H.I.T.S.: Primary candidates?... Real estate buzz.... Sex harassment and City jobs... Double-dipping at the public trough?...

H.I.T.S.: HEARD IN THE STREET. . .

REAL REAL ESTATE BUZZ? 'Does she or doesn't she? Only her hairdresser knows.' So went the old Clairol jingle. . .Maybe the jingle for Plainfield should be 'Will he or won't he? Only his realtor knows'. . .Word in the street for several weeks now is that a certain ex-prominent political figure has been actively shopping Plainfield houses. . .I know for a fact that two in particular have been scrutinized (don't ask, I'm not telling that part). . .and last week several people in town received phone calls from an enquiring reporter, though nothing has broken in print yet. . .

HUSH UP JOBS?. . .Sexual harassment as a jobs generator? Say it isn't so! The game that you thought was only reserved for high-stakes players like governors and senators may actually have a scaled-down, Plainfield-sized version? Rumor has it that not just one, but two -- two, mind you! -- jobs in the new Administration are designed to head potential harassment complaints off at the pass. . .How's that for running with the big dogs?

[Enter stage left: THE PRIMARIES] . . .Last week, the dailies ran word that Assemblyman Jerry Green, in his role as party chair, is seeking potential candidates for this year's two Council races: Ward 1 and Wards 2/3 at-large. As they also reported, Green -- and Green alone -- will be picking the candidates to run on the June primary's Dem line. . .let's review:

WARD 1: Rayland Van Blake, the current Councilperson, who ran as a 'do-something' candidate four years ago, beat his opponent in part because he was affable, intelligent, well-spoken and a fresh face. A name that keeps popping up as another possible Ward 1 candidate this year is Roy Southerland, who is. . .well. . .an affable, intelligent, well-spoken and handsome young man. . .in short, a fresh face. . .

WARDS 2/3 AT-LARGE: In the Ward 2/3 at-large race, it's been a nail-biter for incumbent Councilman Rashid Burney, who won a tough -- and too-close-for-comfort -- primary race last June against county pol Harold Gibson, brother of famed Newark mayor Ken Gibson. Well, word has it Gibson may yet be the choice. . .but a surprise independent candidate may be former Ward 3 councilman Malcolm R. Dunn. Seems Malcolm was not pleased to be kept waiting by certain Administration figures for an appointment. UNSOUGHT ADVICE DEP'T: You do not want to keep Malcolm waiting. . .for anything. . .ever. Period.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT MOMENT: Pay attention the next time you use a drive-up ATM machine. Those little raised dots you see near the printed instructions? They're Braille. As in for blind people. Scary thought, huh. . .

CEDARS IN THE CEDAR BROOK?
Poor Cedar Brook. Cedar Brook Park is one of the gems of the Union County Park system. Has been for the 80 years or so since it was designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm (think Central Park in NYC, or Prospect Park in Brooklyn). Sad thing is that the Brook itself suffers greatly from neglect, which partly accounts for the fact that the drive through that portion is barricaded every time it sprinkles. The stream channel needs badly to be cleaned up and cleaned out. . .I saw saplings growing in it recently. And what's with the rinky-dink crossing? You'd think they would have replaced it with a true little bridge years ago when they turned it into an active-use park. I suppose we can live in hope. . .which appears to be the only mode of living for those who use the OTHER County Park on the Green Brook. This is truly a poor, neglected orphan. More on that another time. . .

PARKING FOR DOLLARS. . .Like a meteor flashing across the sky, a certain young man burst upon the scene a year or two ago as one of Plainfield's largest -- if not the largest -- landlords. Now, word in the street is that the reason you are seeing more cars in the street -- actually, many more cars in the street -- near his buildings is that tenants, who once had a parking space included in the price of their rent, are now being told to ante up additional bucks monthly for a parking space. . .in cash. Cash? Why would that be? Hmmmmmmmmmm. . .

RAINY DAYS OFF IN THIS BIZ?. . .Spoke with a resident in the Spooner Avenue area who reports an open-air auto repair business taking place directly across from the front door of the Plainfield Rescue Squad. Whose job is policing this? The police? Code enforcement? You know the old saying: 'Everybody's responsibility is nobody's responsibility'. . .

TELEPORTATION IN PLAINFIELD?. . .The theme is worthy of a science fiction writer: Develop a credible character who can be in two places at once. . .seems it may have been done at City Hall. A fresh face around the Division of Public Works is said to also hold a full-time job in Irvington. How can someone hold down two full-time jobs? That's where the science fiction comes in. . .not to worry, one of Plainfield's better private eyes, ears. . .and mouths (not me!) is on the case. . .Credibility, in life as in science fiction, is everything. More to come. . .

SHOTS HEARD. . .Shots continue to ring out at night in our neighborhoods. I got an email the other day from an alarmed First Ward resident who reported gunshots at night. No police came. The current Administration ran on a platform of curbing violence and crime in Plainfield. . .and one of the mailers said the candidate for Mayor had a plan. With a daytime murder on a busy downtown street, and daytime drive-by shootings, frightened and anxious residents are still waiting for the plan. . .behind locked doors. . .

ROAD WAYZ . . .If you live along one of the hundreds of potholed and crappy blocks of paved streets in the City, the word from City Hall is: GET USED TO IT! . . .Rumor has it that the Administration is looking into the entire road plan gone over last year by the Council with a fine-tooth comb. Reason? A great reluctance -- does 100% make it 'great'? -- to go forward with any project that has the fingerprints of ex-mayor Al McWilliams on it. Does that also explain the shenanigans around the proposed Senior Center? Not entirely.

SENIOR CENTER. . .Speaking of the SENIOR CENTER, I too was at the Mayor's meeting with the Seniors this past Tuesday. Took PAGES of notes. . .so many, in fact, that I'll have to cover the matter with several postings -- coming up next week. Stay tuned.

GOT SOME JUICY TIDBIT? You can pass it along anonymously by logging a comment to ANY Plainfield Today page, which will send me a private email -- not seen by the public. Go here to learn about posting a comment. You don't have to give your name or your email address. . .

-- Dan Damon

Keywords: H.I.T.S.
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