It wasn’t too many years ago that the thought of giving a woman the responsibility of overseeing a public works department simply wasn’t part of the mental process that went on with governing bodies at their reorganization meetings. Regardless of the form of government, public works was always considered a part of the “good old boys” network. After all, what does a woman know about snow plows, recycling and street repair emergencies? Well, Union City Commissioner Ernestine Yandolino has shattered the myth in grand style. This week’s snowstorms were bad enough to test the mettle of any public official – male or female – and the Union City public works department received outstanding reviews on the job it did. But the successful response to the first real test of the winter did not come about by accident. It was the result of long-range planning between Commissioner Yandolino, Mayor Rudy Garcia and Public Works Director Sergio Panunzio. The plan began last year with the floating of a bond issue which was used to purchase new snow plows, salt spreaders, pickup trucks with plows and payloaders. Sixteen pieces of equipment, nine of them brand new, were used in attacking the snow this week. As Commissioner Yandolino observed, “the employees had new toys they couldn’t wait to use.” Snow removal crews of 30 employees, led by Mayor Rudy Garcia driving a snow plow, attacked the snow on an around-the-clock 24-hour basis while another 15 were assigned to sanitation and recycling. According to Commissioner Yandolino, there were no unusual emergencies, the streets were kept open and the long-range planning “paid off.” She also disclosed that the department’s inspectors and police officers were urging residents not to shovel snow back into the street, and indicated that the law with regards to that would be enforced. “Union City is primarily a blue-collar community,” Yandolino said, “and it is imperative that we keep our streets open so our residents are able to get to and from work without any major complications.” She also disclosed that the “snow removal” window runs from November until about St. Patrick’s Day and that contingency plans are always in place during that period.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
