I am sure that the word is out that the Mayor has vetoed the
“Land Grab Ordinance” Known as “City Lot 9+”.
There is a proposed resolution to override the veto on the Agenda Fixing
Session’s menu.
The Mayor’s veto contained 16 reasons why it was
unacceptable. Most of them this Council will dismiss as verbiage or garbage.
However the reference to NJSA 40:12-20 which both the present Corporation
Counsel and the previous one found not to be applicable as quoted in the Ordinance
will be hard to ignore by people without any knowledge of the law.
How the Council reacts and if here is any retaliatory
reaction against the Mayor’s appointment requests or the proposed Resolution
granting Proctor a residency waiver will be awaited.
I attended the HAP board meeting last Monday and noticed the inspection certificate on the community room's kitchen door was two-years old. It would be ironic if our incorrigible and childish City Council stamps its feet and retaliates by gutting the Health Officer over residency in payback for the Mayor rejecting an illegal and severely deficient conveyance to the Housing Authority and/or the house flipping Plainfield Community Development Corporation. I expect Mayor Mapp will remain resolute in the face of the Council's sophomoric behavior and he will not be railroaded into effectuating a lawless contract just because they throw a tantrum.
ReplyDeleteIt's been nearly one year (five, if you count the 2009 letter of interest) since PMUA commissioners Cecil Sanders and Malcolm Dunn first began peddling this deal to HAP, the Planning Board, and the City Council. In all this time the City Council could have begun the process of determining the area as in need of redevelopment. Why they chose to circumvent the process spelled out in the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law and get to Point Z with no checks or balances is still an open question. HAP Executive Director Randall Wood says it's a HAP deal only, but the record suggests otherwise, and Wood can barely verbalize the project without falling back on the highlights of the Sanders-Dunn proposal.
So why the willingness to get around the law? HAP acting chairperson Pamela Dunn-Hale is Dunn's daughter. HAP commissioner Joanne Hollis is the sister of Council President Bridget Rivers. HAP commissioner Dollie Hamlin answers to Sanders and Dunn as the purchasing manager over at PMUA. Former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, whose administration first pimped the ordinance and who does so these days with regularity, is the wife of PCDC's vice-chair Peter Briggs. And Councilwoman Tracey Brown, when she dons her spiritual hat, is Sharon's pastor. Maybe all these perceived conflicts-of-interest are actual conflicts.
Or maybe it's just the best way for appointed Ward 3 Councilor Gloria Taylor to prove her mettle as the Council's hypocrite--in-chief: "And I will not be intimidated by someone determining that it has to go a certain way. The law and the policies will prevail. This might be a little different for some people but, guess what, we may need to do some things out of the box, we can see what's going on in our city. And I have no problem with it. And I know we're going to go according to the law, and people are not going to be intimidated because they work for the Administration, like it was last week, which I saw myself." She's giving Bill Reid a run for the money.
Thank you Alan for the Taylor quote. Too bad some one has not made a collection of her Council soliloquies. Enough of them would make a best seller.
DeleteAlan, you've got it all wrong.. THEY ARE THE VICTIMS here.. Here these people sit shouldering the responsibilities of handing out public money for the benefit of a few connected friends and we criticize them ! They get up every morning with this burden on their soul doing it so that we, the everyday common person that these Demi-gods tolerate, don't have to handle this responsibility. Could you imagine having to dole out money and sweetheart deals to a couple of your politically connected friends Alan ?? Could you imagine having to pick what 10-15 people you know that got to get rich at the expense of the public treasury ?? WE ARE LUCKY THESE PEOPLE HAVE GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO TAKE THIS PRESSURE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
DeleteTHANK YOU RIVERS, REID, TAYLOR, GREAVES AND BROWN FOR TAKING PUBLIC MONEY AND MAKING IT PRIVATE AGAIN.
This is what America is truly about, opportunity for those who know someone who is connected.
Thank you for reminding all of us of this...
Reminiscent of the PMUA largesse. The threads of information which have emerged since the infamous Arbitration are consistent. The proceedings were going poorly for the Plaintiffs.
ReplyDeleteThey had no case. In order to obtain an award a ploy emerged; a ploy that was successful. The Plaintiffs offered a settlement of $1,000,000. This provided the ability of the Commissioners to vote on the proposed settlement effectively removing the matter from the Arbitration proceeding. Dunn and Sanders led the charge and with 5 Commissioners present obtained a 3 to 2 majority cementing the award. Subsequently Sanders said that had he the ability he would of awarded the Plaintiffs a greater sum in light of their outstanding service. It should be remembered that the Plaintiffs had already received an approximate "bonus' , for reasons that remain vague, of $250,000. This $ 250,000 in addition to significant appropriate contractual benefits....a months pay for each year of service, and almost a years additional salary as a result of extravagant benefits from accumulated unused vacation , and sick leave. And, of course ,the Plaintiff's pension benefits. It is noteworthy that when the PMUA boasts of obtaining new contracts from neighboring communities they state that this new business will help the PMUA "MAINTAIN" existing rates. The word "REDUCE" is notably absent. This relates to the current sad proposed land sale in that the Cavalry remains absent. It was apparently bushwhacked en route if in fact it ever left Fort Trenton. Even after receiving the details of the PMUA scam, and purportedly conducting an audit, we never heard the bugle over the horizon.
There is little reason to believe that the current events, with regard to the conspicuous hijacking of the City property, will result in any response. This time the cavalry may have been ambushed by Presidential ambitions, Bridge-gate, or battles with the teachers unions? I don't know. We are left to our own devices. And the only, and by far most effective device, is to vote the present team out. I heard that there are 900 defaulted properties in Plainfield. As the tax rate increases the housing prices diminish, and all properties become harder to sell. This is not sustainable. There is a "tipping point " which we are rapidly approaching.
Bill Kruse
Bill Kruse
Sad to say there seems to be no distinction between Democrats and Republicans in Trenton when it comes to rooting out corrupt local government unless there is an immediate political gain. Status quo is the catch phrase of NJ politics.
DeleteI'm not sure if I can tell the difference between Taylor and Robinson-Briggs these days. That is not a compliment to Taylor. Why our corrupt and so-called ex-mayor keeps trying to do Jerry's work is beyond me. She should be ashamed that so many in this city wanted her out and don't trust her. I guess her hold on reality isn't good, but it seems that that grasp on reality is shared by Rivers, Taylor, Reid, and Greaves. I'm not sure about Brown. I'm hoping as a minister her moral proclivities will show at some time, as this whole thing is the most immoral thing I've seen the so-called "stooges" on the City Council have done to date. I won't hold my breath that this is the worst they can do. Hold on, there may be more to come.
ReplyDelete