Counting down toward 2009, Plainfield Today will be posting the top 10 stories of '08 that readers have found of interest, measured by number of views.
Today, Number 5, from March 20: Jerry's Troubling Trifecta: Muhlenberg, Abbott, Santiago.
"Jerry's troubling trifecta: Muhlenberg, Abbott, Santiago"
A real king's job is to be in charge.
And at first glance, Plainfield's Assemblyman Jerry Green appears very much in charge indeed.
Wednesday evening, the Plainfield City Council delivered him his much-sought-after elimination of the 139-year-old Police Chief position. This caps a trifecta which includes Muhlenberg hospital and the Abbott schools funding in which the Assemblyman has portrayed himself as a beneficent influence.
But if the king's in charge, why are things so troubling?
MUHLENBERGSo the king stands at the absolute peak of his triumph, and yet there is trouble all around.
In the case of Muhlenberg, the Assemblyman was delighted to take credit for getting the hospital millions in state funding last year. Unfortunately, the mojo wasn't enough to forestall the crisis everyone saw coming.
When Solaris Health Systems announced late last year it was putting Muhlenberg on the block, what did the Assemblyman do? Wait. A task force, which might have been appropriate and helpful AT THAT TIME, never came up until Jerry learned Solaris was going to pull the plug on Muhlenberg.
Now, the Assemblyman is playing a two-sided game: Urging those who want to see Muhlenberg remain open as an acute-care facility to roll over and play dead, and at the same time trying to portray himself as the champion of their interests by inserting himself into their planning and activities.
You can see why he wants to -- after all, an aroused public might just get away from him, and that could be trouble.
ABBOTT FUNDING
A couple of weeks ago, Jerry appeared before the Board of Ed to remark that if he had known that his vote for Corzine's new school funding formula would mean putting the Plainfield BOE behind a $5M shortfall, he wouldn't have done it. (I posted a link to the video of his comments at the Statehouse which show him in a different light -- see here and more here.)
One has to wonder whether Jerry knew about the bombshell the Corzine administration was to drop when it went before the Supreme Court this week and asked it to essentially gut the Abbott v. Burke ruling by declaring the new funding formula constitutional.
That would mean putting Plainfield taxpayers on the hook for 33% of the local school budget -- more than tripling the local obligation. Out of local taxpayers' hides.
So, was Jerry not thinking of your tax bill ... or just not free to vote for Plainfield interests over those to whom he owes so much (literally and figuratively) for making him king of the hill in Plainfield?
ELIMINATING THE POLICE CHIEF
From the first days of the Green/Robinson-Briggs administration, they have had the axe out for Ed Santiago, personally. Jerry has made no secret of wanting EVERYONE to be a 'team player' -- to the point of making comments about Councilors' body language to the press when he didn't like the way a vote went.
But this is what being king means, right? The power of life and death over one's subjects -- in our day and age, the power of taking one's job away, and of not returning one's phone calls. (At least we haven't gotten to the old Soviet loose-leaf encyclopedia idea, where someone's page can just be removed and they are obliterated. Or have we?)
So now, at Jerry's bidding, a existed since Plainfield was a city -- 139 years -- is thrown into the dustbin of history. For what? So the pols can control the Police Division's hirings, promotions and assignments? You should rest better at night knowing this?
Santiago and the police chiefs have said they are not giving up without a fight. The city is going to have to prove the handling of the matter was fair and untainted by politics. And that is going to cost the taxpayers for defending the elimination of the position. Plus whatever is down the line.
The assertion by Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson that those in the community who think the removal of Santiago is a personal vendetta are both WRONG and IN THE MINORITY may yet get its test.
'Uneasy rests the head that wears the crown'.
- No. 10 - Nov. 17: "Plainfield official using vehicle without permission?"
- No. 09 - Oct. 08: "Mayor loses bodyguards: Right move, wrong reason?"
- No. 08 - July 14: "Council discusses troublesome South Avenue zoning changes"
- No. 07 - Jan. 28: "Plainfield rallies for Obama tonight" (plus followups -- the rally, the Primary)
- No. 06 - Apr. 1: "Dan tosses his hat in the ring"
- No. 05 - Mar. 20: "Jerry's troubling trifecta: Muhlenberg, Abbott, Santiago"
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