Sea Isle’s Desiderio reaches out via social media; Northfield’s Chau takes steps for safety
By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
As communities cope with strains that would have seemed impossible just months ago and governments at every level struggle to respond to a pandemic, local mayors are working together and reaching out.
In New Jersey, the job of a municipal mayor can range from a primarily ceremonial position to the chief executive of the local government. Some have essentially the same powers as other members of the elected governing body while others are almost like local presidents, running the day-to-day city operations.
Today, as the weeks of social isolation drag on and the economic hardships driven by the COVID-19 slowdown take hold, local mayors are pushed into new roles. They’re communicating medical advice, deciding on the local response to a global crisis while trying to keep their communities united and informed.
In Sea Isle City, longtime Mayor Leonard Desiderio said that’s meant taking to every available platform to keep residents informed at a time when misinformation is both rampant and uniquely dangerous.
“I’ve been reaching out to the residents by email, through the newsletter, and I’m even doing a video letting them know what’s going on,” Desiderio said. The video has been seen by more that 4,000 people since it was posted to YouTube, he said.
Sea Isle City closed its promenade and beaches shortly after Ocean City closed the beaches and boardwalk, trying to keep people from congregating.
Mayors contacted for this story said they were relying on state and federal guidelines. Desiderio said he’s sought to make sure residents and property owners know what’s happening and why.
“Sea Isle’s been very transparent,” he said.
Local mayors said they now speak regularly with their county health departments and with emergency managers, as well as to each other.
“There are conference calls once a week with all of the mayors. We all share ideas,” said Mayor Darren Matik of Linwood.
Both Desiderio and Upper Township Mayor Rich Palombo said they conferred with each other and with Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian before closing access to beaches.
“The situation is constantly evolving,” said Northfield Mayor Erland Chau. He said he is in constant touch with county and state officials as well as his town’s emergency management coordinator. He said he’s tried to stay ahead of the crisis.
“For example, I closed the park, including Birch Grove Park,” he said. “I felt that looking at the potential liability, this would be a place where people would potentially congregate.”
Each of the mayors interviewed also spoke of the difficulty in balancing public access and public safety. For instance, the popular bike path that links Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point remains open.
“How am I going to close it? Am I going to fence in the entire three miles?” Chau said. He and Matik both said they had received a few complaints, and that police are keeping an eye on things.
“People have been very good about maintaining a social distance,” Matik said. “Everybody’s been very respectful for each other.”
Another concern is pushing people to walk, run or ride bicycles in the street as other exercise options disappear, which could present its own dangers.
In Somers Point, the waterfront Kennedy Park remains open, one of the few public spaces available.
“We’re just asking people to use common sense in these times and follow the directives,” Somers Point Mayor Jack Glasser said. “There may come a time when we may have to look at it differently. At this point in time we are keeping the park open.”
According to Matik, the Atlantic County Joint Insurance Fund has guidelines for keeping playgrounds open during the pandemic, but they are beyond the reach of Linwood and most municipalities. It would include having staff monitor playground use and the regular cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, which would require far more staff than is available.
Restaurants throughout the state have changed to take-out only, and other businesses have closed. Desiderio said he sees more people using masks and gloves, and those in the open, essential businesses, including pharmacies and grocery stores, are wearing masks and keeping six feet apart.
“That’s what we have to do. It’s going to be called the summer to remember,” he said. “We want to get through this and get back to normal as soon as possible.”
Local government also functions far differently, with offices closed and residents communicating by phone or online. In Somers Point, visitors can pick up a phone in the vestibule and speak with employees at City Hall, but cannot come inside.
“Of course, our police are providing vital services,” Glasser said. “It’s been obviously very difficult. I give all of our city workers a lot of credit for hanging in there in these difficult times.”
“We would be in real bad shape if Public Works wasn’t allowed to work right now,” Matik said after a severe windstorm downed trees and damaged property. Crews worked through the day clearing street and removing debris.
Governing bodies now rely on remote meetings, with residents able to listen in and participate by phone or over the internet. In Northfield, members of City Council came to the meeting room in City Hall, but residents participated remotely. According to Chau, the city clerk marked off the meeting room so that everyone would be at least six feet apart, following the current recommendations, and in order to meet the state’s emergency order, no more than 10 people were to be in the room at any time.
In Somers Point, Glasser said he is in regular contact with representatives of Shore Medical Center, which he described as providing needed care through the crisis. Glasser, like mayors in each town, implored residents to continue social distancing until the crisis is over.
“This virus is dangerous. If we don’t follow the rules that are being put down by the health care professionals, I don’t know how we’re going to break this,” Glasser said. “I firmly believe that through the grace of God we are going to get through this.”
Mayor Gillian said he understands the hardship the decision to close the beaches and boardwalk brought, but said it was necessary because people were not following the social distancing guidelines. A city spokesman indicated that Gillian would not have time to be interviewed for this story.
Gillian has long issued a statement each Friday, updating residents about news around town, outlining city projects and city initiatives and making other announcements. As the strict new measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 took hold, the statements came much more often, sometimes being issued once a day, outlining the latest measure and explaining the reason behind it.
The statements are emailed to those who sign up and posted to the city website. One issued April 10 was a thank you.
“I want to thank everyone for doing all they can to social distance and stay at home. You have saved lives,” he wrote.