Council President Blanco attacked by Dan? - Dan explains himself.

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Yesterday, I received an email from a mutual friend of mine and Council President Blanco's, a portion of which I cite below, with my reply following. (If the writer wishes to grant her permission, I will post the complete message later.)

Dan, Regrettably, I am writing to ask you to remove me from your blog email list. I have enjoyed our friendship for these past few years, and I enjoy reading the blog and appreciate the work that goes into it. However, I am extremely disappointed by the attacks on Ray and the current council that have come from you recently.

Dear Friend,

I always welcome comments about the blog, and want to thank you both for the comments and the kind words of appreciation about the work involved. What you wrote has made me review what I have been doing with the blog in relation to the Council and Council President Blanco.

In the months since I started Plainfield Today in November 2005, I have made 105 posts to the blog. Many, many of them mention Council activity in a flat-out descriptive news-reporting manner. Only one was critical of the Council, and that for the way the Council treats the Mayor at agenda sessions

Of all those 105 posts, there have been 3 where I discussed Council President Blanco.

One was to refer people via a link to his blog to the positive comments he had to make recently about students of excellence from the Plainfield public schools. I am a great champion of public schools. I am a product of a three-room public school. I was there the night he presented the councilmanic resolutions to PHS students Shemika Brooks and Andrew Asare. They richly deserve the commendation, and Ray as well for bestowing it.

The other two mentions have been in the context of public policy matters on which I think we have an honest didfference of opinion: changing the Council meeting night schedule, and confirming the Mayor's cabinet without the interviews I believe are essential to due diligence. In both these matters, I attribute the leadership on the issues to Council President Blanco since he did not speak against either. In fact, in the matter of the meeting changes, Council President Blanco gave quite a lengthy explanation and defense of the change.

I have only a voice. Council President Blanco and the Council have power. The meeting schedule -- whether I think rightly or not -- has been changed by the Council. So be it. The Mayor's cabinet has been confirmed by the Council. So be it.

Now, as to your complaint of my 'personal disloyalty' to Council President Blanco: I certainly appreciate any kindness Council President Blanco has shown me as a friend, and have always said so to him.

At the same time, Council President Blanco has always said he would not be where he is today politically were it not for me.

We had known each other and been neighbors for years, and he had not taken part in local political life since his rough treatment in being excluded from the expected chairmanship of the Democratic City Committee many years ago. The incident in which he was deprived of that expected chairmanship is, I am told, also the one over which Assemblyman Green's predecessor, Angela Perun, left the Democratic Party.

• It was I who approached Council President Blanco several years ago about whether, as a resident and a media professional, he would serve on a blue ribbon panel to look into a film production company's proposal to develop Park-Madison.
• It was I who interested Mayor McWilliams in appointing Council President Blanco to that panel, and who introduced Council President Blanco to the mayor.
• It was I who suggested Council President Blanco should consider running for public office as a New Democrat, both to Council President Blanco and to then-chairman Al McWilliams.

Council President Blanco and I have worked hard and well together. We have had reason to celebrate together. We have had reason to be disappointed together.

I see no reason for that to change just because Council President Blanco is now an elected official.

However, there has been a change.

Council President Blanco is not only Ray, the friend and neighbor. He is also Council President Blanco, the public servant.

Councilman Blanco is an elected official, responsible to all the residents for the leadership he exerts, and especially so since he is Councilman-at-large citywide. And not only a citywide elected official, but the President of the Council.

As Council President, Councilman Blanco has power to shape the Council's agenda and direction, appoint its committees and exert a tremendous influence over the direction the community takes through tending its fiscal and legislative needs.

But this is America, and America is a democracy. We are allowed to see things differently, are we not?

Residents have a right to speak their mind about their elected officials actions, have they not?

I happen not to see eye-to-eye with Council President Blanco on the issues I mentioned above. I don't consider expressing my difference of opinion an act of 'personal disloyalty' as you say. Rather, I see it as being loyal to what is important for Plainfield, as I see it.

In that, I do not differ from people like Helen Miller, Phyllis Mason, former Mayors Rick Taylor and Harold Mitchell, or anyone else that speaks up about the Council and its actions.

Council President Blanco has a bully pulpit from which he can -- and does -- express his views to the press and the public, every week, and soon that bully pulpit will include every home with cable.

Should I have no voice?

Readers are most welcome to comment on this matter. Use the 'comment' link below. If the writer gives me permission to publish her email, I will add it in full to this post and provide a fresh link. -- Dan

-- Dan Damon

Keywords: Council, Blanco, free speech
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