Blog

This is a copy of an email I sent to about 400 New Jersey mayors/clerks (whose contact information were available online). This letter and this initiative are not communications or official action on behalf of the Village. Dear fellow mayors and municipal colleagues, My name is Alex Torpey and I’m the Mayor and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Township of South Orange Village.  I’m emailing you today because, like many of you, I'm frustrated. And like many of you, I want to see decisive actions and results from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities working with our utility companies in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. But we need to do this together.All of our communities have been dealing with the challenges and destruction from Hurricane Sandy - some of us are still recovering and rebuilding and will be continuing to do so for the foreseeable future. Our first responders, relief workers, community members and utility workers have all stepped up to the plate in incredible ways across our state. Many local governments have already begun looking at what went well and what needs improvement. It's time for the utility companies to do the same. Last year after the storms, we tried to lend...

On Thursday, Village President Alex Torpey spoke with a group of graduate students at Rutgers Edward J Bloustein school of Planning of Public Policy. The event was organized by Rutgers Bloustein students who wanted to bring a local official's perspective to students in their planning program. Torpey spoke with about 30 graduate students about topics such as affordable housing challenges facing local governments, sustainability initiatives happening in South Orange, like complete streets and bike lanes, EV charging stations, LEED certifications for new developments and more, as well as emergency planning and preparedness efforts, especially in relation to planning and advocating for a more redundant power infrastructure. South Orange has recently taken the lead on advocating for solutions from the state legislature to help fix problems related to utilities response to Superstorm Sandy. Read more about that.  Students asked questions and engaged in a long Q+A session about local planning initiatives, the role that the mayor plays in the planning process, what challenges exist to expanding public transit access at the local level, and the relationship between town development and Seton Hall University.  Brandon McKoy, a South Orange resident and Bloustein student who co-organized the event said that "The event provided an excellent opportunity for students to gain...

Below is an op-ed I wrote, as Village President and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator: Superstorm Sandy was one of the worst storms ever to hit the state of New Jersey. However, despite its seeming rarity, it will not be the last, as weather events seem to be trending towards the more extremes. As a result, a unique opportunity exists to collectively and comprehensively assess what happened and to make improvements and recommendations before the next major storms hits. Although from the feedback we've received, the response and communication from the Village itself was generally very good, we can, of course, always do better. And it is critical to remember that, for an event this large, the Village’s response is significantly impacted by the response of others, for example PSE&G and NJ Transit.

Read More →

This Thanksgiving, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union thanked a few New Jersey leaders who they feel made a positive impact for the citizens of New Jersey in 2012: Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno & Board of Elections Director Robert Giles for protecting voters South Orange Village President Alex Torpey for commitment to open government All of the emergency crews, public servants, and New Jersey residents who supported each other before, during and after Hurricane Sandy Read the full press release from the ACLU.

Below please find a press release from the Village regarding accountability post Hurricane Sandy, and the resolution which was passed at the end of the post. SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many towns are asking for accountability from utility companies that some feel failed to provide accurate and timely information not only to customers, but also to local governments and emergency personnel. On Monday night, the South Orange Board of Trustees unanimously voted to send a strong message to the Village’s electricity provider - Public Service Electric & Gas - and to State Officials in Trenton that legislative steps need to be taken to remedy the problems that occurred over the past two weeks. "The failure of communication, information management and emergency preparedness on the part of PSE&G as a whole is unacceptable" said Village President Alex Torpey who is not only the Village’s Mayor, but also Office of Emergency Management Coordinator. "The most frustrating part is that we brought up many of these concerns last year after the snowstorm and Hurricane Irene, and we have not seen adequate progress on making the changes needed. That means it's time for a legislative fix, I think that’s the...

For the latest official information from the Village please visit http://southorange.org and sign up for alerts at http://southorange.org/alerts. 

Below find the latest update from the Village's Office of Emergency Management: