Mayor Fred Henry

Defends Business Administrator, Council

By Joseph L. Kuchie—

SOUTH AMBOY — In the aftermath of a recent article published about South Amboy’s efforts during Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Fred Henry made a powerful statement defending himself and the city’s officials.

Many residents have spoken out about the apparent lack of effort given by the Mayor and city council after Hurricane Sandy hit last Fall, with flood victims still speaking out searching for help from it’s city.

Henry delivered strong words explaining his work before and after the storm during the opening comments of last week’s council meeting.

“Some questioned, ‘Where was I?’ It is not in my nature to go out looking for accolades for what I did, but I was not at home doing nothing,” Henry said. “Before the storm I called a meeting to ensure all departments knew their jobs and roles for the upcoming storm. The night of the storm, I spent a lot of time out in the storm with Police Chief [Darren] Lavigne.”

Henry continued, “After the storm, where was I? Out observing the devastation and speaking with many of the residents…I spoke with many residents and was invited into a number of homes to view the damage. To say the least it was horrifying,” he said. “At no time did I ask for a photo op to publicize this horrible loss, but I did very quickly authorize outside help to clean up the streets and it was done with extreme efficiency.”

Henry also addressed the accusations that South Amboy was doing nothing while Perth Amboy and Mayor Diaz were working with high school students to help the community. He denied these reports and explained that he had been working with local groups throughout the crisis.

“Contrary to this belief I requested and received help from Tony Gonzalez and the boy’s soccer team to help unload and distribute water and ice which was delivered to the first aid building and John Street parking lot,” he explained. “Also, I was in touch with the governor’s office and they responded by sending a van with boxes of blankets which was delivered to the fire house on Broadway. I was there to greet the van and help unload the boxes.”

Henry praised the council for going out and delivering mops, garbage bags and other supplies to residents that lost everything in the storm and also for taking part in the Old Bridge High School telethon which raised $32,000 for victims.

He also denied the report that the city had anything to do with filtering the funds raised for residents through St. Mary’s. He explained that the article implied that something was wrong with the operation and that it was a “slap in the face” to the people of the food pantry and the city.

Henry did note that there was room for improvement with communication and with the information coming from FEMA, but did explain the effort that he and the council were putting in to get answers.

He noted that he attended a seminar in South Brunswick about the communication system Nixle through the police department and has invited FEMA representatives to come and talk about the future of homeowners in South Amboy.

“I and everyone in this council participated in some way,” Henry added. “Whether it was physically delivering goods, picking up generators, getting water and ice from the county, or cooking at a fund raiser…everybody took part.”

Henry also addressed the name-calling and insults that were made to Business Administrator Camille Tooker during the May 1st business meeting. He believed that the snickering and rude comments made by some residents were uncalled for.

“Mrs. Tooker was not even here when the storm occurred, being on medical leave after suffering a stroke, but she still worked from home as best she could in order to continue to serve the citizens,” Henry explained. “To refer to her with name-calling does her a grave disservice and I want to publicly apologize to her for not making an effort to stop it at the time.”

“It is beneath the dignity of these chambers to accept and or allow such behavior, and it speaks volumes about the people who perpetrated them,” he added.

Councilman Michael “Mickey” Gross stood by Mayor Henry and praised him for his strong words and statements. He too believed that the name-calling and unprofessional behavior of late had to come to a stop.

All councilmen and women were in attendance for the meeting. The next council meeting will be held on Jun. 19th at 7:00 p.m.