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Mondays, PLAINFIELD TODAY is a digest of Plainfield-only news from the past week: That Was The Week That Was -- or TW3 -- with links to the online stories.
GOVERNMENT / POLITICS
COUNCIL -- Just when you thought it was s-u-m-m-e-r and things would slow down, Bernice pointed out that we had an all-star week of meetings, meetings, meetings. To be specific, two Council and two Board of Ed.
Relations between the Council and the Administration hit a bumpy stretch of road this week. The Administration continued to bring business to the Council at the last minute, without advance public notice, without it being on the Council's printed agenda, without the Councilors getting advance notice. To the great annoyance of the Council.
Bernice pointed out the friction in her Tuesday post, "Order Lacking At Council Meeting" and also noted that the DPW was scheduled to get its long-sought road equipment so that the city could take over more of the routine road maintenance and save the taxpayer's bond dollars for the bigger jobs.
On Wednesday afternoon, Bernice posted an item on Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' nominations proposed for Wednesday evening, "Mayor Offers Nominees".
But the fireworks were reserved for Wednesday's Council meeting, as reviewed by Plainfield Today ("Blanco lashes Administration over appointments"), and the Plaintalker ("Blanco Shoots Down Nominees").
With all the sparks and smoke, citizens may have missed a key item -- the Mayor brought a nomination forward on Wednesday evening that was a complete surprise, with no backup information, on grounds that turned out to be false.
The surprise nomination was to replace a member of the Zoning Board who had abruptly resigned. There was no resume or other information on the Mayor's proposed appointee, no paperwork of any kind. And the reason the Mayor gave the Council was that it was an emergency and the Board was now short of a quorum and being able to conduct business.
Councilor Storch asked City Clerk Laddie Wyatt to confirm the Zoning Board was shy of a quorum. Upon checking her records -- which are the OFFICIAL records -- it was shown that there were enough members to conduct business, and the 'emergency' alleged by the Mayor didn't exist.
An awkward moment for the Mayor!
But not as awkward as it was to get once Council President got there and went ballistic over the Administration moves. To get the flavor of all that, you must read the blog posts...
SCHOOL BOARD -- Meanwhile, the Board of Education has its own drama going on. Two issues may be coming together to make a perfect storm of difficulties for the schools: the state is demanding the District hold to last year's funding level for Abbott aid, and the teachers' union (which also represents other school employees) is getting restless over the fact that they STILL do not have a contract (see the Courier's "Plainfield teachers planning protest").
Bernice ("BOE Faces Budget Crisis"), the Ledger ("Plainfield schools prepare to trim 30 to 40 jobs") and the Courier ("School workers waiting to hear if jobs remain") all covered the meetings and issues.
On Wednesday, Abbott district officials gave the Legislature's Joint Committee on Public Schools an earful (Ledger: "District execs grow testy at hearing on state of schools") about conditions and the privations that frozen funding were visiting on the state's urban schools. Legislators pushed back, but we are clearly in for a long, painful struggle over Abbott funding -- and I'll bet you a cup of coffee the formula is going to end up changing, restrictively.
On Friday, the Ledger used the bully pulpit of its editorial pages ("A black mark for state education officials") to lambaste the state for refusing to release the study of school funding that former Gov. Jim McGreevey commissioned. The Ledger asserts refusing to bare it perpetuates waste and inefficiency in the management of Abbott districts. An issue on which more than just Republican hardliners are now beginning to make noises.
SENIOR CENTER PROPOSAL -- At last Tuesday monthly meeting with the Seniors, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and Assemblyman Jerry Green presented a revised proposal for a combination senior and residential complex on the East Front Street site the City and County bought several years ago at the insistence of the Seniors. The Courier ("City's mayor presents plans for senior center") and the Ledger ("Plainfield senior condos planned; 63 units would raise $400,000 in taxes") both reported on the presentation. But, of course, this is just the opening shot in another round and there are now even more questions: Will these be condos? Market-rate? Is the proposed parking sufficient? Is the developer financially capable? Etc.
COVERING THE WATERFRONT... -- CITY HALL -- PT reported on the interactions of the Greetstaff at City Hall with those of the public for whom English is not their mother-tongue ("Info at City Hall English-only?"). The post generated a host of comments, some of which were highlighted in Friday's HITS ("HITS - Roundup of reader feedback...") and continued over the weekend. What ARE the Administration's plans to address services and information for those whose mother tongue is not English?... PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PAY & BENEFITS -- The Bergen Record ran a multi-part series all week long investigating the issues around public employee pay and benefits.This is definitely a keeper and PT not only posted the originals of the entire series (see CONNECTIONS section below ), but archived it as well ("Public Employee Pay - The 'Bergen Record' series and more") so that it will be available even if the Record eventually takes it down. Sure to be helpful as this conversation continues to unfold over the next year or so... MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- The Courier pointed out ("City apartment plan topic of Wednesday hearing") that the Zoning Board has a special meeting this Wednesday to continue hearing the proposal for condos on South Avenue... MISCELLANEA -- Plainfield Today congratulated Rebecca Williams on her new position on the faculty of Essex County College ("Kongrats, perfesser!") and gave Council President Blanco space to comment in Friday's HITS ("HITS - Roundup of reader feedback...") as well as yet another opportunity to show by apology that Dan is the humblest egomaniac you know (with the possible exception of yourselves -- you know who you are!). Was it the humility or the egomania that led PT to rant about the bloviation on the groundbreaking for the new homes on Shiloh Court ("Ground broken on Plainfield subdivision")? Now don't get PT wrong: New homes are good. West End is good. 'Luxury' is good. But first in half a century!? Just the facts, please: the Hovnanians' Woodland Avenue development was new, luxury, some is in Plainfield, and the prices were quite nice. PT will be comparing the two projects, now that the powers that be have floated this overheated hyperbole... CRIME -- Not that we should think crime has gone away, it hasn't -- even if the Mayor refuses to talk about it and if the Council and various agencies are giving it a 'going-away party' all next week (be sure to check the online CALENDAR) -- but 21, that's TWENTY ONE, members of the Plainfield-based Cash Money Gang drug ring, busted on Mayor AlMcWilliams' watch, were indicted last week ("21 Accused drug ring members indicted") and face some serious jail time. ALBUM -- Just to show you PT has a warm, fuzzy side and it's not always bitch, bitch, bitch, an album of pleasant Plainfield pix was posted on Sunday ("A Plainfield Album - July 2006").
