DENNISVILLE- How are local issues resolved in Dennis Township? Based on committee responses to questions from the public at recent meetings (including August 20), if a local issue involves a quality of life problem, such as an unkempt property, official intervention may be required. Enter Mario.
Mario is Mario Zaccaria and, on the township’s website under “Administrative Officers,” his name appears five times. According to the website organizational chart, he is responsible for fire protection sub-code inspections, plumbing and building inspections, and new construction inspection. He also juggles a fifth title that may be confusing to those who pay close attention to Dennis Township government, namely, “code enforcement.”
Dennis Township currently lacks a regular code enforcement officer. David Gonham, the last to carry the title, was laid off last year due to budgetary constraints. Such a financial situation is not unique to Dennis Township. Many financially strapped municipalities have cut back on workers, with the services that worker provided either picked up by others or parceled out via shared services with other municipalities.
Zaccaria was mentioned several times at the most recent committee meeting in the context of investigating excess signage along Sea Isle Boulevard, and later regarding monitoring unkempt properties.
Dennisville resident Bob Grace wanted to know about problems with properties not being maintained.
We’ll contact Mario,” Committeeman Brian Teefy replied.
Zaccaria, Grace was told, would investigate the properties in question, and if the situation warranted, would “send out a letter” advising of the violations.
“We are having problems with foreclosed properties,” Teefy added. “People walk away, the bank takes over. It’s difficult to get banks to act. There’s a lot of back and forth.”
“A lot of our complaints could be resolved if we had a code enforcement officer,” resident John Frasca observed. When told that code enforcement is now being handled by the construction official (Zaccaria), Frasca said “we need a proactive code enforcement office. What we have is a reactive one.”
“There’s only so many dollars going around,” Committeeman Frank Germanio explained. “In an ideal world, we’d have a full time code enforcement officer.”
As the public comment segment of the latest meeting drew to a close, a member of the public asked the committee when the hot water in the bathrooms at town hall would again become available. The irony of the topic of hot water was lost on everyone in the room save one quick-witted, and anonymous wag seated in the back who said, “We’d better ask Mario to check it out.”
Zaccaria, who preferred not to talk to the Herald when contacted by phone, is a part-time employee.
Villas – Don't kid yourself. Those "Nobel" prize people are as political as you can get. Wise up!
