Aberdeen Township officials want to meet with representatives of Jersey Central Power & Light to get answers on what they called a lack of communication with the utility during recent storms that resulted in local power outages.
“After superstorm Sandy (in 2012), JCP&L made tremendous strides in communicating with our government and residents regarding the status of outages. Those open lines of communication appear to have withered during the recent nor’easters and again during the (April 14-15) wind events. We are tired of being kept in the dark on both levels,” Aberdeen Township Mayor Fred Tagliarini said in a press release.
The mayor said officials had not received a response from JCP&L.
On April 19, Ron Morano, senior public relations representative for JCP&L, said the company is very much aware of the concerns expressed by the township’s representatives.
“We did not stop communicating with Aberdeen,” Morano said.
Deputy Mayor Robert Swindle said that during the recent spate of severe weather, township officials were learning about power outages from residents who were posting messages on Facebook.
Swindle said Tagliarini posted his own cell phone number on social media so residents could inform him directly of a power outage.
“This is no way to run a public utility,” Swindle said.
Tagliarini said township officials want Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Legislature to look into the situation.
