I know where to finish, 11/12/13 @ 11:55 pm; but where to
start?
Yes, Bernice in multiple posts today in Plaintalker II l has
already given a reporter’s factual account of the meeting, and Dan in his
Plainfield Today has made pertinent comments and I urge you to read them. You may link through "Clips".
12:30pm: I would also strongly urge you to read the comments to all of Plaintalker's posts on these meetings.
12:30pm: I would also strongly urge you to read the comments to all of Plaintalker's posts on these meetings.
This post will be more commentary than a blow by blow of the
actions of, as Council President Rivers remarked, the” Keystone Cops”. At least
the KCs were silent.
First of all it was stupid for this Council to make a double
header of the Agenda Setting Session, and the Business Meeting. Not only were the
Councilors mentally (?) exhausted by the time they had begun voting on the
items that were business; but neither they or the public had adequate time to
ponder over the material.
For the public the technical problems at the Library that delayed
availability of the source material compounded their lack of knowledge and
ability to make constructive comments in the pre-voting commentary period.
The Council has a definitive fiduciary responsibility to the
citizens and it is inconsiderate for them to place their personal time wishes
above their duty. Time could have been found to find an alternate date for the
Agenda Session.
The tenor of the Business meeting seemed to have been set by
the two faction splitting on many of the votes with the four avowed supporters
of the present administration often voting in a punitive manner to deny or
delay the incoming Mayor’s needed changes for what he who had received a
mandate vote a week ago and in the primaries conceived as essential for an
effective administration.
Foremost was the 4:3 vote against increasing the salary for
a CFO up to 155K. One of this city’s greatest financial problems has been the lack
of a certified full time CFO which may be the cause of many of the questionable
transactions that have led up to deficiencies in funds such as Recreation.
The 4:3 defeat of the Ordinance establishing and funding a Chief
of Staff position despite the holier than thou proclamations of some was also
politically vindictive and represented the Mayor’s attitude which of course
will be denied.
Why else did Council President Rivers remark that after Jan
1.
When Mapp is in office she will support his Cabinet nominations?
Incidentally the Mayor was at this meeting instead of the Acting
City Administrator or one of the Department heads, who were conspicuously
absent.
In the agenda session the 4 ignored the Corporations Counsel’s
recommendation that the preference local employment ordinance be tabled so that
he could research the potential constitutional conflicts and case law. Led by
Reid’s “damn the suits” it was placed on the business agenda where reason
ultimately prevailed.
I will dwell in another post on the circus that resulted
from the failure to pass a Resolution to transfer unused funds from certain
line items among which was an amount of $131091.38 to pay for the recent sudden
unfunded provisional promotion of 7 Police Sergeants. Although there was a 4:3 yes vote; a 2/3rd majority of the entire
Council membership or 5 yes votes are needed for passage.
For the umpteenth time a repeatedly defeated resolution to
fund a contract with Kean College for rent of space at the Incubator failed to
get approval during the agenda session. Error; it was on the agenda but failed to pass although Brown and Reid spoke strongly for it.
This post is only the first on the two meetings.
tjx[age 25Well put and accurate. Thank you, Doc. I was appalled that Greaves and Reid would give little thought to the taxpayers and push a Sharon item that was advised against by the Corporate Council. Rivers is still not doing a good job and Sharon seems to be pure evil backed up by Reid, Greaves, Brown, and the Council President. They really don't deserve another term in office.
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ReplyDeleteI think we should make a TV show modeled after our council meetings. We can call it "Politicians at Play" and everyone can star as themselves. We can even have a role for "Big Jerry".
ReplyDeleteIt would be a great hit, and only Plainfield would know the real secret. It isn't fiction, it's real.
At least we can get something positive out of these meetings. My bet is that Councilwoman Greaves would be the most popular.
8:28pm Obviously you were there.Your prefixes for the four are descriptive however I find the one for President Rivers to be offensive and I will apologize to her for not being able to delete it before posting what I thought to be a humorous comment.
ReplyDeleteAgain, people on the council with no clue about finance or worse, no want to understand.
ReplyDeleteHEAR ME COUNCILWOMAN BROWN AND OTHERS!!!!
1 - The transfer to the police department WILL cost the tax payers money. The police department will have to add the money to the budget next year, and the cost of their pensions will increase. This comes from TAXES from TAXPAYERS. IT WILL COST THE TAXPAYERS MONEY. Please make some attempt to understand your job. And this request goes to Reid and Greaves as well.
2 - You are spending 30K of TAXPAYER money that does not need to be spent. The services being offered by the incubator are offered FREE to the taxpayer at Kean College, and other outlets - I believe Plainfield is one of them.
PLEASE - understand your job.
Oh if anon had only stuck to "Keystone Cops were not only silent, they were funny and entertaining. However, Plainfield's Council last night (in particular, What-the-Hell-Reid, Missed-My-Cue-Greaves--- were more like the Rocky Horror show"
ReplyDeleteI felt that part of his commentary was funny and overlooked what should have laced it in the circular bin.
Although I have belatedly removed it he damage has been done.
Doc, the "Chairman Green" you referred to was not Jerry--it was Sheldon Green, head of the Office of Emergency Management, who does a terrific job!
ReplyDeleteDotti, sorry I did not write first names, I din't believe that I was refering to Jerry. His son is a member of the Fire Dept.
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