Although I have stated that I will not take sides on a political campaign, I can not sit and ignore statements made in the public blogs by publicists for various candidates.
Plainfield Today recently questioned if a "certain police officer"was guilty of using a patrol car for his own personal needs, but the issue had received no publicity.
Jerry Green as City Democratic Committee Chairman is as he should take an active vociferous role as spokesperson for his slate's nominee, Mayor for a 2nd term'. During the past week he not only wrote the following in response to the charge made in Plainfield Today: "regarding the issue with the Plainfield Police officer, it is my understanding that the matter is under investigation. That being said, the officer will either be charged or cleared. No one is trying to sweep the matter under the rug. Nevertheless, if the evidence shows that the officer broke the law, then like anyone else, the consequences need to be applied to the officer. There are no double standards here...
At the same time he has been accusing a Hispanic member of the BOE of a cover up! That individual himself has written a denial. Dan Damon in his blog has challenged the City Democratic Committee Chairman to answer 7 questions, which to date have been ignored. Moreover in Saturday's Courier there is in the First Section a news item abound the suspension of the security guard with pay pending an BOE investigation , and a DYFUS investigation. Certainly there could be no cover up if a State Agency is involved.
In his Ides of May blog JG also wrote; "Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig, Council President Rashid Burney and I met with the Police department and the 2nd ward community to discuss these sorts of crime". That is the first indication that I, a 37 year voting resident of the 2nd Ward was aware that such a meeting took place. Community is defined as "a social group of any size that live in a specific location. The 2nd Ward is well a political entity in the City of Plainfield" Was such a meeting a secret or does he mean he met with a few selected individuals? How many more in this Community knew about this meeting before it appeared in print?
If Jerry Green as Assemblyman who has said that he does not involve himself in City Affairs met with a certain select group, let him say so, but certainly it was not the "2nd Ward Community".
A breath of fresh political air!. Carol Ann Brokaw, who is the number 3 candidate for the Democratic Mayor nomination and had been rumored to be JG's fallback if Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs appeared unelectable, has a letter in Saturday's Courier regarding the City's action in using the pension plan skipped payment as a means of balancing this years budget. Her points are 100% right and were pointed out in vain at Council meetings by several public interested citizens. Where was she when the issue was being debated?
Perhaps the real reason for the letter is in its last paragraph, where she is attempting to divert complaints about the PMUA's charges and the infamous Junket to the Pacific Coast. Was this letter written as a citizen, or as a mayoral candidate or as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the PMUA?
Saturday night I posted a comment to yesterday's blog "2009 POLITICS" from a gentleman (he signed his name-thank you) regarding the high school incident. I latter found out that he was so concerned to send the same commentary to 'PLAIN TALKER". I am honored to be in the same class. His message in defense of Jerry Green is a most valid one, except for the fact that JG was not being a whistle blower but instead he was using an incident that should not have been newsworthy until all the facts were in to smear an opposition group of members in the party. That action is not worthy of praise or appropriate for any elected official.
As a matter of fact, if the Plainfield Today story about the misuse of official equipment and time is true, that is a fitting example of the scenario the writer used as an example.
One final thought; Jerry Green has devoted all his electioneering towards the mayoral campaign in Plainfield. as well as to the membership of the Democratic City Committee. He is doing that as local party chairman. He is doing the latter because his leadership is being challenged. And ,just like he shifted his support to Obama after his first choice, Clinton, was defeated for the nomination, and just as he supported in past general elections candidates that had defeated his committee's nominees, I am sure he will continue to fill the role of the good team player after the primaries are over.
Although he is on the ballot as a candidate for reelection to the Assembly recently very little effort has been used to defend his record. He knows he will have little difficulty in securing his nomination. His race will be in November against whatever unknowns the Republicans pick and the strong Union County machine is a bonus.
(About 9:30 I corrected several typo errors and word omissions that seemed to happen when the blog went from draft to published)
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"At the same time he has been accusing a Hispanic member of the BOE of a cover up"
ReplyDeleteAre Hispanic BOE mebers off limits to critisism because they are Hispanic?
Sounds like you are playing the race card.
This is the type comment that I should not post. A person hiding in the darkness of anonymity accusing someone of being a racist. On May 11,12,13,& 14 Green accused by name, Estevez, a member of the BOE of participating in a cover up. He also brought his wife's name into the blog. Why did he accuse the only Hispanic member of the board of doing something that individual had no power to accomplish. He could have charged Logan-Leach,Peterson, or Barksdale or any other Board member with the same logic. But his attack included one specific member and his wife. Who is playing the race card? Who has a vested interest above that of the ordinary citizen in who gets elected?
ReplyDeleteDespite his protestation that he is not anti-Hispanic JG owes every one of us-you too- an apology.
I, also, am a voting member of Ward 2 and did not hear of any community meeting or discussion being held. Who was there? JG, Rashid and Martin? Two out of three live in Ward 2, but I would not call that a community meeting.
ReplyDeleteCould it be possible that JG is stretching the truth?
Venerable Olddoc:
ReplyDeleteIn response to this posting I wish to submit two comments:
(1) I too, a voter of the "2nd Ward community", albeit for only 23 years, was unaware of this meeting with the Director of Public Safety and the City Council President.
(2) The issue of the city's deferred payments to the state pension fund was raised by me at the forum for mayoral candidates on Tuesday evening, May 12, at Shiloh Baptist Church. I do not recall Ms. Brokaw discussing it at that time. Well, I'm happy that she now considers it significant. By the way, I was present at the City Council meeting when the matter was discussed and reluctantly approved.
Jerry Greens accusation of a cover up by Estevez and Mapp is the silliest thing I have ever heard. Olddoc, you are right on it when you say how can it be a cover up when it was reported to not one, but two agencies. Besides, how would Estevez and Mapp by pass both the principal and superintendent in "covering up" this act? This just goes to show how little he thinks of the people of Plainfield that we would be stupid enough to buy this nonsensical allegation.
ReplyDelete