Now that the unofficial counts are in. our congratulations to both local winners. No I am not forgetting the 4th ward uncontested race, but the ticket is 99.999999% sure of election in November. The party will as usual reunite, although I am certain that some of the wounds from this mudslinging race will never heal. Nor will Jerry Green's " Republicans" vote Republican in November.
As expected Stender and Green won the renomination to the State Assembly from the 22nd district; no surprise except Stender received more votes than Green. Smiley was a distant third and as I had written represented only a local protest vote.
Also, as anticipated. the incumbent Robinson-Briggs received a plurality of votes defeating Mapp by about 7% of the total votes casted. Surprsingly Cox had 8% of the total and Brokaw-Boles another 3 %. This 11 % was the difference, and it would be hard to judge how the election wold have turned out if it had been only a two candidate race rather than four individuals.The others on the ballot may have received a total 0f 2% not enough to have made any difference.
Since plurality not majority wins in elections, trying to figure what would have happened if we would have considered all of Cox's votes as anti Roninson-Briggs and Brokaw-Bowles as pro 'Briggs" , the results would have still been a small majority for our Mayor, and that is what wins elections.
If anybody who did not vote is upset about the results, let them consider that they had an oportunity to impact on the final results.
What should be of interest to all of us will be the breakdown of membership to the City Committee. The votes in the 1st and 4th wards in contrast to the 2nd and 3rd wards will give us an insight into Plainfield's future..
My loss from this election is in the absence of blog material derived from the postings in other blogs. My gain is that the vituperative comments received by me and I am certain other civic minded bloggers will stop. A few came from New Democrats supporters, but by far the most objectionable were submitted by Green aficionados under the cloak of anonymous or cute pen names. To these characters I say, if you are not man or woman enough to stand up for what you write, don't bother to submit anything.
We will - and I believe that I can write for the other city observers- post every commentary either pro or con that we receive as long as it conforms to acceptable propriety. I will continue to write my commentary on political as well as newsworthy subjects, local history including individuals that I can recall and of course post my old pictures. The Council meetings as well as public statements by local politicians will always be my interest. -
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Doc I mentioned to you several time that the people will speak on June 2nd. They rejected Mapp's negativity and his lack of vision.
ReplyDeleteNow the Republicans - scratch that - I meant the New Dems can continue to play the blame game and blame Green for everything or they can come up with real solutions.
The results of last nights election does and must give one pause, not so much for the loss itself but for the effort spent. Aside from doing one’s civic duty in the support of our democracy, the time could have been far more remunerative, and far less debilitating, if it had been spent different sphere. But the then again, this is Plainfield, NJ and it and the election was and is fun, if nothing else. As they say; ‘the plays the thing.’
ReplyDeleteWe are all faced with the same conundrum, if I win there is nothing to win. And yet, you feel that if you do win, you can turn this titanic ship of a city away from that looming iceberg of disaster and collapse, to which the current administration is oblivious. So you keep on going and going hoping some day the voters will catch on and ‘get it’ before their ship sinks into that primeval sea.
Scippo
1:05am: You are skirting the limits of propriety I will say to you and all others supporters of Green, as you must be, as well as the supporters of the New Democrats. "if you are not man or woman enough to stand up for what you write, don't bother to submit anything.". T hat may still be the criteria for publication. And to the person who wrote to my yesterday's blog and showed racist characteristics by writing " and and the people on the hill" and old reference to the second wat=rd as white and "WASP" perhaps you should study the ethnic makeup of Plainfield brefore the 2010 census opens your bigoted eyes. Needless to say although most of your commentary m ay have been correct that remark made it unpublishable. No wonder you are ashamed thus "anonymous".
ReplyDelete1:05 am's actual remark was "MAYBE IT IS OK ON THE HILL" still rac ist and devise.
ReplyDelete"And yet, you feel that if you do win, you can turn this titanic ship of a city away from that looming iceberg of disaster and collapse, to which the current administration is oblivious."
ReplyDeleteExcellent point - yet the same individuals are re-elected regardless of their obliviousness to the iceberg. There are those that still believe that there are enough lifeboats regardless to history's dictation otherwise. No wonder Plainfield never seems to move forward - just "rewrite" a little history and there are those that will take it as truth every time.
Signed,
An Observer
Democratic:
ReplyDeletePresident,
Governor,
Senators,
Assemblyman,
Mayor,
Council.
