This comment sent to my blog deserves space of its own. The writer noted that this is a copy of a letter sent to the Star Ledger.
Jerry Green and ‘His” Democrats Have Ruined Plainfield Long
Enough!!
For 20+ years Jerry Green, Plainfield Democratic City Committee Chairman, has personally chosen Plainfield’s elected officials with very few exceptions. In Plainfield, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 9 to 1, making the June Democratic Primary the de facto election for city-wide offices. The general election in November is a mere formality. At this year’s Democratic City Committee meeting, Jerry completely subverted the electoral process by just announcing “his” candidates for City Council and never even holding a vote. Jerry’s Democrats always get the official Democratic Party line in the primary, which is a huge advantage. Even in 2005, when Jerry lost control of the Democratic City Committee and thereby the democratic line in the primary for the duly elected democratic candidates, he conspired with the Union County Democratic Party leadership to “steal” the democratic line in the primary for his chosen candidates and moved the duly elected candidates to an outside line on the ballot.
Jerry chooses ‘his’ Democrats, not based on their expertise or competence, but to carry out ‘his’ agenda. Unfortunately for Plainfield residents, Jerry’s priority always seems to be to spend the City’s resources to help his friends and political allies. The needs of the citizens of Plainfield seem to always come in a distant second. Plainfield’s city budget is $74.6 million dollars, which gives Jerry’s democrats plenty of money to shower on Jerry’s friends and allies. If any of “his” democrats break with his agenda, Jerry gets rid of them by throwing them off the Democratic line in their next primary election.
The simple fact is, Jerry Green has run Plainfield for over 20 years. Plainfield’s corruption, dysfunction, waste and abuse are Jerry Green’s political legacy. By any objective measure comparing Plainfield to the surrounding communities, Jerry has failed the citizens of Plainfield. In the nearly 27 years I have lived in Plainfield, my taxes have gone up 500%, while my property is worth about what I paid for it in 1987.
Last year Jerry made a deal to become Union County Democratic Chairman in return for giving Adrian Mapp the democratic line as mayor in the Plainfield Democratic primary. Mr. Mapp ran on a platform of bringing experienced professional ethical leadership to city government in order to boost economic development, increase the tax base, and reduce taxes on all citizens. He was elected with 70% of the popular vote. In the five months since Mr. Mapp took office, Jerry has had “his” democrats on city council block the mayor’s progressive agenda even to the point of almost losing federal funding for rent-support of 96 low income families because Jerry wasn’t “included” on the sale of the Liberty Village housing complex. It is deplorable that one man puts his own interests above the needs of the people.
On June 3rd, Plainfield residents have the opportunity to break Jerry Green’s personal stranglehold on Plainfield by voting against “his” democrats on Line A on the ballot and voting for the NEW Democrats (Williams, Swan, McRae) on Line E on the ballot. The choice is clear: continuing the corruption, dysfunction, waste, and abuse by Jerry Green and “his” democrats or moving Plainfield forward to benefit all citizens. It’s time to say ‘NO” to Jerry Green and “his” democrats!
Sincerely,
Tom Kaercher
Plainfield, NJ
For 20+ years Jerry Green, Plainfield Democratic City Committee Chairman, has personally chosen Plainfield’s elected officials with very few exceptions. In Plainfield, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 9 to 1, making the June Democratic Primary the de facto election for city-wide offices. The general election in November is a mere formality. At this year’s Democratic City Committee meeting, Jerry completely subverted the electoral process by just announcing “his” candidates for City Council and never even holding a vote. Jerry’s Democrats always get the official Democratic Party line in the primary, which is a huge advantage. Even in 2005, when Jerry lost control of the Democratic City Committee and thereby the democratic line in the primary for the duly elected democratic candidates, he conspired with the Union County Democratic Party leadership to “steal” the democratic line in the primary for his chosen candidates and moved the duly elected candidates to an outside line on the ballot.
Jerry chooses ‘his’ Democrats, not based on their expertise or competence, but to carry out ‘his’ agenda. Unfortunately for Plainfield residents, Jerry’s priority always seems to be to spend the City’s resources to help his friends and political allies. The needs of the citizens of Plainfield seem to always come in a distant second. Plainfield’s city budget is $74.6 million dollars, which gives Jerry’s democrats plenty of money to shower on Jerry’s friends and allies. If any of “his” democrats break with his agenda, Jerry gets rid of them by throwing them off the Democratic line in their next primary election.
