Filling the shoes of late Lakewood Building Inspector Chief Mike Saccomanno is no easy task, but it’s one that Jeremy Kuipers – appointed Wednesday to succeed Mike – is already doing with calm, respect for his predecessor, and an eye towards the future.
“I worked under Mike for the past number of years, and his style is one that I truly hope to emulate,” Mr. Kuipers told Lakewood Alerts. “Mike was the ultimate professional and his respect and friendliness towards everyone was nothing but astounding. His sudden passing is a terrible loss for our entire department, and I intend to now do my absolute best to fill his giant shoes.”
Jeremy Kuipers began working in the electrical field as a teenager, continuing in the business alongside his master electrician father until he was hired by Lakewood Township in 2019.
Since then, he’s been “learning from the best,” as he says, becoming fluent in the ins and outs of the deeply technical details of inspections. He says the most important lesson he’s learned from the late Mike Saccomanno is how to create a friendly environment that is welcoming to anyone who needs his department’s assistance.
“More than anything, I want people to feel comfortable walking into our office when they need help. We’re not looking to be scary inspectors; we only want to assist you through the process – which can often be confusing to people who aren’t involved in this on a day-to-day basis – and get your inspections done in a timely fashion,” Mr. Kuipers said.
To assist him in doing his job as best he can, Mr. Kuipers has just one request from the Lakewood community.
“When you need help from our department or need an inspection done, try to make an appointment as soon as you can,” he says. “Pushing these things off can sometimes lead to extremely tight deadlines and a lot of stress for everyone involved.”
“Being proactive and efficient in submitting to us what you need will ensure that we can respond if any true emergencies come up. There’s only so much time that we have, so the sooner the better. And if people do that, everyone will benefit – us, you, and the whole community.”