It’s been a rough week for everyone in Wilton, including First Selectman Bill Brennan, who’s been bearing the brunt of criticism from a populace aggravated by lengthy blackouts amid frosty nights.
“I don’t mind taking a bad rap for bad communication, but I feel like we did a lot of communication this time,” said Brennan. “It was a tough storm. People are frustrated; I understand that. [But] I want people to know what [the town] did so they understand.”
He pushed over a pile of Emergency Operations Center (EOC) notices along with the town’s automated Code Red transcriptions.
“We met before the storm even got here; we said we needed sand [for the roads] and we need plows; we’re gonna have a weekend storm….The sanding, the plows, started soon—it was slippery—we were cranked up right then and there. We knew we could open the EOC when it was necessary,” said Brennan.
Brennan contacted Patch yesterday afternoon, after reading Cathryn J. Prince’s article “.” He spoke plainly, and believed it to be “biased” and “unfair.”
"I feel we did a lot of communication this time," he said. "This storm was worse than Irene."
He also said that Prince did not contact him, although Prince said she left a “detailed message” on his office answering machine Friday afternoon.
The article quoted several people who expressed discontent, even outrage, because they felt Wilton had not done enough to communicate with its citizens, either by phone, website or social media.
Brennan thinks that the perceived lack of communication may be because some residents were not signed up for the town’s Code Red hotline.
The first emergency call came from the hotline on Sunday, Oct. 30 in the a.m. Records show that there were two calls per day to the 7,300 number enlisted in the hotline’s database; for each phone call, these 7,300 numbers were reached in about 20 minutes, Brennan said. Records indicate that the website was updated around the same time as the Code Red calls.
During the interview, Brennan repeatedly stated that people needed to sign up for Code Red by visiting the website.
“If you’re not in the system, you’re not getting the information. Everyone please register your phones.”
As for having an emergency Facebook page, the idea stalled out before it came to fruition. Brennan said that it “was one of those things that we agreed to look into after Irene, but it hadn’t been finalized.”
Emergency-information flyers were taped to stores around town which were taped to front doors by an officer. At one point Brennan himself went out to post flyers to the library and to businesses in the River Road area.
And as for the rumor while debris blockaded 108 (out of 308) roads? False.
“It was a private contractor. There’s a contractor doing sewer work down there—not the town. It’s a contractor, not a town employee, not the curbing [job],” said Brennan, looking exasperated.
“It’s okay to blame public officials, because we communicate that anger to the CL&P officials. I can assure you I know how bad the area is—I can’t tell you how much I’ve worked [in the past nine days]. I’ve been all over town and spent hours talking to CL&P officials,” he said.
“I tried to get back to everyone who contacted me. Sometimes I was in the EOC, sometimes I wasn’t here [in my office]. CL&P was slow to respond because they needed to bring more crews….It was the same old problem with CL&P; no information for two-three days,” said Brennan.
“Lots of the guys [town workers] who worked had their power out, the property damaged, but they did their jobs first…Lots have been working for nine straight days. They’re sore now. They did an incredibly job.”
And while most people honk and wave at CL&P crews, Brennan said that there were some reports of harassment. Allegedly, persons driving by would scream out obscenities as they passed.
“I would rather not go into the details,” he said. “Generally, people have been well-mannered and really patient.”
Asked to rate Wilton's response to the October storm, Brennan said that "given the resources we had, and the kind of storm it was, I think [our response] was exceptional."
As for the phone number thats just splitting hairs. If you're really anxious about a robocall pickup the phone, if its a telemarketer than hang up.
Bill should have been more insistent with CL&P and not accepted whatever lip service he was getting. I witnessed first hand how a neighboring town handled it - First Selectman in the EOC with a rep from CL&P who has a laptop communicating directly with the CL&P supervisor in Texas who is dispatching crews). Residents would call, Facebook, or stop in the EOC, they would confirm the outage with the CL&P rep, the super in Texas would notify them exactly when they could expect a crew. A well oiled machine - nothing like what Wilton had. EOC in that town also sent town agencies out to check on elderly & medically unstable patients (info from Meals on Wheels, Ambulance Corps, etc). We have the ability to make a change at our local level - we can't vote for the CL&P Pres. Let's do what we can - and along the way get someone in that office who can get some revitalization of downtown so we can attract and keep businesses! There are SOOOO many things Bill should have been doing rather than clearing brush from Thunder Lake.