Taxes should be approaching all time lows soon. Happy Days Are Here Again.
Advice to insomniacs; don't check your email at 3am and expect that your klutzy arthritic fingers are not going to produce "typos".
ReplyDeleteThe problem with commentaries is that once "sent" even in your own blog, there is no way to correct errors.
Mapp's commercial used the example of hill. He made refeence to Plainfield being on the hill.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, for those who do not like getting politicians reelected, why on earth do you want Mapp? He has already served 11+ years as a Plainfield politician. What has he done? He has been in Plainfield, driving it towards the iceberg - and now you want him at the helm?
Maybe you should read your own comments.
Reply to meaning of 'city upon hill.'
ReplyDeleteFrom wikipedia: 'City upon a hill is a phrase derived from the metaphor of Salt and Light in the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus given in the Gospel of Matthew. Verse fourteen of Matthew chapter five states that "you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."
This phrase entered the American lexicon early in its history, with John Winthrop's sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," given in 1630. Winthrop warned the Puritan colonists of New England who were to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony that their new community would be a "city upon a hill," watched by the world:
For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken... we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.[1]
The speech was given when aboard the Arbella not long before landing.'
Scippio
Thank you, Scipio--the Winthrop speech citing St. Matthew was indeed the reference regarding the "city on the hill." It had nothing whatsoever to do with living on a hill.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jerry Green lives in the 2nd ward Hillside Historic District, for anyone who cares.
Just a reminder: Jerry Green lives on the hill.
ReplyDeleteTalking the talk, but not walking the walk?
I would not be so sure that there will not be a groundswell for the Republican for mayor in November. There are enough people who do not like the way Sharon's administration served the people. Might be time for a real change.
ReplyDeleteWhy does it sound like you are hanging up your blogging fingers?
ReplyDeleteActually, I was surprised by the outcome. Not by the fact of the mayor winning, but by the small margin of victory.
ReplyDeleteI'm not interested in the pseudo math analysis that "proves" who would have won if it had only been a two horse race. I am interested in the role of the Independents.
According to the Courier, in Plainfield there are 12000 democrats, 1000 republicans, and 8000 Independents. Clearly, the action is between the democrats and the independents. Yet, because NJ has a "closed primary", the independents have no meaningful vote, especially since the R's are putting up an unknown novice in November.
I'm assuming that many of those who are registered Independents are under 45 (anybody have any facts on this?) You could assume that they would be less inclined to back any incumbent (except Obama) and would more naturally gravitate to a "change" message.
So, hypothetically, if you were to count the I's, R-B has the support of way less than half the electorate. That's surprising to me, and I don't think it bodes well for the next four years. Because of the mayor's vulnerable position, I foresee a ratcheting up of attacks on the administration, with corresponding counterattacks, similar to George Bush's second term, and a heightening of the divide along racial and class lines that has been fueled by this primary.
10:16am, I am sorry if I gave the impression that I am quitting this blog. I enjoy writing it, but when I read some thing like "I am not sur which administyration released the bondholder" which was posted in my commentary to another blog, or see "teh" or "ahve" or typos where there is an "o" instead of "i" or "p" after I think that I have 100% proof read my epistle I feel like a complete idiot. So if you see such errors please bear with me.
ReplyDeleteHas there ever been a primary election where the sitting mayor received less than 50% of the vote and still won? Unfortunately Plainfield is totally a one party town and that being the case you are destined to get a corrupt poorly run administration
ReplyDeleteMost so-called "Independents" are really unaffiliated voters who didn't identify a party affiliation when they registered and haven't voted in a party primary. If they go to the polling place on primary day to vote in a party primary, they are identifying themselves as members of that party.
ReplyDeleteThe term "Independents" is often used to describe "unaffiliated" voters, but it's misleading and I'm sorry people do it. You can register as a real Independent if you choose to--but then you won't be able to vote in any of the major party primaries.
In Plainfield, most of the unaffiliated voters who go to the polls in November vote for the Democratic candidates. And many Republicans have registered as Democrats so they can vote in Democratic primaries hoping to choose the Democratic nominee. (I'm not making this up--many people have told me they have done this but that they vote for the Republican candidates for state and national office in November.)
An "open" primary is one in which voters, no matter what their party affiliation is, can vote for any candidate regardless of party. We don't have that in New Jersey, but we don't have what would be termed a "closed" primary either--that's the kind where you have to declare a party affiliation before the primary.
