Did the Pot
call the Kettle Black?
Again my
second page of comments about the Agenda Fixing Session will have give way to a
more interesting late breaking local subject. Oh yes there could be some
relationship between this story and the Council business.
One of the
four headlines on today’s (Wednesday) Courier first page reads;”Lawmaker calls
for school board president to quit in wake of report”.
Last month
the Office of the State Comptroller released a report highly critical of the
BOE’s selection process in changing district attorneys including the “lack of
due diligence” and the astronomical increase of legal fees. To quote the Courier;”district
officials reportedly circumvented state measures intended to keep its legal
costs under control”.
All very
serious charges that I hope will result in a public accounting by the state. Certainly
we will not receive any reliable information from this BOE which was elected on
a pledge of “Transparency” but has practiced secrecy.
It is refreshing
to have that paragon of righteousness; the head of the local party who has
shown no interest in any suspected financial irregularities in the local government
or utilities authority, denounce nepotism.
Mrs. Campbell
has denied any wrong doing and “She further accused Green of meddling in board
appointments in the past” (Courier).
As he has
done in the past when questioned about improprieties in the Plainfield
Government* Green denied any meddling. “I don’t get involved in the Board of
Education, who she appoints or who she hires. And I am not putting politics
before the kids of the city of Plainfield,” he said. “I think she was hoping
this would go away, but it’s not going away, as long as I think the kids are
being treated unfairly here.” (Courier)
According to
the Courier Green stated;” He characterized the board’s initial appointment of
Hunt, Hamlin & Ridley as “getting rid of (previous firm) Weiner Lesniak for
their friends,” and he further predicted that the board sometime this summer
will reappoint Weiner Lesniak — a firm with some political connections of its
own — as the district’s new legal team.”
Regarding
the Weiner Lesniak firm; Lesniak is a State Senator from a Union County based
district. Green, the long time Chairman of the Plainfield Democrat Party
Committee has just become Chairman of the County Committee after about 2
decades of political influence in the county.
If memory
serves me right and Dan Damon can correct me if I am wrong there was a dispute
between the City and Lesniak’s firm during the McWilliams’ administration over
the amount of legal fees billed which did result in a settlement.
Perhaps it
is just coincidential that Campbell’s son is runing as a Republican for either of the two local
districts assembly seats. Assemblyman Green is one of the two incumbents
seeeking reelection.
Also the
Superintent of the School District , Anna Belin-Pyles, husband
brother is one of two Independent Candidates running against the Party’s nominee,
Adrian Mapp, for Mayor.
Neither may
have had any part in Green’s interest in an investigation which must be
conducted open as legally possible to the public. It would also behoove the
State to investigate Plainfield’s finances during the present administration.
*When asked about the Mayor's actions, Green has been heard to remark that he does not interfere or participate with anything in the local government.
Doc,I am so glad that you choose to write about the Courier News artical. I find it hilarious when Jerry Green states “I don’t get involved in the Board of Education”, when everyone in Plainfield, including Green himself, knows that he runs a slate of potential board members every election. Now if that’s not involved I don’t know what is. It looks to me that Green might just be a bit more worried than he would care to admit about John Campbell Jr running for an Assembly seat. Green needs to keep the focus on what he has done in the last 22 years that he’s held his current Assembly seat to help improve this city . Democrat or Republican, even a blind man can see the absolute decline in Plainfield in the past 22 years that Green has been in office. Unless he’s rigging the voting booths, I can’t figure out why we keep putting Green in office. Voting for Green because he’s a democrat is clearly the definition of insanity = “something utterly foolish” and might I add mu own definition = continuing to do the same thing expecting different result.
ReplyDeletePeople say we need to move Plainfield forward, Plainfield will never move forward until we show Green that we want better and his time has passed and his services are no longer needed or welcome. Green had his time and more chances to improve on Plainfield than any other local politician, including all the Mayors we had over the last 22 years. We should be asking him, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR PLAINFIELD LATLY? And the answers are clear, on Greens watch, all the business that produced real jobs in Plainfield left the city, the successful closure of Muhlenberg hospital, one of the highest crime rate per square mile in NJ, one of the highest unemployment rates, one of the highest foreclosure rate, which can be attributed to high taxes and PMUA.
However, look on the bright side, Jerry’s solution on moving Plainfield forward is to built a 600 unit projects on the Muhlenberg site, that’s just what we need.
Keep Voting for Jerry Green for More of the Same! Wake up people, Jerry may not be to blame for all of this but let’s face it, Assemblyman Green has been in office for the last 22 years this all happened on his watch, he is the one constant, you do the math!
Christine, a tax paying Plainfild resident that care!
Green claims distance from school matters, but on Primary Night at Democratic headquarters he announced a slate for the BOE election, which is supposed to be non-partisan.
ReplyDeleteApparently no one told Christine that good Democrats vote the party, not the person. The Dem's, New and RDO will sit there and gripe and whine about Jerry to you in person, cry and wish that he was gone, tell you they are working "behind the scene" to remove him, yet stand in front of the people waving the Party Banner screaming VOTE DEMOCRAT, VOTE THE SLATE, VOTE THE PARTY LINE... KEEP ALL DEMOCRATS IN OFFICE TO SAVE PLAINFIELD.
ReplyDeleteWhat have you done for Plainfield lately ?? Christine, you mean what has Plainfield done for HIM lately...
If you want to be a good lemur and dive off the cliff like the others you support the "D" no matter what.
Jerry Green keeps his nose of out local matters... LOL ... as laughable as his "informative blog".
Doc, due to both your and Bernice's comments .. be prepared for another ranting posting, I mean "informative posting" on his blog about you !