TW3 - 9/17 - 9/24: THE BOTTOM LINE on last week's Plainfield news

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BOTTOM LINE

• Menendez / Kean Race:
  
  
  
  With JUST SIX WEEKS TO GO, Menendez' lead has vanished. With Menendez' real estate dealings in the limelight, Lynch going to jail, Bryant and Sharpe under pressure AND investigation, Dems are worried about the CORRUPTION label. Kean made missteps with fake blog posts, but not of the same magnitude. PLAINFIELD TURNOUT is important, and pressure is on the local and County Dems to deliver the needed key votes. There are signs the local Dem establishment is at least reading PT -- ONE MORE Menendez sign was spotted this weekend, in front of Councilman Burney's home. Go Dems!
  
  
• Development:
  Like it or not, DEVELOPMENT is coming. The trick will be to keep pressure on the make sure it's GOOD DEVELOPMENT, with QUALITY product, and as little PORK as possible. All the while, holding one's nose. It'll be quite a trick, and everything is quite a gamble, but if it pays off, the Mayoral Mentor wins big time. If it does not...
  
  
• Administration:
  The big question is: When will this Administration wake up and stop disrespecting the Council. To PT, the reason for all the huffing and puffing seems to be that this Administration simply cannot take care of more than one task at a time, cannot think beyond today's sandwich platter, and gives evidence it doesn't even read its mail. And we have three more years of this?
  
  
• Council:
  High marks to the Council for resisting the pressures of the Administration to take up half-baked business -- even if the resulting Executive Sessions and caucuses inconvenience the public. At some point in time, the Administration's sloppiness is going to end up costing the taxpayers big money, delaying or derailing projects or embarassing the Mayor and the Mayoral Mentor -- if not all three.
  
  
• Crime:
  With any luck, Mayor Robinson-Briggs will only have to worry about potential white-collar crime now that the weather is cooling...
  
  
• Connections:
  Hey! PT clips those stories because the subject matter relates to stuff going on around here. Are you connecting the dots?...
  

MENENDEZ

9/17
Dem State Convention: "Joint Dem/LGBTI statement" -- The meeting and statement were occasioned by an incident at the State Dem Conference, when officials removed posters for a LGBTI-sponsored Cher impersonator. Plainfielder Joan Hervey is one of the signatories to the statement. Also see The Auditor.

9/18
Plainfield Today: "Green and DeFilippo on hot seat with Menendez' lead loss"

9/19
Menendez / Kean Race - SL: "Menendez assails war and Kean"
..... - CN: "War critic helps spread Menendez's message"

9/20
Menendez / Kean Race - Courier-Post: "Latino activist blasts Menendez" -- Cordero of LLA says he's 'lost touch with reality'
..... - AP: "New Jersey Senate race remains a tie"
..... - SL: "Menendez receives Sierra Club backing"

9/21
Menendez / Kean Race - CN: "Senate race close in several ways"
.......... - SL: "Poll has Senate race still neck and neck"
.......... - AP: "Buoyed by poll, Kean seeks GOP help on cash"
..... - Menendez Lease - SL: "Ex-House lawyer sees no violation in Menendez rent deal"
.......... - AP: "Ex-ethics official sees no conflict in lease deal"
..... - Dirty Tricks - SL: "A Kean aide denies a hand in blog hits on Menendez"
.......... - NYT: "A Blog Suspects That an Aide to Kean Posted Jabs at Menendez"

9/22
Menendez / Kean Race: Quinnipiac Poll: "Kean inches ahead of Menendez" -- Independents hold the key?
..... - NYT: "BlueJersey’s Troll Hunt" -- Did Kean's campaign post as dirty tricks?
..... - SL: "Kean defends aide accused of trashing Menendez on blog"
..... - AP: "Kean campaign denies posting blog comments"
..... - AP: "Kean catches flak from anti-war group 'Military Families Speak Out'"
..... - AP: "Latest Menendez ad again links Kean to Iraq War"

9/23
Menendez / Kean Race: "GOP says Menendez got free ads; Dems call claim 'ridiculous'"

9/24
Menendez / Kean Race: "Kean Jr. leads Menendez in Gannett/Monmouth U. poll"
..... - Menendez Rental Deal: "How lease deal profited Menendez"
..... - At NAACP State Convention: "Battle for black vote may turn on Iraq"


DEVELOPMENT

9/17 Plain Talker: "Fancy Footwork With Redevelopment?"
9/17 Pay-to-Play: "Contractor funds circle back to Dems" -- Law restricts donations to county party, so money now flows through public officials. Coming soon to pols near you?
9/23 Plain Talker: "Planners Fret Over Process"
9/24 Plainfield Today: "Haste makes waste"
9/24 Plain Talker: East Third/Richmond - "The Process", "The Project", "RX for Development"
9/24 Council: "East 3rd Street Redevelopment Area approved at 'emergency' meeting"


COUNCIL

9/19
Plainfield Today: "Administration has not learned Blanco's lesson"
Plain Talker: "Council Faults Late, Incomplete Submissions"

9/20
Council - CN: "In buzzer beater, Plainfield to vote today on flood program"
..... - SL: "City council moves on flood ordinance"
Plainfield Today: "Hot time in the old town tonight?" -- Loaded Council agenda, PLUS plenty of questions.
Plain Talker: "School Chief Seeks Council Spport" -- Go here if there are problems with link.