Mapp's whole base lives on the hill including Bobby Gregory, Rebecca, Storch you name it.
ReplyDeleteMapp lives on W 8th street in a mansion, and Damon lives in a mansion on W 7th street.
Just out of curiosity, why didn't you post the comment I left yesterday about 2SmokingBarrel's blog using the same wrong "comedic" construction that Green recently used? You are certainly entitled to moderate your blog as you see fit, but it seemed odd that you excluded it.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I prefer to remain anonymous when criticizing Green. His son in law enforcement scares me.
Hi, Doc,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me, but my name is Rebecca--good to meet you online. Perhaps I will meet you in person one day. I have been referenced in this blog a couple of times, but for the record, in response to the comment at 4:58 pm, I don't live on a "hill," I live in a modest cape-style house on a small block right off Leland Avenue. The reference to a hill is being made to try to promulgate even more racial/class division, a la "the hill," where the rich (white) folks live vs. "the bottom," where the poor (black) folks live. Black people like Jerry Green live on the "hill" in Plainfield, as others have noted. Jerry Green, by his own account on his blog and in other public comments he has made, is rich, having made hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments during his lifetime. America is a capitalist country and rewards people like him--they call it "the American way." I, on the other hand, teach composition and American literature at a New Jersey college. I don't make nearly as much money as Jerry Green, but I enjoy what I do for a living. I am glad that I have a job, and I am deeply concerned about those who are not working or having trouble making ends meet. I find the ignorance of the commenter deeply disturbing, because it seems as if he/she is saying that one's concern for the city is based on the size of one's house or the neighborhood one lives in. Community activists and concerned citizens come from all sorts of neighborhoods and comprise all sorts of people.
To 6/3-11:29pm I had to go back into trash to find the commentary you to which refer. The only answer I can give you is that it must have been accidentally "rejected" since I can find no fault with it. I would have belatedly posted it but am unable to do so.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, all references to you in my blog have been from Green supporters. I agree that civic activists MUST come from all areas of the community and I hope that some day you will introduced yourself to me.
When Mapp made that call for the Hill he was using double talk. Kind of like when Regan and Bush talked about "state rights" - with a kink. Everyone in those states knew what they were talking about.
ReplyDeleteWe all know the original reference to the"City on the Hill" - this is Mapp's way of giving the people on the hill a wink.
Old Republican tactics. Nothing new. Nothing Democratic.
Hey Anonymous 4:58PM -I'll name two more on the hill residents. One is me and the other is your Master Puppeteer -Jerry Green.
ReplyDeleteRebecca -sounds like we live the life on Plainfield's "hill".
Obviously, 4:58PM doesn't know what it is to get slammed with an outrageously high PMUA bill, pay high real estate taxes, mow the lawn, shovel the snow, insure a home, or even pay a mortgage.
Uh uh . . .
Where do you live 4:58PM -at the "bottom" of the hill in some gawd awful Plainfield apartment project where you know absolutely nothing about paying the PMUA, real estate taxes, home insurance or a mortgage.
And by the way 4:58PM -did you notice where JG and his puppets got most of their votes?
What did Sharon and Jerry promise you -more candy, more hugs and kisses, more protection from the people on the "hill"? Or better yet -longer puppet strings?
Dear Renna et al,
ReplyDeleteYou are, in the words of Assemblyman Green, clueless comedic haters.
Deval Patrick, the black governor of Massachusetts and close friend of Barack Obama, said in his 2007 inaugural address:
"To this kid from the South side of Chicago, Massachusetts is my shining city on a hill. Let's rebuild this city on a hill and make it shine again."
Please explain to me how Mapp's use of the same phrase is somehow magically coded to appeal only to the whites who live "on the hill", but Patrick's use is an uplifting appeal to all rooted in Scripture.
Trust me on this one, I know a lot of white people (I'm one myself), and in general, we just aren't smart enough to get the secret message. Nobody I know who lives "on the hill", black or white, thinks of themselves as living "on the hill", just as I'm pretty sure that those who live "on the plain" don't think of their neighborhood that way.
If Mapp had said "Netherwood" or "Hillside" or "Sleepy Hollow", well, OK, we could have figured that out, but that's not what he said, he said "city on a hill".
Your postings are paranoid. they are not, as you may think, a realistic and courageous reflection of racist reality, but just paranoid. You are a hater.