Famous sign on desk of President Harry S. Truman,
one of America's best CEO's ever.
[Updated with Montclair blog Baristanet's posts at 1:10 PM] The news that Plainfield City Administrator Marc Dashield is leaving to become Montclair's township manager broke yesterday on Montclair's website (see here), with reports in today's Courier (here) and Ledger (here) and Plainfield bloggers Bernice (here) and Olddoc (here) -- though I have to say I hinted at what was coming back in November (here).
Dashield's departure will leave Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs with her hands full. Not only must Dashield be replaced, but she is under orders from the state's Division of Local Government Services to put a certified chief financial officer in place, and the auditor's recommendation discussed at Monday's council meeting highlighted the fact she has not had a certified purchasing agent for several years. This, plus the changes that having a new, non-Democratic governor in Trenton will bring, are certain to make for an even more challenging future for the Queen City's mayor.
Montclair, often referred to as 'The People's Republic of Montclair' for its well-known liberal politics, is a township with a city manager-council form of government under the state's Faulkner Act. This means that as Township Manager, Dashield will become the community's chief executive, or CEO, responsible directly to the Council (of which the Mayor is a member) -- a situation quite different from Plainfield, which has a special city charter with a strong mayor-council form of government.
A press release on the Montclair website's front page says Dashield's --
... achievements include reorganizing [Plainfield's] downtown revitalization efforts and instituting a master plan that incorporates smart growth, transit-oriented development principles which capitalize on its two train stations.The Star-Ledger quotes Montclair mayor Jerry Fried as saying --
... He's a people person ... and it's obvious he knows how to deal with difficult situations with grace and, at the same time, directly...Dashield was one of five finalists presented to Montclair's Council after a search firm screened 44 applications submitted by those interested in the job. Dashield, who never moved to Plainfield, is planning to move to Montclair.
The Courier's Mark Spivey quotes Dashield on his Plainfield experience as saying he will --
... miss working in the Queen City ... "I enjoyed it because there was always something new, different and challenging, ...[t]here was always something going on, always some challenge to deal with, and I think that's what I'll always remember...The Ledger's reporter, seemingly not familiar with the differences between Montclair's and Plainfield's forms of government, says the Plainfield council 'has already begun searching for a new city administrator', which is not the Council's responsibility.
The appointment is the mayor's prerogative, though Robinson-Briggs listens closely to the advice of her political godfather Assemblyman Jerry Green. The Council's role is to give its 'advice and consent', though you can be sure they will want to have face-to-face interviews with potential candidates, something that Robinson-Briggs has previously refused to do, and which the Council has come to rue not having pushed for more insistently (not to mention the taxpayers, who also rue away).
Montclair is a community with high expectations and perhaps even more demanding residents than Plainfield's. While Dashield may find that bracing, he may also find it liberating not to have to turn constantly to a mayor and a mayoral mentor over every jot and tittle.
Marc, we wish you well. Montclair, we also wish you well. Maybe somebody will get back to us to let us know how things are going.
- Courier: "Plainfield administrator accepts new post in Montclair"
- Ledger: "Montclair hires Plainfield administrator as township manager"
- Plainfield Bloggers: "Plaintalker 1" | "Plaintalker 2" | "Doc's Potpourri"
- Website: "Township of Montclair"
- Baristanet (a Montclair blog): "Dashield succeeds Hartnett" | "Dashield trades up"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
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12 comments:
Good for Dashield. he deserves much more money and he is much too good for Plainfield and our petty, pathetic ways.
What will happen to us? We will get someone else's leftover, unwanted, unemployed administrator.
That is what we are good at. Patheticness and pettiness.
Rob
I believe that Marc was far more capable than allowed to be. The political paranoia of the mayor and JG made Marc the whipping post, which Marc did very well.
He suffered insults and the "I'll get back to you" refrain became a joke with his name attached. A shame because all along I felt he had the answer, but having a family to care for, he had to bow to the political pressure in order to support them.
Plainfield will hear about Marc's career in Montclair, and wonder why he didn't do the same superlative job in Plainfield. Plainfield should be asking why we still have Green and Briggs in power. Much success to you, Marc.
Good Lord...time for the state auditors to come in.
I wish them luck with Mr. Dashield. I wasn't impressed with him in Plainfield. He seemed unprepared, too often, and didn't do his homework on the kinds of questions he should have expected from the public and city council. I also wish him good luck and hope the mayor makes a better choice when replacing him, though some of his actions were probably because of our consistently unprepared mayor. Where's our independent audit of City Hall?
Lucky Montclair. Not because they are getting Dashield, but because they have a city manager-council form of government under the state's Faulkner Act.
Montclair listed the smart growth of Plainfield's revitalization efforts as due to Dashield's efforts....has anyone from Montclair ever set foot in Plainfield? it's a good thing for Montclair that their revitalization has already taken place and been successful.
I can't find the info on it but did Dashfield get a relocation package from Plainfield when he was hired? If he did, and had not moved to Plainfield under the terms of his hiring agreement, shouldn't the CIty go after that money in addition to legal fees?
Dashfield's gone, Dashfield's Gone,
Wish the Mayor was her way
Oh would that not be grand
To happen 'fore Christmas Day!
Dashield's departure had more to do with the Council than the Mayor and Jerry. East to put the blame on the Mayor. But then the council starts trying to pull his car, and jerk him around as they did on the IT manager position, one wonders why he did not leave earlier.
Dashield departure is Plainfield's loss. We will wind up with some leftover manager whom no one else wants and the county bosses needs to place.
. . . one down and how many more to go???!!!
Yippee!
I don't think Dashield moving on is a loss for Plainfield. The few times I corresponded with him on issues that concerned me as a citizen of Plainfield, his emails had grammar or spelling errors. That doesn't seem very porfessional or bright.
Perhaps they will go in three's. Williamson next . . . perhaps??? He should go while the going is good.
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