Jackson Township officials are demanding answers and accountability following a 72-hour email and computer system outage that disrupted municipal operations and left residents unable to reach key township departments, including the police.
According to the Jackson Township Council, the outage began Sunday and extended through Wednesday, rendering email communications inoperable across multiple departments. While services have since been restored, the exact cause remains unknown.
Council members are calling for urgent reform and increased administrative oversight. “We need an experienced manager at town hall who can properly manage the operation of a town the size of Jackson,” said Council Vice President Mordechai Burnstein. He emphasized the importance of understanding what caused the disruption to prevent future shutdowns. “We also need to get to the bottom of what happened here to make sure our town can avoid another multi-day shutdown in the future.”
Council President Jennifer Kuhn echoed that concern, pointing to the need for a more hands-on presence in the township’s daily operations. “While we value the dedication of our part-time mayor, it is essential that our business administrator is accessible and engaged,” Kuhn said. “This situation highlights the need for a reliable point of contact for both our township employees and residents.”
Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri described the outage as “crippling,” saying it severely impacted basic municipal functions and the ability to communicate with residents. “We need real answers about the root cause of this failure, why it took so long to resolve, and what safeguards will be put in place to prevent a recurrence,” he said. Palmeri pledged to push for transparency, accountability, and long-term solutions.
In Jackson’s form of government, the mayor and business administrator are responsible for managing day-to-day operations, while the council serves an oversight and legislative role. The council is now urging Mayor Michael Reina and the administration to hire a qualified business administrator with municipal management experience.
The administration reportedly informed the council that any deep investigation into the outage would require the hiring of a third-party expert, as the administration itself would be unable to determine the root cause.
Council members say they intend to pursue such an investigation and take whatever action is necessary to ensure Jackson is better prepared for future incidents.