The simple fact is, Jerry Green has run Plainfield for over 20 years. Plainfield’s corruption, dysfunction, waste and abuse are Jerry Green’s political legacy. By any objective measure comparing Plainfield to the surrounding communities, Jerry has failed the citizens of Plainfield. In the nearly 27 years I have lived in Plainfield, my taxes have gone up 500%, while my property is worth about what I paid for it in 1987.
Last year Jerry made a deal to become Union County Democratic Chairman in return for giving Adrian Mapp the democratic line as mayor in the Plainfield Democratic primary. Mr. Mapp ran on a platform of bringing experienced professional ethical leadership to city government in order to boost economic development, increase the tax base, and reduce taxes on all citizens. He was elected with 70% of the popular vote. In the five months since Mr. Mapp took office, Jerry has had “his” democrats on city council block the mayor’s progressive agenda even to the point of almost losing federal funding for rent-support of 96 low income families because Jerry wasn’t “included” on the sale of the Liberty Village housing complex. It is deplorable that one man puts his own interests above the needs of the people.
On June 3rd, Plainfield residents have the opportunity to break Jerry Green’s personal stranglehold on Plainfield by voting against “his” democrats on Line A on the ballot and voting for the NEW Democrats (Williams, Swan, McRae) on Line E on the ballot. The choice is clear: continuing the corruption, dysfunction, waste, and abuse by Jerry Green and “his” democrats or moving Plainfield forward to benefit all citizens. It’s time to say ‘NO” to Jerry Green and “his” democrats!
Sincerely,
Tom Kaercher
Plainfield, NJ
He's very disappointed he was not appointed to the PMUA board. Sour Grapes
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
DeleteSince you lack the courage to sign your name to your comments, I am led to conclude that you are a beneficiary of Jerry Green's Plainfield policies of dysfunction, corruption, waste, and abuse.
Just to be clear, the reason I volunteered my expertise to serve on the PMUA board was to bring some economy and efficiency to the PMUA. Currently, PMUA ratepayers pay more than twice as much for solid waste services and more than four times as sewer services than customers do in any of the surrounding communities. In addition, the City Council PMUA Task Force reported that the City of Union, which has more residents than Plainfield (56,000 vs. 49,000) and collects more trash than Plainfield (18,475 tons vs. 18,461 tons) paid $8.6 Million dollars from trash and sewer services while the PMUA charged ratepayers $22.4 Million for the same services. To me it is unacceptable to be forced to pay almost three times as much for city services than I would pay in a neighboring community. It is as simple as that.
The PMUA suffers from the same dysfunction, corruption, waste, and abuse as the City of Plainfield because it is controlled by Jerry Green’s people following Jerry Green’s agenda. And all of the above does not even take into account that in addition to the excessively high PMUA rates, the PMUA has also racked-up $20 Million dollars in bond debt that the City is responsible for or the $1 Million dollar parting gift that PMUA Commissioners Dunn, Sanders, and Toliver gave to Mr. Watson and Mr. Ervin resigned. This was after an experienced labor lawyer told them that Mr. Watson and Mr. Ervin were not entitled to any severance payments. The final insult was that Commissioners Dunn, Sanders, and Toliver furloughed the PMUA workforce to pay for the Mr. Watson and Mr. Ervin’s $1Million dollar gift.
In conclusion, the reason I speak out against Jerry Green and how he has run Plainfield is NOT “sour grapes” about my PMUA nomination. I speak out against Jerry Green IS because he is corrupt and for more than 20 years, he has run Plainfield in the ground to help himself and his allies. In the process, he has hurt all Plainfield residents from all walks of life.
Sincerely,
Tom Kaercher
I would take it as a mark of honor to have been rejected by the fearsome five: two former PMUA commissioners, the mother of a PMUA worker, and two other Green appendages. Corruption and inbred self-dealing is what we've got, but that's not the sort of City Council I want. We need an accountable and forward looking city government that sees Plainfield as a city worth investing in, not one filled with a proletariat only worthy of crumbs and the back of a chieftain's hand. Column A is for Acrid Antiquity. Column E is for Emancipation.
DeleteWay to go Tom and Alan. Perhaps the complainer has a cushy county job like Rivers (whose house or the place where she currently resides will be sold for back taxes), or like Taylor who pays no taxes, Reid who owes back taxes or Greves who is just plain stupid.
ReplyDelete