RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM COUNCIL MEETING

Plainfield Plaintalker summed up last nights Council Agenda Setting Session in two words;"Marathon Meeting".

It will take some time to digest what happened and its impact on the city. Suffice to say, many of the steady attendees at the Council meetings had prophesied that Monday's initial meeting under the new schedule would be the norm for all future sessions.

To the already printed agenda there was in addition three more resolutions and two new ordinances for consideration at next Monday's regular session. Since the Council membership seemed to have had no prior knowledge of the two ordinances, Corporation Council Williamson said he would email them to the Councilors today (4/7/2009).

Of the three new resolutions, one if my addled brain can correctly recall concerned a letter of complaint to be sent to Trenton (Dept of Health and Senior Services) regarding Solaris' lack of meeting the conditions required by the CN with the anticipation that surrounding communities would join with similar letters.

The other two additions were concerned of approval of applications for grant monies under the stimulus programs.City Administrator Dashields pointed out that the lead time between the announcing of availability for specific programs and the deadline for application submission was so short that the present Council schedule jeopardized Plainfield's ability to make applications. The Council gave him the permission to proceed with grant applications and that they would retroactively approve the applications. This is another negative for the new meeting schedule.

Instead of a line by line summary of the Council's actions, The rest of this posting will be some personal observations and comments.

Councilman Mapp's objection to the request to hang a banner across the steps of City Hall in honor of the Mayor being honored by the "Union County Regional Chamber Of Commerce" as "Mayor of the Year" was valid because (a) the petitioner "Ms Barbara James" is not identified in regards to affiliation or organization which is the earmark of all other requests, (b) the poster prominently displays the Mayor wearing her renomination campaign pin, (c) on the agenda there is no time limit which is common to all other requests. I believe the request did have a period of time from April 1,2009 to sometime in September. Thus approval would be after the fact.

The resolution substituting "bluestone curbing" for "Belgian Block curbs" on the long delayed partially finished Kensington Ave (and Evergreen Ave) repavement will cost additional sums. One wonders why from the original contract that specified concrete curbs there was a verbally approved change to the blocks at the request of the Planning Board with agreement by the Historical Preservation Committee. Not only am I unaware that this area is in a designated "Historic area " but what may have been questionably cost acceptable in 2006 certainly should be reviewed under today's economic stress.

Communications with "Trenton" regarding the Muhlenberg situation should not be directed on Solaris' failure to comply with the terms of the CN, but rather a strong demand for restitution for the damage done to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens in the immediate Muhlenberg catchment area. It does not matter that this state administration has no regard to the responsibilities of the state to protect its citizens. The protest must be loud and frequent and backed with facts not hearsay. To have any possible future effect it must also be public, a position that unfortunately last years Council did not pursue.

The discussion on extending the public comment time to an hour from 30 minutes centered on the need to change the limit since this Council has extended that time allotment. However last years Council routinely limited all discussion to 30 minutes total with a rare extension for one or two speakers. A member of the Council also questioned if the Council rules required that the sessions end at a specific time.

I believe that the rules adopted for the 2006 Council did have such a provision. I may point out that operating rules for the Council are only pertinent for the year they were adopted, and such rules or regulations should be voted on at the annual reorganization meetings. Except as provided in the Charter, rules and regulations adopted by one Council can not be binding on the successors. That would require charter revisions by ordinance.

I hope that this Council in its wisdom would permit public commentators who have not exhausted their three minutes, the privilege of either making a clarifying statement or question in response to remarks made by city officials in reply to the individual's comments.

I may go in to more detail about this meeting in subsequent postings. I am attempting to post a short blog on a little known Jewish Holyday which will take place on this Wednesday. It is very unusual and should be of interest historically to all religions.