Wednesday night. Mark your calendars. Zoning Board, 7:00 PM, City Hall Library...
Last Friday's H.I.T.S.: "Roundup of reader feedback..." Comments on 'English-only at City Hall?... City Charter court case... Domestic violence grant... Library's photo exhibit now on Web... Dangers of online forums...
Last Monday's TW3: "Jul 9 - 16, 2006: News digest of the past week" Murders 6 and 7... SID expansion... Public employee salaries and benefits... City charter court case...
GREEN / MORIARTY / SWEENEY PROPOSAL & BUDGET FALLOUT
Mon 7/17
Letter, CN: Jerry Green: "Budget initiative not against unions"
Haste Makes Waste?: "Lawmakers hope for no N.J. budget hangovers"
Tue 7/18
Budget 'pork': Linda Stamato: "Tacking on pork and undermining public trust"
Tax Reform - Editorial, CN: "If legislators can't deliver, time for tax convention"
Thu 7/20
Shutdown - Editorial, SL: "Avoiding a shutdown"
Tax Relief: "Corzine proposes borrowing $7B for towns that lower property taxes"
Unions: David Rebovich: "Government workers fight stereotypes"
Sun 7/23
Consolidation: Fran Wood: "Will consolidation gamble pay off?"
..... - Poll: Monmouth/Gannett Poll: "Shared services gaining support"
Property Tax Reform - OpEd, CN: Freeholder Adrian Mapp: "Finance reform needs changes near and far"
..... - OpEd, CN: Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts: "Property tax relief is light at end of tunnel"
Property Tax Reform - SL: "Giant stakes in property tax debate; Lobbyists await conflicting agendas"
Rutgers: "Dropping a Few Sports at Rutgers, and Putting Pressure on Trenton"
CONNECTIONS? FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Abbott Schools: "Advocates sue for release of report on school funding"
CERT: "6 West Essex towns teaming up in the name of safety"
Cop & Teacher Salaries & Benefits - a 6-part series by the Bergen Record:
.. - Fri: "Transparency: Tracking tax dollars, blocked at every turn"
.. - Thu: "Police contracts cost towns big"
.. - Wed: "Tenure helps good teachers and shelters the bad ones"
.. - Tue: "Workers' health care causing pain"
.. - Mon: "Unions drive a hard bargain"
.. - Sun: "Can N.J. afford the rising cost of teachers and cops?"
Crime: "Orlando Set to Shatter Homicide Record"
Development: "Bloomfield mayor backs $200 million housing plan"
Development: "Edison hopes to transform 'blighted' properties"
Development - Editorial, SL: "Development or Hispanic displacement?"
Dual Officeholding - Editorial, SL: "Ban dual office-holding"
Eminent Domain: "Halpers' Last Stand: The movie"
Gangs: "Gangs and kids: Cops speak out"
Gangs, Bullies: "Fed up, Elizabeth residents put Bloods bully behind bars"
'Ghetto Tax': "Study Documents ‘Ghetto Tax' Paid by the Urban Poor" and the study
Hudson Rail Tunnel: "Rail tunnel plan gains steam, but commuters voice concerns"
Illegal Immigrants in Workforce: "No papers? No problem"
NAACP: "NAACP Honors Early Sit-In Protesters"
Pay-to-Play: "Edison ordinance outlaws pay-to-play; Bans developers' political donations"
Pay-to-Play?: "Newly sworn-in councilman admits graft"
Public Employee Contracts: "NYC Mayor Vows to Keep Trying for Concessions by Unions"
Salary, Council, Mayor: "Irvington raises wages for council to $20K, and mayor to $80K"
Salary, Mayoral: "Morristown doubles mayor's pay to $52K, 4-3"
SCC: "State targeting school architects, builders it says wasted SCC funds"
State Pensions: "Sharpe James to cost taxpayers $323,654 a year"
Trees: "Madison finds too many lost to poor care during construction,proposes rules"
Union County Alliance: "Dems deny flier is campaign lit"
Voter Turnout: "Arizona Ballot Could Become Lottery Ticket"
COMMUNITY
Crime - Phone Threats: "Plainfielder indicted in phone threats"
Farmers' Market [last item]: "Farmers' market vouchers available"
West End [2nd item]: "Anti-litter campaign takes to the streets"
Letter - CN: Dottie Gutenkauf: "Marriage defense stereotypical rant"
Letter - CN: Maria Pellum: "Homophobia ignores real ills"
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