This is a long holiday weekend and people have little time
to read blogs so unless something unique even for Oz turns up I may not post again
until Tuesday.
Just a few notes today; Only in the beautiful city of Oz
would a so called Community Forum be held in a night club. Only in Oz would a
sensationalist national activist demagogue make a unsolicited support appearance
for a primary candidate.
Friday night's doings should remind all that the mayor should
not be taken lightly. She has a large support base which she has cultivated
over the last seven years; who will turn out and support her.
As Yogi Berra noted “ It ain’t over till it is over.”
I do not recall the source of this review of Robinson-Brigg’s first term in office, but it is worth keeping in mind before this election.
Understand that it was written for the previous election but so much must be added for the past three years; No full time CFO;The Mayor and the Corporation Council acting as City Administrator, the $20,000.00 scandal, the alleged "extortion" of merchants for the 2011 4th celebration; the vacant Health Officer position etc.
Understand that it was written for the previous election but so much must be added for the past three years; No full time CFO;The Mayor and the Corporation Council acting as City Administrator, the $20,000.00 scandal, the alleged "extortion" of merchants for the 2011 4th celebration; the vacant Health Officer position etc.
ADMINISTRATION
FINANCIAL ERRORS AND IRREGULAR ACTIONS
and FAILURES
1 Muhlenberg Hospital closing
2 1.66 million dollar deficit (revenue
shortfall) in 2008-2009 budget due to clerical error. Covered by
"bookeeping actions
3 The Budget for FYI 2010 due July 1,
2009; has yet to be delivered to the city council although promised by Sept 24 The budget for 2013 due 1/1/13 just delivered to Council;5 months have passed.
4 Filing 2010 request for State extraordinary funds withput
Council knowledge or approval-illegal
5 Using rubber stamps on financial doccumemnts, checks,
certifiaction of available funds etc. In 2012/13 a rubber stamp and initialed by someone.
6 Extended and Continuing Vacancy in
Chief Finance Office
7 Long-time vacancy of Director of
Administration, Finance, Health & Social Services
8 Plainfield Hires Fires Douglas Peck as
Finance Chief in 2008 without proper
vetting. "Moving" costs paid by City.
9 Failure to provide Council with facts
-STONEWALLING-"Will get back to You"
10 .Despite appropriations and available
Grants Potholes In The Streets Still Need To Be Fixed Street repaving efforts
inefficient and many of the worst streets still untouched
11 City Vehicles Issued to Some
Administrators at No Cost Whether Personal or Not (24-7)
12 The misappropriation of the "NJ Clean
Communities" yearly grants that is automatically provided to the city of
Plainfield by the State (On 2008 the "Clean Communities" Grant was
$44,688.50, this is the average grant to the city)
13 Over $40,000 Missing from Tax Collectors
Office (3 years ago) no Investigative Action to-Date
14 2. $275.000 Police Chief Santiago
settlement and rehire in battle with the Mayor and Assemblyman Green
15 The use of "best avaialable" to award hundreds
of thousands of dollars in contracts without compeditiev bidding
16 Illegal creation of positions for
"acting' appointments
17 The misuse of funds granted for, for the
yet to start construction of it, and the disregard of our neighborhood's input
and work into the Park Avenue and E. 9th Street oncoming (?) peninsula.
18 Administration tries to Ram Thru
Ordinances and Appointments
19 Plainfield Taxpayers get 6.5% Increase in
Property Tax
ADMINISTRATIVE FAILURES OF
COMMISION
1 THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S DISREGARD OF STAET STATUES FOR APPOINTMENTS
2 THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S CONSISTANT LACK
OF FACTS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS -The infamous 'I will get back to you"
3 THE CORPORATION COUNSEL ACTING AS THE
ADMINISTRATIONS AGENT AND NOT THE
"CORPORATION AKA CITY" LEGAL ARM.
