It began with a quick dab of the eyes. Then the tears came. And before long, BPU
President Christine Guhl-Sadovy was all but sobbing.
When Guhl-Sadovy was presented with the inaugural Joe Fiordaliso Award last week
during a New Jersey Energy Policy Coalition event, and received it directly from
Fiordaliso’s son, it became more than she could hold back.
“Joe was much more than a boss,” she said days later. “He was a mentor. A friend. A
guide. He was the most dedicated public servant I’ve ever worked with. He did this job
because he cared so deeply about New Jersey. That’s why I do this job.”
The commitment they shared is what made the moment overwhelming.
“That’s why I got so emotional,” she said.
Even recounting the experience to BINJE over the weekend, her voice cracked again.
“I’m never like this,” she insisted. “I don’t cry easily. But whenever I start talking about
Joe — or thinking about Joe — it happens.”
Fiordaliso’s sudden passing on Sept. 7, 2023, shook the BPU and much of state
government. Guhl-Sadovy was almost immediately thrust into his role. The adjustment,
she said, was anything but quick.
She couldn’t even bring herself to sit in his office for months.
“That’s his chair,” she said. “That’s his desk.”
His presence still guides her.
“There’s not a day at the office when I’m not thinking about him,” she said. “Especially
now. This is a challenging time to be in this role, very different from when I started at the
BPU. I’m constantly thinking, ‘How would Joe respond? How would he approach this?’”
In her heart of hearts, she knows the answer: By putting people first.
Guhl-Sadovy shares Fiordaliso’s belief that policy must serve the people of New Jersey,
particularly those who struggle the most.
“We need more generation; we need more cost control — and Gov. Mikie Sherrill made
clear in her first executive orders how important those things are,” she said. “But we
always have to think about the family that can’t pay its utility bill. How are we going to
help them?”
In moments like that, she often hears Fiordaliso’s voice.
She’s especially grateful that she can share this connection with his son, Joe Fiordaliso
Jr., CEO of NorthStar Strategies.
“There couldn’t have been anything more meaningful than having Joe give me the
award,” she said. “I feel fortunate that we work in the same world — that I get to see
him, talk with him. We’ve become great friends.
“The most meaningful person to hand me that award was Joe.”
The challenges ahead for Guhl-Sadovy, the BPU and the broader energy sector are
significant.
“No governor, no BPU president, no commissioner wants to be in this position,” she
said. “Everyone is trying to figure out how to address these issues as quickly as
possible. Gov. Sherrill has made great strides, but there are no easy answers.
“All I can promise is that we will keep working hard to serve the people of New Jersey.”
And that, she knows, is exactly how Joe Fiordaliso would have wanted it.
