Hathaway: NJ-11 Needed Leadership During Storm Recovery.
Instead, Residents Got Silence.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2026

RANDOLPH, NJ - Joe Hathaway today criticized Congresswoman Analilia Mejia's limited public response following the severe storms that left thousands of North Jersey residents without power for days during dangerous heat.

As communities across Morris and Essex counties worked to recover from widespread outages, downed trees, flooded roadways, and significant storm damage, Hathaway remained actively engaged with residents by sharing restoration updates from JCP&L, going door to door doing welfare checks, assisting his neighbors at the local cooling and charging station, communicating available resources, and recognizing the work of our first responders, public works crews, and utility workers on the ground.

Mejia's public response consisted of a single social media post, before quickly shifting her platform to advocating for impeaching Supreme Court Justices and promoting a virtual phone call with an out of state Member of Congress.

"Families across NJ-11 deserved and needed more than a single social media post," said Hathaway. "They needed visible leadership, consistent communication, and an advocate fighting for them while they spent days without power during dangerous heat. Public service means showing up when people need you most, and unfortunately that's not what we saw from our representative in Congress."

Hathaway also pointed to what he sees as a broader lack of urgency from Democratic leadership as residents struggled through one of the region's most significant storm events since Superstorm Sandy.

"As someone who has led a town through emergencies, I know people aren't looking for politics during a crisis, they're looking for leadership," Hathaway added. "Our first responders, utility crews, and local officials worked tirelessly to help our communities recover. They deserved a stronger partner in Washington fighting alongside them."

Joe Hathaway is the Republican nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th District. Hathaway has served on the Randolph Township Council since 2022, and is the immediate past Mayor. He lives in Randolph with his wife Whitney, and their three young children.