So, while the Green/Robinson-Briggs administration's scheme to get rid of Plainfield Police Chief Ed Santiago by eliminating the position of police chief advances through the legislative process, another consideration comes to light.
After the Courier editorialized Friday on what a poor choice was made in picking Trenton Police Director Joe Santiago (no relation) to make the PR pitch for the switch, I was surprised to note in Saturday's Times of Trenton that the City of Trenton was in court challenging its own residency ordinance, arguing that it is invalid.
You have to read the story to get the Keystone Cops flavor of it all.
You will probably not be amused to note the number of lawyers for whom work is being made here: Mayor Doug Palmer is represented by legal (and Dem) heavyweight Angelo Genova; Joe Santiago has Salvatore Alfano of Bloomfield; Trenton's City Council is repped by Daniel Corrigan of Keyport; and the citizens who sued the city over Santiago's residency in the first place have hired George Dougherty. Money will be made, whether or not justice is served.
In any event, Trenton's mud-wrestling match is over changes made over the years to the city's residency ordinance and whether or not the Mayor -- ipso facto -- has the authority to grant waivers.
With Plainfield's new ordinance contemplating the possibility that a police director would be replaced every four years -- with the change of administrations (will Jerry Green ever be foolish enough again to grant an incumbent TWO terms?) -- the question of residency and whether or not a waiver will ever be needed will surely come back to haunt.
Especially if future City Councils are not as supine as at present.
As I said before, better not to let the genie out of the bottle.
- Editorial, Courier: "Plainfield makes wrong choice in PR effort"
- Times of Trenton: "To keep cop director, Trenton argues its residency law invalid"
-- Dan Damon
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