is and Emergency Communications Network and a provider of an emergency call back service to municipalities, by a private entity (Emergency Communications Network, LLC). Code Red is a privately held corporation located in Ormond, Florida. All of their communication, telecommunciation network computer call backservices are located in Florida. The Town of Milburn pays a hefty fee for this service on an annual basis, and they hold in their communications servers a lot of data information given to them by the town, for each resident and commercial business in the Town they serve, icluding public and private telephone numbers. The information given is voluntary and requires to be provided by each resident by and with permission. If you received call back from the Code Red emergency call system, that call originated from Florida, not from the Mayor's office or the Town Adminsitrator. It, the emergency call out, system call usually is initiated out of your Public Safety dispatch office. Unless the messages are forwarded to Code Red system by an administrator of the town, the call message will never be delivered to you. This is where Sandy Haimoff and Town Administrator failed you. You taxpayer dollars for this service subscription was wasted.

Maybe the November 20 meeting needs to be held at MHS due to anticipated crowds?

This reminds me of a funny SNL "Point/Counterpoint" skit with Dan Aykroyd and Jan Curtin. No more need be said!!!

Have any of the snipers & carpers actually read Eleanor Wallen's letter past the first two lines? You have the opportunity to vent your spleens on JCP&L & the NJ Board of Public Utilities, which may you do more good than complaining about your dissatisfaction with Mayor Haimoff, Tim Gordon, the volunteers at the SHA and the Township Committee.

If you don't like what you're getting from the Town Hall, run for office. The SHA welcomes WORKERS too.

And how can an Office of Emergency Management only be available from 9 a.m to 4 p.m on business days especially in the midst of a townwide crisis?

I would advocate to a show of dissatisfaction at both the Township Committee meeting and the SHA meeting. Might as well take the opportunity to vent directly to JCP&L.

I must agree with the overwhelming majority of comments:
(1) My opinion of the S.H. Association is now zero! Were they pressured to write that letter by the Mayor? It is just so untrue!
(2) The fact is Mayor Haimoff did an absolutely terrible job in communicating with the residents until we all started complaining and writing about her awful communications. Just look at the 180 degree difference in communications from the Superintendent of Schools. Now that was communications, Mayor Haimoff!
Jeff

Leonard Rubin...you are way off base on this one. As suggested, I re-read the first two lines and still believe Ms. Wallen must be living in a different town...or she is a close friend of Ms. Haimoff.

What did the SHA "volunteers" do except publicly endorse a town council member who did a lousy job?

For a former MHS chemistry teacher, I am surprised that you cannot connect the dots on this one.

What's up with Hobart Gap Rd.? Did I miss the memo from the praise worthy 'great communicator' or has she lapsed back into her coma?

Just read that she is getting an award from the Clergy Association, to be presented at the Thanksgiving service on Wednesday at 5pm at Cong. B'nai Israel. This was voted upon by our local clergy in light of her aid to the community during the hurricane. Wow. Unbelievable. Would love to attend but am looking for peace, not to be aggravated. Not sure why everyone is praising her. Mayor Haimoff needs to resign. Cannot believe that local clergy is so flat-footed and tone deaf. Just like our mayor. This was a terrible decision, in my humble opinion.