It’s just horrible. It’s disastrous out there. It’s now 36 hours after a major snow storm, and thousands of Lakewood residents still can’t even get out of their blocks.
I just spoke to a business owner, and this is what he had to tell me.
“If I didn’t plow my parking lot, I would have been fired. It’s that simple. I was hired to do my job, and if it doesn’t get done, by hook or by crook, I’m done.”
And that’s the way it works in any business. You don’t do your job? They replace you with someone who can get the job done.
And anyone I’ve been speaking to had the same to say. It’s just ridiculous that we have a city the size of Lakewood with over 100,000 residents, and two days after a massive storm we’re still buried in snow.
And this is what another friend was wondering: “Where were they a whole Saturday, when most of the town was sitting home? They had plenty of time to plow.”
It’s time to privatize the DPW, or get in people who know what they’re doing.
Signed,
Fed up, and buried in snow.
Lakewood, NJ.
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Privatize. Let all the DPW employees reapply to the private company, and then their jobs will convert to true performance-based vs. tenure-based.
How do you know private industry would do any better?
Let all Developements privateiize , Garbage, lawn and snow maintenance. It will ease the load for the rest of us. Thanks
They would be fired and we will get a new one
Take a vote if we want privatization
So they did that with bussing and they keep threatening to take it away of We dont pay more.
It’s a great idea in theory but how practical in the long run?
Don’t forget how many cans average family have in Lakewood?
How many holidays and Passover cleanup that’s all going to cost A lot.
@david Drukaroff if you drive around town, you will see that all privately plowed parking lots figured out how to plow down to the bare asphalt… If a private company plowed my parking lot the same way the township “plowed” my street… I wouldn’t pay them…
DPW has a reputation for being the most disgusting ,toward residents of this town. Dont believe it research how many complaints and TRY it for yourself. Call them, see what happens, go there see what happens.
They’re a biased group of individuals with a common theme disrespect the people you serve and give attitude to those that pay your salary.
if a complete and thorough investigation gives any sack to any of these clowns then its time to overhaul the leadership from the Homey type its been to a mature and businesslike operation.
Better idea: Let’s privatize Lakewood.
1000% privatize!!!
Everyone knows the truth, except the people who work there have no interest in the truth, they want to work less and get paid more.
Fire them all!!!
EVRY SINGLE TOWN OUTSIDE LAKEWOOD WAS PLOWED, TOMS RIVER , JACKSON, MANCHESTER BRICK , LACEY , STAFFORD WE MUST GET RID OF DPW IMMEDIATELY
Now this is actually someone thinking of how to make this work. I agree. Give a 12 month contract to private companies and see if it works. If it doesn’t then you reconsider at that point, but it definitely needs to be tried.
And we should trust the rewarding of the private contracts to the same people that are in charge of the workers at the DPW?
Privatizing DPW is a knee jerk reaction, it might save money the first year or two but after that it will skyrocket and there will be no recourse.Public employees should not be unionized. The township and the head of the DPW should have better ways to handle the employees without a union blocking the township.
Why not hire someone from a different public works that has done a good job? Privatization works but it is expensive.
By privatizing you get one thing..you get what you pay for. Your trash pickup is charged by, your recycling service is charged, you lose the ability to complain to those that are in the town. If you look at the town, yes DPW failed, but it’s not always the management, some important employees failed to show up for their shifts. What do you do then? You do what you do with what you got. Not excusing them for lack of responsibilty to the town but who do you blame? the guy in the office answering the phone is taking your info, he is not in a plow he is dispatching them around the town. All trucks have responsibilities..the drivers failed to show up put pressure on those that were already trying to clear their areas.
Remember you get what you pay for. If you privatize you will prob get a service that will only pick up your trash once a week like clockwork. If you miss the pick up date you will have to wait a week they will not come out if you call them. They will not do “extra duty” during special holidays. They will not come out for pickups, you will have to get it to the dump on your own.
Yes DPW Failed this storm. But many towns FAILED this storm. I know OC Road Dept is still cleaning up many of the county roads they are tasked to do. State is still cleaning up making roads More accesible. It was a lot of snow in 24 hrs, many towns have the same problem but are not as densly populated as we are.
I know not many people are happy with the performance of one of our services but it goes deeper, when that service is digging out the Emergency Services to get to help everyone
My experience is that if DPW is privatized the bidders will know the challenge of servicing our town and then adjust their bids upwards. The total cost will be higher and higher each year as more and more is demanded.
Just to clarify. I am happy with the other DPW services. It is just the snow removal that needs major outside help
HUDSON- you are mistaken. Jackson’s roads are awful as are Toms River. There was over 2 feet of snow dumped in Northern Ocean County. Comparing Lakewood to Lacey and Stafford is wrong because they had less snow. Have a little patience and lay off the caps lock 🙂
Now see, unions are what save the working man. I’m sry if you lakewood residents don’t like it. But a private company won’t offer health insurance or dental or vision, or even a retirement. Aswell as low wages. All because you think privatized employee’s will work harder? You really think they will work on Christmas , easter , thanksgiving , mlk day , July 4th. No they will laugh at you.
Unionize all jobs in lakewood.
I want to retire someday 2.