- no robocalls or emails on Saturday - Sunday, a single robocall from Mr. Brennan, an email from wiltonct@yahoogroups.com at 8:37 am that had no message, an email at 2:12 regarding the library being open, and an email at 4:40 as to the schools being closed. Nothing as to road closures or the exent of damage. - Monday, two robocalls form Mr. Brennan, the first "WILTON EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION" from wiltonct@yahoogroups.com at 11:11 am (withe the text of the Monday am robocall), a 10:41 email from wiltonct@yahoogroups with a list of road closures as of Sunday night, and a 3:09 PM email with an update from The Wilton Emergency Operations Center - from Tuesday through Froday, there were two robocalls per day, and twice daily emo updates
Patch quotes Bill Brennan as saying “I don’t mind taking a bad rap for bad communication, but I feel like we did a lot of communication this time.” The facts as to the lack of communication on Saturday and Monday speak for themselves - in my opinion, the Town did no better on those days than during Irene. However, I agree with Mr. Brennan that form Tuesday ion, the Tiown did much better communicating the situation that during Irene. As others have noted on Pacth over the past week, compare Wilton's limited or non-existent communication in these days with Ridgefield (multiple robocalls on Saturday, starting in the arly afternoon) and New Canaaan. I do want to express my appreciation to the DPW employees who had a hurculean task in clearing roads that can best be described as a war zone, and to the staff of Weir Farm who cleared a tree that fell form their property and which blocked my street - opening the road a full day before DPW was able to get to our area. Will our elected officials learn a lesson from this storm? I certainly hope so. They have now had two chances.
Vacations/days off were immediately cancelled and all 16 DPW employees set out to work the 128miles of roads as WPD ensured public safety on all main roads, intersections and downed wires where known. WFD opened the EOC and emergency operations ensured shelters were open, staffed, warm and had water. All these things happen, choreographed silently from Town Hall and the 1st Selectman's office. No response is perfect, but casting such negative commentary (especially anonymously) ignores or marginalizes the good, hard work done by all and led by Bill Brennan. I also want to give a BIG and LOUD shout out to our various community-based organizations - Wilton Y, Wilton Library and Trackside. They once again demonstrated what being a member of the community is about. They set a very high bar that we should all try and reach in the "high calling of our daily work".
We are very grateful Bill had chosen to raise his hand, and thankful to his lively bride Kathleen for indulging him, and allowing Wilton the benefit of his service.
The true lesson is "do not expect government to solve your problems." They can't. Better to shrink it to the 'right size' before it overwhelms our society.
This is where we part company. We are signed up for Code Red, and we did not receive any communication until Sunday afternoon at 2:00. We have friends in New Canaan and Ridgefield, so we have a good basis of comparison between their towns' administrative effectiveness in communication and the lack thereof in Wilton. When I went to vote today, I specifically asked whether we could write in for another candidate, and was told that I could not, so I did the next best thing, and did not bubble in Bill Brennan's name. Unfortunately for the town, and fortunately for Mr. Brennan, the timing of this storm was too late to get approval from the Governor's office for write-ins (at least that's what I was told at the polls) or for another viable candidate to run against him. I hope that other citizens who have been frustrated by what has happened (and not happened) during Irene and Albert, as well as lessons not learned between the two storms, will do the same. If enough people who vote today do not bubble him in, I think it would send a clear sign of "no confidence" to Mr. Brennan. Maybe that would wake him up to reality, as well as to the people who "circle their wagons around him." Maybe we could get a petition started to impeach him instead....
We can also agree that the response this time was markedly and measurable better than after Irene. That said, instead of looking for reasons to find fault let's build a list of what to do differently/better and work with the Town and Bill to get them implemented; proactively ensuring future information flow is better.
I was satisfied, but not overwhelmed by BB's response. That being said, I am sure much went on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of that would merit a 'thumbs up'. I hope this time any suggestions BB receives are acted upon more quickly than after Irene. Improvements were made. But did other towns do better with their communication? Yes. How long does it take to set up a blog or Facebook page? Minutes. My personal submission for the suggestion box: Contact Dial-A-Ride operators, Stay-At-Home In Wilton, Meals on Wheels and other local organizations and find out their views about eminent need, especially among those who could not get out on their own under normal circumstances. Notify volunteers of those needs (i.e. check on these addresses if they need firewood, water, etc). I would have happily volunteered to deliver water/other necessities anywhere. Maybe something like this did happen. If so, bravo!