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
RAY BLANCO -- Tuesday, Plainfielders from every walk of life bid farewell to Council President Ray Blanco in a memorial service at Queen City Academy, the former Temple Sholom.
Dan posted his assessment of Ray's legacy ("Ray Blanco: His Legacy, Our Opportunity") on Tuesday. Bernice ("Justice, Diversity, Education Are Blanco Legacy"), the Courier ("Plainfield honors Blanco, his legacy") and the Ledger ("A 'passion for justice' gone too soon") reported on the memorial on Wednesday. An anonymous comment to Dan's post was posted on Wednesday by a Plainfielder who recounted two experiences with Ray -- one of which, characteristically, involved Ray's willingness to help a young person interested in breaking into the movie industry. Alex Toliver had a letter in Thursday's Courier, of which more below.
COUNCIL VACANCY -- The Democratic City Committee had met on the previous Friday (see last week's TW3), but the Ledger ("Public safety director leads council field") and the Courier (Plainfield Dems nominate three to replace Blanco") were just catching up on Tuesday.
Of course, the REAL news was THE WAY in which the three names to forward to the Council were decided upon, something which the papers missed as they had no reporters there -- though the Courier did editorialize about the process ("Plainfield Latinos deserved closer look") after hearing from Plainfield's Latino community.
Dr. Inez Durham noted her displeasure with the process in a letter to the editor on Sunday ("Plainfield council [sic] erred on selection"). Alex Toliver's letter of Thursday ("Blanco wanted best for Plainfield"), while seeming to honor Ray Blanco, REALLY weighed in on the side of the process as conducted by the City Committee Chairperson, Assemblyman Jerry Green. (NOTE: There is another letter, from resident Laura Stevens, in today's Courier -- see under PLAINFIELD section.)
(For those who missed the meeting, only bloc slates were allowed and voted on. PT does not recall any mention of bloc slates in the City Committee bylaws. This was done despite the fact that two of the three persons on the slate proposed by former mayor Harold Mitchell did not bother to submit resumés as the ground rules required. EVERYONE knows how the game is played. What would have been the harm in submitting Dr. Durham's slate -- Estevez, Gibson and Jerome -- to the Council? After all, they were the only ones to submit resumés.)
On Thursday, Dan assessed the FARM TEAM metaphor ("Dem 'Farm Team': Is there any there there?") -- to which an anonymous COMMENT was posted on the same day, suggesting Plainfielders would do well to bring back a real TWO-PARTY SYSTEM as a corrective to the high-handedness on display.
CRIME STATS: ARE THEY FOR REAL? -- The FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) were released this week, as reported by the Ledger ("Murder spike linked to gangs in Elizabeth and Plainfield") and the Courier ("Somerset County crime up 2%; Plainfield sees decrease"). The complete report, by community, is on the State Police website here. On Sunday, the Courier folowed up with a story on domestic violence, and the associated table in the print edition shows reported incidents down in Plainfield, with 755 incidents reported in 2005 as opposed to 946 in 2004.
For those of us who lived through the 2005 Democratic primary campaign in Plainfield, the community was constantly bombarded with the word that we were living in the MURDER CAPITAL of northern NJ -- in press coverage, in Mayor Robinson-Brigg's campaign mailings and, especially egregiously, by News12NJ, the cable news program.
So, was it true? Well, we certainly had more murders. But all is forgiven. To be soon forgotten? It was just a blip, as now noted. Repeat after me: Crime is no problem in Plainfield... Crime is no problem in Plainfield... Crime is no problem in Plainfield... Crime is no problem in Plainfield...Zzzzzzzzz.
GANGS -- Meanwhile, back in the REAL world... gangs are an issue. And that INCLUDES Plainfield, even if the Administration doesn't want to talk about it.
The UCR stories in the Ledger emphasized how the availabililty of guns ("Homicide numbers spike last year, and authorities are blaming guns") was making gang encounters more violent -- and more deadly. And how the gangs are reaching down to recruit younger and younger kids ("Jersey's growing army of young gangsters").
