SERIOUS RAMBLING THOUGHTS POTPOURRI

4:34 pm -10/23/09 Just read Jerry's latest posting. I am certainly happy that an out and out political lobbying organization with an avowed single goal which you can read on the Internet, has found time to endorse JG. This is not the ACLU, or Sierra but a group formed to advocate a specific legal goal. This is the best JG can post? What are his answers to Plainfield's problems? Get rid of the Bloggers?

4:45 pm-10/23/09 In today's Plainfield Today Dan asked where have the roads gone. The question should be where has the money gone? What road improvement's had the Council authorized by resolution in the last four years? what funds ere received from the state or budget allocations and used for or divert to other projects?

As to the status of certain streets. It is no surprise. At a Council meeting in late 2008 September or the end of August, when the City Administrator announced that the repaving of Kensington Ave would begin in answer to my question was it not too late in the year for asphalt pavement projects and were there specific temperature ranges to be worried about. His response without hesitation was that the job would be completed before it got too cold. He just forgot to say what year.

To learn more about road pavements go to: (http://epdfiles.engr.wisc.edu/pdf_web_files/tic/manuals/Asphalt-PASER_02.pdf)

Again I think that the contracts must be re-examined since the contractor has obviously been in default, and there must have been a certified bond placed.

At least when the election is over there may be time to review Plainfield's road maintenance program

11 pm Finally got around to reading the inside of the Ledger since there is usually nothing ab out Plainfield. Surprise (1) along article about the BOE, and (2) a chart of Union County School Violence.;

The article on the investigation of two "coordinators" quotes Green as saying "The superintendent has so much power and there's not too many things the board has control over". Once again our hypocrite Assemblyman in looking for a pigeon to divert attention from his own self and alter ego mayor distorts half truths as if they were facts.

The School District Superintendent must have complete control over the day by day educational process. However he has to have BOE consent for general principles and the BOE in its fiduciary responsibility has to approve the hiring of every Supervisor, principle, teacher, teacher's aid etc. I am sure that they also approve of every dollar spent for conferences either individually or as a lump budget item. It is the Board of Education 's members obligation to do due diligence in hiring and also to be knowledgeable about NJ state mandates. They can not create a position out of air without DOE approval. The BOE has the ultimate power and the Superintendent is responsible to it.

IN the city which Green conveniently ignores, The Mayor's office and administration is completely separate from the Council. The Mayor can and does make administrative appointments with only those specifically mentioned in the City Charter with consent of the Council. There is even a mechanism which has been used by various Mayors to circumvent Council approval by the term acting or temporary. However even that is restricted by time limits that seem to be ignored.

In the City's case where the Council has to grant approval it is dependent upon data submitted by Administration and assurances of Corporation Counsel that everything is complete and legal.
There is no vehicle for Council members to do background investigation.

The other item in the Star Ledger on page 33 there is a table of "Union County school violence" from DOE figures however the time period is not stated.

The data below is disturbing

District	Enrollment	Violence	Vandalism	Weapons	Substance	Total
Elizabeth	21303	48	28	27	15	112
Linden	6122	57	16	13	31	115
Rahway	3872	9	6	3	2	19
Plainfield	6462	147	48	23	0	218
SP-Fanwood	4333	23	11	3	4	41
Westfield	6150	11	3	1	6	21

I can not conceive that there has not been 1 case of substance abuse in this district. Either it is n ot looked for or not reported. The source of the data used by the State DOE is also absent.