Taking Plainfield to the cleaners?

Irvington is considering an ordinance to limit the numbers of drycleaners and how close they may be to each other.

That news caught PT's eye a week or so ago, and I wondered why a city would go into the business of making laws to limit businesses. How un-American! Then someone pointed out that we don't give a thought to regulating establishments that serve or sell alcohol. So what's the big deal? Follow me down the yellow brick road and see where it takes us.

Turns out the Ledger's Paul Mulshine's eye was also caught by the item. He fired up the old Chevy and took a ride over to Irvington to check it out. He got taken to the cleaners, and you'll want to read his thoughtful piece about what he learned.

One thing PT picked up from the story was how drycleaners and landromats are informal indicators of what is going on in the community. Renters tend to use laundromats as they are less likely to have washers and dryers in apartments and many landlords do not provide laundry rooms.

Dry cleaners, on the other hand, may be thought of (admittedly unscientifically) as indicators more of homeowners than renters.

What's the diff?



Plainfield is almost exactly divided between homeowners and renters. Will the wave of condo construction proposed for Plainfield in a time of market fluctuation upset that balance in an undesirable way?

Condos occupied by taxpaying owners would be a good thing. Not only because of the ratables, but primarily because of the sense of connectedness to the community and its issues that OWNERSHIP implies. After all, owners have an equity stake in the success of the community, the efficiency and honesty of government and a host of other issues that have a long-term impact.

If, however, the construction turns out to be occupied by RENTERS, the outlook is quite different. There is not as likely to be the same sense of connectedness to community outcomes nor involvement in broader community issues.

PT has always been struck by the paradox of the high number of residents in Ward 2, District 1 (roughly the Crescent Avenue neighborhood) and its relatively low turnout rate at the polls. PT chalks it up to the fact that it is overwhelmingly a district of renters, not property owners.

At a recent Chamber of Commerce meeting, the Mayor enthusiastically cited a new laundromat as a sign of business vitality and that Plainfield was on the march. Maybe. PT certainly wishes the laundromat owner success.

But we have to ask ourselves what more laundromats say about where Plainfield is going.

And not be taken to the cleaners.

---

For your reading pleasure: Paul Mulshine: "Columnist taken to the cleaners"


View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/