All this was tragically brought home by the shooting death last week of an Orange police officer ("The violent death of an officer") by a young man whose family had tried everything to keep him from gangs ("Suspect's mother: 'A parent can only do so much'"), a young man who had crossed paths with the officer before ("Slain Detective and Suspect Had Crossed Paths Before"). An abandoned house that plagues the neighborhood was the scene -- and Plainfield has seen its share of abandoned houses that draw squatters and drug dealers.
Meanwhile, there is evidence New Jersey gangs are spreading to Pennsylvania ("Gangs migrate to Poconos"), and we learn that the Guardian Angels are looking into developing a Poconos chapter ("Angels to visit Poconos as prelude to possible chapter"). Speaking of which, what ever happened to the Guardian Angels' Plainfield chapter?
And then there is Black-Latino gang rivalry, murderous in other places ("Gang Rivalries Chill Los Angeles"), but not YET seen in Plainfield, though the intemperate remarks heard recently in Plainfield are more likely to inflame Black-Latino relations than to soothe them.
So, whether or not the Administration wants to talk about gangs or crime, the seeds of trouble ahead are there...and being nourished by the casually inflammatory language of our leaders...
THE MASTER PLAN. . . AND DEVELOPER'S TRICKS -- Bernice alerted residents ("Residents To Have Say Tonight") to the opportunity to come out and chime in on the Planning Board's discussion over revising the current Master Plan. She followed up with a thoughtful piece in Friday ("What Is A Transit Village?") pointing out a key concept that needs to be nailed down.
The Courier weighed in ("Zoning board hearing complex variance") on the Zoning Board's continuation of the proposed South Avenue condos -- though PT was somewhat puzzled at the length of the story, considering the meeting in question was more than a month in the future. More interesting, though, was the story the NY Times ran on Thursday ("Developer's Trick: Understate Economic Risks"), in which a judge accused a developer of understating the economic risks of a proposed project to gain approvals to move ahead. Now, THAT'S an idea to wrap one's mind around!...
BUDGET TIME DRAWETH NIGH -- Though not submitted yet, PT hears whispers that the Council and the Administration have been busily consulting over the drafting of the FY2007 budget, which must be submitted to the Council soon.
Whatever else, Plainfield will be facing yet another increase in the share of public employee pension contributions that is to be picked up as reported by the Ledger ("Reality of rising county, city pension costs sets in"), which also supplied a table of Plainfield entities. What does all this bode for whether or not there will be a tax increase? Stay tuned.
Meantime, lest you think Jersey's woes are unique, the NY Times ran an overview story ("Public Pension Plans Face Billions in Shortages") detailing how pols (yes, NEW JERSEY'S INCLUDED) have played fast and loose with funding the pensions. And now, the effort is on to make the difficulties appear to be the EMPLOYEES' responsibility...
BLACK (MEN), INC. -- The Ledger ran a compelling story ("The rules of black inc.; men tested by stereotyping") on the daily discrimination that Black male professionals experience in the corporate world, and strategies these professionals have developed for coping with this daily reality. Former mayor Al McWilliams and Freeholder Adrian Mapp are prominently mentioned. PT has gotten reader feedback that it is hoped that Pinkett and Robinson will GET THAT BOOK PUBLISHED SOON!
ODDS 'n ENDS --
GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 78? PT doesn't think so. The hiccups getting the Route 78 reconstruction under way ("Contractor delay snarls Route 78 anew") are now joined by a road nightmare 3 miles to the north at the junction of the GSP and 280 ("Route 280 work begins on access ramp from Parkway"). Can you say G-R-I-D-L-O-C-K? PT tries to be helpful by posting commuter help info daily (Commuter help online")...
