Freeholder Election, Dept. of Dirty Tricks?

Plainfield's Freeholder Adrian Mapp has it tough enough without the apparent dirty trick on the Ledger forums.

It was truly revealing to hike down to Elizabeth recently for a Freeholder meeting.

Freeholder Mapp has been placed at one end of the dais -- it might as well be another room, or Siberia for that matter.

(Aside: Is it an accident that the Freeholder Board's other Black member, Chester Holmes, is seated at the other end of the dais? Are the political powers-that-be in Union County saying that Blacks don't belong front and center?)

The entire meeting was conducted as if Freeholder Mapp were invisible, or in some other place.

No eye contact was ever made with him by the chairperson, though she did make eye contact with other Freeholders.

After Freeholder Mapp raised his concerns about the ordinance authorizing the UCIA to issue $7m in bonds for a project by BUF in Plainfield, Freeholder Dan Sullivan begged to differ.

Even though he sat right next to Freeholder Mapp, Sullivan never once turned so much as an inch in Mapp's direction, addressing his remarks as though referring to an absent person.

Quite revealing, all this body language stuff.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Mapp has run afoul of the County Democratic Committee, and has been forced to run as an independent, allied with several other independents in this fall's races.

Given voting patterns in Union County, these independents have a tough row to hoe.

So why are dirty tricks necessary?

Who knows, but that's what I think is happening.

A post a few days ago on the Ledger's Union County forum by holyguy put out disinformation concerning Mapp's run for Freeholder --

1689. Freeholder Adrian Mapp
by holyguy, 10/3/07 12:26 ET
Mr Mapp who has fallen out of grace with the democratic machine that got him elected.Has decided to fold his tent on this Novembers re election bid on the independent ticket. He finds it will be to difficult to run against a ticket that heads Power Broker State Senator Raymond Lesniak in Parts of Union County notably Elizabeth where the senator has served over 30 years and continues to manipulate the local municipal goverment. Mr. Mapp feels if he starts early he will be able to organize enough to take on the current Mayor of Plainfield in the next Mayoral Race. Mr Mapp has been working with Mayor Smith of Roselle to build organitation he has also looked and has been seen looking to the Elizabeth Board of Ed for support as many of those members along with Mayor Smith have no love for the whole Democratic machine in Union county. So this should start to get interesting as reform Dems start to organize against the old Dems who have held a grip on power for so long in Union County. It should make it interesting to say the least.

Freeholder Mapp contacted me to say it isn't so.

He is campaigning hard for the Freeholder post and wants the world to know it.

As for running against Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, that is another election.

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Ledger Forum: "1689. Freeholder Adrian Mapp"
Forum Post Profile: "holyguy"

-- Dan Damon

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