Two NJ towns, 38 miles apart, came together after Sandy. Their partnership is still going

MADISON — A 123-year-old decision by the founders of this Morris County town to create their own power utility paid dividends a decade ago when the 4-square-mile borough recovered quickly after Superstorm Sandy.

What could not be foreseen was that the Madison Electric Department would spark the recovery of a devastated Jersey Shore town 38 miles to the south − and a "sister city" partnership that continues to this day.

On Saturday, Madison Mayor Robert Conley, Administrator Ray Codey and others from Morris County's "Rose City" attended the dedication of the renovated Union Beach municipal hall. The building was renamed in honor of former mayor Paul Smith, who died in 2020, eight years after he helped guide his Monmouth County town through the storm's aftermath.

Two days after Sandy barreled into New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012, Madison's electrical workers had the wind-whipped borough back on the grid, a full week or more before many other New Jersey towns got their power back.

Codey said his wife was the one who read about Union Beach. The small town along Raritan Bay had been crushed by the historic storm and "nobody seemed to be paying attention."

"We thought we were in a major disaster area, but we soon learned what we faced paled in comparison with the communities along the shore, especially Union Beach," Conley recalled. It was "a town that I barely knew existed until that picture of the half-house appeared on front pages throughout the country. We lost our power. The residents of Union Beach lost their homes."

That photo of a 150-year-old home, half-obliterated, half-standing, became a lasting image of Sandy's devastation − and Shore residents' commitment to endure. Conley knew he had to help.

'For 12 nights, it was dark'

He, Codey and Councilman Robert Landrigan decided to reach out to Smith, then Union Beach's mayor, and offered what Conley called "a 10-year commitment" to help them recover.

Current Union Beach Mayor Charles Cocuzza, a councilman at the time, "did not know where Madison was."

"I was thinking of Madison, Wisconsin," he said.

What followed forged a bond that eventually included financial help to send 400 Union Beach children to a Pennsylvania summer camp over the past decade.

But the relief from Morris to Monmouth began immediately, with the deployment of the Madison Electric Company. The borough also sent inspectors to assistJCP&L and out-of-state emergency workers in reconnecting Union Beach customers "block by block, house by house," Conley said.

Madison's early contributions also included the donation of two used but fully-equipped police cars to Union Beach, which lost several vehicles and three of four fire stations to flooding. The Morris town also donated $300,000 worth of utility and construction materials in late 2012. Contributions continued into the next year with the donation of surplus police radar units.

"Madison stepping up like that was a huge relief," Cocuzza said. "It gave us a breather. At the time, we had to worry about looters. We had to worry about sight-seers. Everybody saw that one iconic house photo and came to see it. At one point, we had the National Guard along with troopers from Michigan and Illinois because for 12 nights, it was dark."

Union Beach police were especially grateful for the cars, Cocuzza said. "Our police officers were going through the same thing like everybody else, but they wanted to do their jobs."

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The 10-year commitment continued with the welfare of Union Beach youth in mind. Conley, a former operations manager for the Madison YMCA, facilitated a partnership among the towns and the Y to send approximately 30 Union Beach children a year to a free, week-long summer camp in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.

"The summer camp, that was a beautiful gesture," Cocuzza said. Because of flood damage, "our children had been in three different schools from Sandy to the following September. A lot were in temporary housing. Some of them were living in other towns and commuting. So to give them an outlet, something to do that was fun even for a week, to be away from all the damage and the chaos, was a tremendous boost."

Madison's original 10-year commitment expires this year, likely bringing the program to a formal end. But both mayors say the relationship that was forged will go on.

"What started as community assistance became a friendship," Cocuzza said.

Bottle Hill power

That partnership wouldn't have been possible if not for a dispute more than a century ago.

Local residents' desire for their own electrical utility led to the secession of Bottle Hill, later renamed Madison, from neighboring Chatham in 1889.

Madison is just one of nine New Jersey municipalities with its own electrical utility. State regulations now prevent such operations, Codey said. The eight other municipal power systems in New Jersey are located in Butler, Lavallette, Milltown, Park Ridge, Pemberton, Seaside Heights, South River and Vineland.

Madison's electric company includes two substations, its own bucket trucks and inventory ranging from wire and transformers to replacements for the 2,650 utility poles in the borough.

Superintendent James Mattina has spent his entire 36-year career in town and oversees an eight-man crew

"It's a family down here," Mattina said. "We all get along."

Mattina said he barely saw his family for three weeks after Sandy hit. The town was able to restore power within its borders in less than 48 hours. All it took was two mainline connections to the borough by JCP&L.

"They use the sunny days to prepare for the rainy days to come," Conley said of Mattina's crew. "They know our four square miles. It's all they do."

The utility prioritized reconnecting downtown so people could eat, shop and get gasoline. Conley said the town was then flooded by gas-hunters and hungry out-of-towners including then-Gov.Chris Christie, who lives in Mendham Township, about 10 miles away.

Madison did receive outside assistance during Sandy from utility crews out of Louisiana and Delaware. They were treated to coffee, doughnuts and encouragement from local residents.

"They all said, 'what a great town to work in,' " Mattina recalled.

In between reconnections in Madison and Union Beach, Madison crews also deployed to assist neighboring towns, including Morristown, Morris Township, Florham Park and the Chathams.

Codey said the electric utility functions as an insurance policy that allows the borough to "control our destiny."

"We deliver a high-quality service at a reasonable price and if anything happens, were not waiting for JCP&L, which is owed by First Energy of Ohio, to respond," he said. "We have our own 24/7 service here, our own crews and equipment."

Over the years, some have suggested Madison should abandon its electric utility, noted Conley.

"But I don't think anybody has brought that up since Sandy," he said with a smile.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Superstorm Sandy brought Morris, Monmouth NJ towns together