WINDOW GUARDS... On Wednesday, PT posted a story about 909 Park Avenue -- a classic Art Moderne apartment building with outward swinging casement windows. Driving by, PT has not been able to spot window guards. A new law is supposed to strengthen the rules regarding them, but PT wondered aloud about who would enforce the new rules, and when, and how effectively. An anonymous COMMENT said 'Don't blame the landlord!' Though the wretched condition of this particular building is the responsibility of (past) landlords, that wasn't PT's point. So, we have this new law. What next?
McGREEVEY COMINGS AND GOINGS... The Courier ran a story ("McGreevey flies high after dark days") on Saturday -- which PT actually spotted the day before on Newsday; you know, the LONG ISLAND newspaper -- and the Auditor chimed in in Sunday's Ledger. Trouble was the Ledger's online story OMITTED the Plainfield juice, so PT typed it up and posted it on STUFF for one and all.
EYE ON PLAINFIELD... PT posted another photo album ("A Plainfield Album - 8/13/06") of signs around town. This is kind of fun. And it keeps you from thinking of PT as only a sourpuss! Or does it?
Last Friday's H.I.T.S.: "HITS: Act of God on Prospect Ave... Biz opportunity for all!!!... Lawlessness at City Hall?... Condos, yes. But buyers?..." Reposted Saturday, Friday's links didn't work
Last Monday's TW3: "TW3 - Jul 31 - Aug 6" -- Blanco remembrances, memorial... Filling Council vacancy... Schools... House tour..
COMMUNITY
Crime: "Plainfield man accused of posing as lawyer" -- So. We have white-collar crime, too.
Sen. Harrison Williams: "Rutgers archives materials being organized" -- and Wikipedia article on Williams, who was born in Plainfield.
Schools: "Uniforms pushed for Plainfield students"
Union County College: "Tuition hikes blamed on soaring enrollments and costs, less aid" -- +5.1% for UCC
CONNECTIONS? FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Abandoned Houses: "Inside Orange's house of trouble"
Abandoned Houses - Editorial, SL: "Take aim at trouble spots"
Carjackings: "3 counties -- Essex, Hudson, Union -- account for most carjackings"
Crime, Essex Co.: "Homicide numbers spike last year, and authorities are blaming guns"
Crime/Temperature Connection?: "When Staying Cool Seems Better Than Being Bad"
Commuter Parking: "Same Problem, Different Stations"
Eminent Domain - Editorial, CN: "Don't keep it simple on eminent domain"
Fire Dept. Diversity: "Seeking Diverse Fire Dept., City Relaxes Requirements"
Funds, Missing: "Perth Amboy tax office emloyee suspended after funds missing"
Gangs (1): "The violent death of an officer" -- he responded to scanner talk of gunfire in neighborhood
Gangs (2) "Suspect's mother: 'A parent can only do so much'" -- tragedy of a family that tried everything
Gangs: "Gangs migrate to Poconos"
Gangs, Black/Hispanic Rivalries: "Gang Rivalries Chill Los Angeles"Gangs, Violence: "Slain Detective and Suspect Had Crossed Paths Before"
Guardian Angels: "Angels to visit Poconos as prelude to possible chapter" -- what ever happened to the Plainfield chapter?
Home Maintenance: "Jersey's strapped homeowners slip into maintenance gap"
Immigrants & English: "Need for English divides immigrants"
Immigranats, Daylaborers & Unions: "Union leaders wary of AFL-CIO pact"
Immigrants, Illegal: "Feds deploy 3rd team to hunt fugitive illegal immigrants"
Public Pensions: "Public Pension Plans Face Billions in Shortages"
Re-Entry Programs: "Help for the Hardest Part of Prison: Staying Out"
Retail: "Union Twp. looks to create niche market, unlike Rt. 22 strip"
Services Consolidation: "8-town police force is a cost-cutting idea"
Shared Services: "W. Orange weighs sharing fire services with Orange, Montclair"
'Transit Village': "Old J&J plant to be leased as developer seeks transit village"
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