9/21
Plainfield Today: "Administration: The dog ate my homework"
Plain Talker: "Council Questions" and "Mayor Names Finance Director"
Council - CN: "Council outlines city's flood areas" -- and alternate version?

9/22
Plainfield Today: "Flood of questions continues"
Plain Talker: "Planners Endorse East 3rd, Richmond Plan" and "Seniors Rally For Center"


CRIME

9/20
Crime - CN: "Reputed gang member charged with homicide"
..... - SL: "East Orange man arrested in East 6th Street slaying"
..... - SL: "Plainfield sex offender held in rape after party"
..... - CN: "Sex offender charged in assault"

9/22
Crime: "Police allege man robbed clothing shop"


ET CETERA

9/20
Letter: Patty Bender: "Lawmaker's words smack of prejudice"

9/21
Council Races: "Republican, Independent join Plainfield council race"
Plaintalker: "Two To Challenge Gibson"
House Tour (Reprise): "The posh side of Plainfield"
Private School: "New Covenant Christian Academy opens doors at First-Park Baptist"
Schools: "Cell phones banned in city schools"

9/22
Council Races: "Pair enter Plainfield race for at-large council seat"
Schools - Editorial, CN: "Making the right call on cell phones in schools"

9/23
Plainfield Today: "Commercial Trash / Illegal Dumping: An Album With Commentary"
Muhlenberg: "Donations support hospital project"
Red Cross: "Red Cross chapter selects new officers"
Ethics - SL: Paula Franzese, Daniel O'Hern: "A statewide ethics standard"
Ramadan: "Jersey Muslims say their children find more spirituality in Ramadan"9/24 National Starch Property: "Former National Starch property owner seeks subdivision"

9/24
Pay-to-Play: "Middlesex Co.: Campaign donors get local contracts" -- Surprised?
Planning Board: "City board advises new senior center plan" -- The Board did just what it needed to do, just when it was asked to do it, so what's with the attitude?
Sex Offender Bans - Editorial, SL: "Rethink sex offender bans"
Concert: "German brass to perform at Crescent Avenue Friday"


CONNECTIONS

9/24 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Development: "In Morristown, adding thousands of homes raises concerns"
..... - Cop steals files, evidence: "Irvington cop accused of stealing evidence" -- Incredible!
..... - High School Hit: "Students crush to sign up for forensic science course"
..... - 'Sullivan Rule': "3 Brothers Voluntarily Headed for Same Iraq Base"
..... - County Improvement Authorities - Editorial, SL: "No to bad government"
9/23 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - NY Waterways: "Takeover averts hike in fare on ferry route from N.J. to Wall St."
..... - Eminent Domain: "Township to use eminent domain at airport tract"
..... - Voter IDs: "Bill to require voter photo IDs upsets activists"
9/22 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Dunellen: "Council OKs proposal for sex offender buffer, limits"
9/21 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Operation CeaseFire: "Power of Prayer in Paterson"
..... - NY Water Taxi: "Steep ferry hike sinks riders' spirits"
..... - Pay-to-Play: "Pay-to-play reforms shift flow of campaign funds"
..... - 'Downzoning': "Montclair rushes to 'downzone'"
..... - Redevelopment & Conflict of Interest: "Town Attorney probed for property purchase"
9/19 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Pedestrian Safety: "Initiative steps up efforts at pedestrian safety"
..... - Voting: "Voters testify official helped complete absentee ballots"
..... - Overcrowding: "Landlord protests overcrowding case"
9/18 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Zoning official errors: "Zoning law blunders bring calls for reform"
..... - Budget Inconsistencies: "Edison spending plan draws scrutiny for errors"
9/17 Connections? Food For Thought
..... - Daylaborers: "Day Laborers’ Lawsuit Casts Spotlight on a Nationwide Conflict"
..... - HS Alums: "Weequahic Alums Help School Build Some Good New Days"
..... - Iraq War: "Summit protesters recall NJ troops fallen in Iraq"
..... - Development: "New residential life for factories rather than demolition"
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