4 THE CORPORATION COUNSEL NOT ALLERTING TO
THE MAYOR AND City ADMINISTRATOR
CREATION OF PHANTOM POSITIONS PER STATE
STATUES
5 The lack of support for our local youth
by providing them with a safe, fun, and attractive, gathering place
6 Audit Reports Should Be Made Public
Information 2006; 2007; 2008
7 PMUA Excess Fees for Service to
Residents; failure to appoint responsible commissioners
8 Continuing Crime In City of Plainfield
9 Poor Living Conditions in Privately
Owned Apartment Buildings including overcrowding
10 Lack of City’s Ability to Affectively
Manage Budget
11 Connolly Properties continuing problems
not adequately addresses
12 Lack of Development Planning/Knowledge by
Administration
13 Abuse of power by the Mayor in terms of
ordering them to do illegal acts
14 Citizens Budget Advisory Committee. flunks
city administration (2007)
15 Inadequate Staff For Information
Technology Dept.
16 he lack of concern and action on 340
Franklin Place
17 The lack of answers, action, and concern
on the three empty lots on E. 9th Street
18 The disregard of our neighborhood's call
for a regular sweep cleaning schedule of all our neighborhood streets
19 The disregard for our neighborhood's call
to implement alternate parking days
20 The overgrown weeds all over the city
21 The lack of care for city trees
22 The lack of advocacy to obtain better
maintenance from the county for the county's owned city parks (Green Brook and
Cedar Brook Parks)
23 The lack of concern, lack of planning, and
lack of support to preserve the architectural historic value of our city
24 The lack of information on crime to the
community
25 . One-year delay and poor choice of
appointments for the Muhlenberg CAG
26 The lack of support for local business
owners and the local shopping area
27 The lack of vision for improving and
beautifying the downtown area
28 The lack of improvements for the 1st and
4th Ward
29 For the politicization of Board and
Commissions
30 For her failure to make Plainfield a much
better place than what she found when she became mayor
31 For her lack of effort to partner with the
community at large
32 . Government Transparency Has Never
Happened
OTHER NEGATIVE
FACTS OF BRIGGS ADMINISTRATION
1 PBA Officer/Mayor’s Former Body Guard
Charged with Theft
2 Resignation of City Administrator
Carlton McGee in 2006
3 .Dept. Heads Do Not Communicate with
Each Other
4 Poor Notification Of City Council
Meetings
5 City’s Unemployment Rate is Double
Digit
6 Plainfield Residents Are Leaving in
Record Numbers
7 Senior Center Opening has been
constantly delayed.
8 City Continues to Lose Tax Revenue With
Each Un-sold Monarch Condo Unit
9 High Number of Foreclosure Filings on
Plainfield Homes
10 Personal/Relative Disclosure Statement
Forms Must Be Made Available to The Public for Information
11 Mayor Left Out Her $35,000. Salary on the
Financial Disclosure Statement
12 The lack of support and respect to the
Latino community
13 The lack of support, advocacy, and
programs for better racial relations between the many different racial groups
that make up the city
There has been no pattern change. nor will there be.
Oh yes, I am going to vote for Mapp. He may b e the last chance for Plainfield to survive as a viable city.
Oh yes, I am going to vote for Mapp. He may b e the last chance for Plainfield to survive as a viable city.
You're giving Plainfield residents too little credit for transcending our lousy politics, while painting an overly dire picture. And you're exaggerating Mapp's abilities while at the same time underplaying his own complicity by way of his actual voting record. "He may be the last chance for Plainfield to survive as a viable city", is way over the top.
ReplyDeleteAlan, If you can offer a better electable alternative as of this dated, I would most happily accept him/her. One must accept that Mapp is a politician. As Dan Brown in Deception point said"Never underestimate the ego of a politician" We must take that into account.
ReplyDeleteAs of this moment there are only two choices;one we have lived with for almost 8 years and whose picture posted in TAP includes besides Sharpton a member of a group designated by the SPLC as a hate group. Is this what you will accept in Plainfield?
Doc, whats TAP and do you have a link?
ReplyDelete3:20 PM The link is in Bernice's blog on Jeffery Dunn; TAP is "The Alternate Press" which is electronic and posts local news for various municipalities. It is new for Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteWhile I too agree with your assessment of Mapp with regards to the future of the city and this election..I agree completely with Alan Goldstein with regards to Mapp's complicity.
ReplyDeleteI believe most of Plainfield's political sins are easily overlooked by the citizens themselves with the perfectly sanitizing statement, " that we must accept so and so is a politician".
Actually Doc.. I don't have to accept anything.
Right is right and wrong is wrong.
That's the easiest way to look at local politics.
