Stafford Township: The People's Village

Yesterday I returned home to a surprise. It was like the Sandy’s Christmas elves had come up from the deep. What was this? A landing strip made for Santa’s belated helpers?

No. It was the promise fulfilled by Santa, a.k.a, John Spodofora and Town Administrator James A. Moran, with the insight of Ronald Cop and the manpower he oversees at the Department of Public Works.

This week fulfilled a made promise made after Superstorm Sandy that devastated over half this community’s homes and lives. 

It was a new road. That’s right - a road was replaced, graded and filled. And a point that was open to the bay had sand and fill replaced as well. Even with the looming $5-6 million dollar cleanup bill, Stafford is still waiting for FEMA to help. Stafford's leaders found a way to replace the road we so desperately needed here. 

After purchasing fill from Clayton block, in two days they graded, filled, raised our road, hopefully just enough to hold regular tides back from the adjacent Manahawkin/Barnegat bays.

In a direct email to me last night, Mayor Spodofora apologized that it wasn’t completed in the first day as Clayton had had a material loader breakdown that was feeding the crews here. Actually it was Ron Cop who had reached out and John forwarded it to me. Government in Action?

I say no. I say I take my hat off to all these township workers elected and non- elected. No town on the entire eastern seaboard can be compared to the call to action to which this entire village stepped up.

From the Dial a Ride drivers that seemed to be driving an endless caravan of displaced victims from our town to all of Long Beach Island the nights and days right after the storm; to the daily personal visits to the shelters by the Chief of Police Joseph Giberson to Councilpersons Stephen Fessler, Kathleen Corbett, Henry Mancini, Robert Kusznikow, Stan Rutkowski and Joanne Sitek - who in some way and every way were updating us daily in a warm and personal level most shelters are missing.  

One felt assured even though we were miles away from our homes that we were being taken care of, that our homes were safe or we at least were given hope sometimes three times a day. 

The police were also in action and very personal in dealing with residents. If you lived here and could prove it, the police tried to get you to your home as soon as the day after the disaster by personally escorting people.

Very professional and still with a village flair, let’s remember is the same team that won the National Swat team championship, I believe three years in a row. 

What Stafford now faces is being reimbursed for their quick call to action - cleaning streets of tons of debris, setting up a recovery center overnight within 24 hours for all the debris and this wasn’t just our own town’s but all neighboring towns and municipalities on Long Beach Island.  They needed a place to take all the docks, homes, cars and boats that left roads impassable as well as removed tons of sand - all before any FEMA team had even heard the name Stafford or Manahawkin. 

There are too many people to mention. What remains now is a battle for funds and approvals from FEMA. Every other agency has come on board to finish the job here to clean the wetlands and the biggest yet to be discovered is the cost along the waterways and surrounding canals and coves.  So littered are these still with homes, boats, grills, air conditioners. FEMA needs to step up and step up in a big way. 

Hopefully, this January 15 we will see some ray of hope from our Congress on the Sandy Bill that our great Governor Chris Christie has been fighting for. Until then, we have only to thank administrations like ours in Stafford Township. Job well done!.