RANDOM BLOG

Wednesday January 6th for all practical pu4rposes never happened. At least in this domicile after 8 am for the next 12 hours good intentions gave way to repeated visits from Morpheus.

I was attempting to makes some sense or understand what deal had occurred before the Election of Cory Storch as Council President. This was not the rumored deal that I had expected.

Could the unusual nonattendance off Jerry have any connection with Gloria’s turncoat vote? Or, was it just an acknowledgement of his true interest in Plainfield since the two Councilors being sworn in where not his handpicked candidates?

What Gloria’s future may be could be one of the peculiarities of the Mapp administration including some of his appointments or proposed structural changes.

Never the less local happenings are insignificant when one considerers our weather which is beyond human control. Or, the long term potential catastrophic effects of the escalating conflict between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.

This latest explosion between the two bitter factions of Islam; one led by power hungry Iran and the other by the Monarchy of Saudi Arabia was fueled by the Tehran Iranians attacking Saudi Arabia’s embassy and the later reports of the Saudi’ air force bombing the Iran Embassy in Yemen.

The excuse of the Shiite mob was the execution of VAl-Nimr, a Saudi and beloved cleric among Shiite Muslims who made his mark during the Arab Spring protests, was among 47 people executed Saturday by Sunni-led Saudi Arabia. Most of those killed were Sunnis linked to al-Qaeda attacks in the kingdom, The Saudis say al-Nimr, one of the four Shiites who were executed, was being encouraged by Iran to foment unrest. The Saudis claimed that al-Nimr, one of the four Shiites who were executed, was being encouraged by Iran to foment unrest.

Overshadowing even that is rouge North Korea testing a Hydrogen bomb.

That repressive government which seems to have no respect or fear of the rest of the world represents a greater world danger than an aggressive Iran.

NO POSTING

Blank until Thursday.

TUESDAY JAN. 5

No, I did not go to the Council meeting and I could only comment on 2nd hand information that there was friction among the gang of four and sour grapes helped elect a voice of reason although too often in the minority as Council President. I am sure that this year will run smoothly. Congratulations Corey, a well deserved honor.
The first working day of 2016 did start off by getting out of its bed on the wrong side with a 20+ degree drop in the weather. Then the stock market opened with over a 300 point loss and closed down 260 points. The experts claim this was due to worry about a collapse of China’s artificial economy because of work slowdowns.

Those here who will be hurt are retirees on fixed income and workers whose jobs become endangere4d due to plant closures. Excessive debt is always a dangerous position; one which our politicians seem 0to ignore.

Although there seems to have been a recovery from the 2008 financial collapse it has been in the most part artificial with many good jobs been exported overseas, and corporations locating their home office in foreign countries to cut their tax liabilities.

We too have been under a false boom with artificial zero prime interest rate. Our increase in economic dollar figures and values has been by inflation which has decreased the “work cost” value of the dollar resulting in higher costs. This is continued by mandatory increases in minimal wage levels, mandatory benefits programs including health insurance.

The collapse in the fuel energy boom can become the catalyst for another major economic downturn. Lots of jobs are at risk if fossil fuels are restricted to be replaced by more expensive a not as efficient green sources. Be3tter yet if efforts had been made to make the use of coal, gas and oil less polluting plus safer nuclear plants.

Stimulus has been an overall failure where corporations have received money and not applied it to increase productivity and jobs. Our infrastructure is failing and becoming too costly to repair. An example is the Hudson River tunnels. Roads and bridges could have been productively replaced by the WPA and PWA programs that helped combat the great depression, but the politicians and lobbyists saw a great opportunity to benefit a few.

Meanwhile the Arab east is reaching to a climatic conflict between Iran and its puppets with Saudi Arabia. This is both one of power and religious orientation. The impact will be on all of us.

FIRST COUNCIL MEETING 2016

7 pm Monday night 1/4/16 is the time for this years Council reorganization meeting at the Court Room.

Most of the functioning will be devoted to the swearing in of Cory Storch for his 4th 4 year term as 2nd Ward Councilman and  Barry Goode succeeding Vera Greaves as  the 1/4 Councilor.

The change in political allegiance representation will not change the  majority except when only a rump quorum is present

The business session  is mostly routine stuff some of which will be  passed and forgotten when the Council gets down to its duties. Most important are appointments to Boards and  Authorities, some  of which have been unfilled  in the past.

There is one notable change in the annual appointments since Carl L. Marshall, Esq. has been nominated to replace perennial chief municipal court judge Joan Robinson Gross.

The election of Council President for 2016 is without doubt the  most important action the Council will take. Since the JG adherents still have a  4:3  majority they will be  able to select that official.  Unless there has been a compromise the choice most likely  may be between Rivers for a third term or GHM Gloria Taylor. The Council's years will be dependent on the selection of that official.

The other Council Office to be filled is Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole, a position which Councilor Brown has filled the` past year sans the commentaries of her predecessor. 

During the public comment session will anyone question the BOE 's changing its election date? 

 

THOSE BOE ELECTIONS

On Friday Bernice posted on her blog the results of Board of Education elections from 2005 through 2015. The results speak for themselves as justification for the unpublicized vote to shift the date back to April from the   present holding the elections at the same time as the November General elections.

Between 2005 and 2011 before the shift to November with only a rare exceptions the winning candidate(s) received less than 1000 votes.

Using Bernice’s  reports on elections results and dividing the total votes by the number of slots to be filled knowing that not all vacancies were voted for by some doing power voting we can  get the number of voters before  and after the change:

2005-----3234------- 12 candidates for 2 positions.

2006-----1445

2007-----1025

2008------905

2009-----1483

2010-----2608--------The year of the “Grand Slam”

2011-----1533

2012-----4822--------Presidential election

2013-----3209

2014-----4578

2015-----2192------- off year election, little interest only one slate plus one extra.

These numbers are very suggestive of why an entrenched group wants to change the election date.

When the elections are at the time of the General election almost double the number or more of voters participate. In this   Presidential year the turnout will be greater and the chances of the ln power group not electing its candidates to this powerful board is great.

Although the theory of the elected board is supposed to be nonpolitical experience has shown that these elections as do other so called a political election tend to create power groups that run slates thus defeating the concept.

Since there is a question about the morality if not the legality in which the Board adopted the vote to revert the election date to April  There should be enough public outcry to cause the Board to reconsider its decision. Is it possible that an injunction can be  obtained to prevent this change? Perhaps our Corporation Counsel can answer this.