This isn't about trying to get some Senator from Hawaii to support a measure that helps only New Jersey...this is a group of people from the city of Plainfield working for the people of the city of Plainfield.
It couldn't get any damn easier in my mind.
I'll be voting for Mapp but with the same enthusiasm as you Doc.
Am I happy there will be a forensic audit..yes.. do I believe it'll go deep enough or back far enough ( straight through Al McWilliams )? No..not really. Worse, do I believe the results will be made public for the light of scrutiny to see.. NOT A CHANCE.
We'll be spoon fed parts of the report.
This is why I beg and plead that Sharon burn the house down on her way out the door... she could honestly do a damn bit of good but letting the skeletons out of the closet.
Where do you get there is a lack of support and respect for Latino community. Last I check you can't go downtown without everything being marketed, jobs included, to the Latino community. No one seems have a problem with the blatant racism that blacks experience when going into one of these stores to get a job and there took that the owners don't hide black people. But they are being disrespected.
ReplyDelete10:15am. I don't believe I said anything about lack of support and respect for the Latino Community. That may be in the list that I copied, and with justification since there has been no member in administration.
ReplyDeletePlainfield's population is about 80% African-American, how can anyone still claim to be a discriminated minority?
We may represent 80% of the population but the fact of the matter is this town is stop still being marketed to Latino population. It's not a `claim`it's a fact that has been proven over and over again, especially in regards to jobs!
DeleteAccording to the 2010 Census, the population breakdown is 50 percent Black, 40 percent of Latino origin, 1 percent Asian, 8.3 percent Whites not of Hispanic origin.
ReplyDeleteIrregardless of all this talk, the truth is that Sharon had her chance and blew it big time. Are you willing to take another four years of Sharon or take a chance on Mapp? I don't see an alternative and I believe the audit will be made public and I don't care how far it goes back, but we need some answers, not political maneuvering. Vote as if your city, your home, your future depends on it!
ReplyDelete10:38PM, Bernice corrected me-see above. Blacks are still the Majority in Plainfield but 40% Latino is a significant "minority".If they are becoming the employers it is perhaps natural that they would take care of friends first; fair or not. But consider what is their number in government and/or city employment?
ReplyDeleteBlacks and Latinos must treat each other with respect; and above all stop blaming the 8% "white" population for all of the City's problems. Be honest.
Olddoc, and I lived in PlainfIeld my entire life never heard anyone blame the `8%`white population for all the city problems. So I don't know where that came from. But discriminating a against any race of people, especially when you own an establishment, is not only wrong but illegal. Latinos included! Fair or not..so by your reasoning all stores should be able too help their friends out by hiring people who look like them and noone else right? Fair or not.
DeleteRev. Sharpton's appearance was definitely NOT "unsolicited." He may not know he's being used as a campaign tool for SRB--perhaps someone will set him straight.
ReplyDelete9:49 AM You are right;overt discrimination is wrong and ILLEGAL. I did not say that there was discrimination; what I did say in this community of small business owners it is natural to employ"friends" AS to the blaming the '8.3%'"Whites" if you come to Council meetings too often the 2nd Ward which is wrongly considered by some an overwhelming white bastion is blamed for getting all city benefits at the expense of teh 4th Ward.
ReplyDeleteAs a part of the 8% in the 2nd Ward, it is increasingly tiring and frustrating to have to hear how we're all affluent and the root of so many problems. In all honesty, we are forgotten up here. How many people running for election come up here to meet us and talk to us? Few, if any. Drive around and see how many lawn signs are out. Hardly any. During the days after Hurricane Sandy, we took care of ourselves because no one from our city government gave a darn. We relied on grassroots organizations like the Netherwood neighbors Facebook page where we could engage with each other and learn what we couldn't learn anywhere else. We relied on ourselves. But when I say ourselves, I mean our neighbors, not just the 8%. We don't care if you're black, white, or purple here. We are neighbors. We are a part of the city of Plainfield. We are not the cause of all problems. Please stop the blame game on the 2nd Ward.
ReplyDeleteFolks, please remember that Jerry Green and Tracy Brown are 2nd Ward residents. So if you blame the 2nd Ward, they are included.
ReplyDeleteI find that those who complain the most about racism, are the most racist.
ReplyDelete