It seems that in the national press it is newsworthy when government messes up, but not so much when government works well. That is why I feel the need to publicly commend the borough government with regards to their handling of the earth movement below Oceanview Drive. They did an excellent job of handling the situation, especially since it is unclear when, how fast, and how much farther the ground will move. The borough has acted quickly, proactively, and appropriately. They got the right experts in, collected data, and developed various contingency plans in case the road gets blocked, utilities are disrupted, and/or more families are displaced. They set up a command center to help coordinate the actions of the various involved government agencies and to facilitate open and timely communication with the public.
I understand that Brian Lemcke, Roc Ahrens and Scott Bradford have been especially critical in making the response both efficient and effective, with the support of the borough manager, Mark Earnest, and the rest of the borough staff. Stephanie Scott has also done a superb job as Mayor during this event. It is a hard job, as it is not always clear in these situations how things will develop and when to act or what to do. I feel confident that the borough will continue to do all that is possible to keep the damage and inconvenience to a minimum and to keep us apprised of the dangers and risks. Thank you to all those involved.