Taking the organizers at their word, about 40 Plainfield residents showed up at '6:30 PM sharp', only to have to wait twenty minutes for Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to appear so the 'Sleepy Hollow Break-ins' forum could get under way.
While her appearance was definitely more than the 'wave-by' her confidential aide told a reader to expect, the aide was correct in saying the Mayor would have 'nothing substantive' to say.
After organizer Princetta Edwards had welcomed attendees and told them the evening would be about 'safety, prevention and protection', she introduced Mayor Robinson-Briggs.
The Mayor opened her remarks by saying that she had 'just left an important meeting at City Hall, which is ongoing...and I have to go back to that'. (After four years, this one is getting a bit worn, she really should try for a new excuse. -- DD)
Her Honor's first point was to make it clear the event was not a city-sponsored one, which she said had been a matter of confusion with several callers to her office over the past few days.
Then, she lugged out the crime stats board from her State of the City Address and went into her stat shtick.
Her interpretation of reality is like fingernails on a blackboard to those who know THE FACTS, to wit -- 'In 2005, a lot of officers were laid off, and our safety was jeopardized...'
The fact is that though layoffs WERE discussed, and the City Council eventually adopted a plan, the effect was mitigated by retirements and attrition -- exactly the tactics Robinson-Briggs is herself using in the face of unprecedented budget pressures.
Moreover, in Al McWilliams' last year in office, 2005, the Police Division stood at 156 sworn officers -- and even when (and if) the six new recruits sworn in this week (see Courier story here) finally don their badges in six months, the number will still be FIVE FEWER THAN THE McWILLIAMS FORCE LEVEL, a fact which Mayor Robinson-Briggs continually sidesteps.
Nevertheless, Robinson-Briggs perpetually fudges the facts. It's enough to put one in mind of Hitler's and Goebbels' idea of the Große Lüge., or, perhaps more kindly, Daniel Patrick Moynihan's famous quip (see here) that 'everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts'.
Her Honor then turned to podium over to Capt. Anthony Celentano, and sat down at the speakers' table, causing some in the audience to wonder what had become of the urgency of 'getting back to the meeting at City Hall'.
Celentano first went over the history of recent incidents, noting that there had been four break-ins -- one in November and two in December in the Sleepy Hollow area, and one this week on Central Avenue that a quick-thinking contractor had thwarted when he called the cops after seeing a young man walking down the street with what he thought was a TV.
His advice was simple and direct --
ALARMS: If you have an alarm system, use it. Use it every time you go out, even if only for a few minutes. Use it when you are home, if you can isolate portions so you and pets do not set it off.Good advice all.
NEIGHBORS: Know your neighbors. Exchange cell phone numbers and email addresses. Watch out for each other.
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY: If it seems suspicious, it probably is. Do not hesitate to call the police. Celentano gave out several useful non-emergency phone numbers (you would use 9-1-1 in the case of an emergency) --
- 753-3131 -- Duty Desk
- 753-3361 -- Watch Commander
- 753-3043 -- Capt. Celentano's desk
- 753-3017 -- Capt. Selzam's desk
- 753-3047 -- Secretary in case Captains are out
At this point, having allotted an hour for the meeting, I took my leave.
I did trundle by City Hall on the way home from the supermarket to check on the Mayor's 'important meeting' -- there was a gold Cadillac parked in the handicapped space near the steps but no sign of the Mayor's SUV. Must have been a small meeting.
- Courier: "Plainfield welcomes six new officers"
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4 comments:
Dan: yours is a good summary of the salient points. When Celantano took questions, the victim from Charlotte Road spoke (wow, she must have some sophisticated camera system), two Leland Ave residents complained about lack of police attention to the park there, a guy begged for info on "patterns" (there are no patterns, the capt said), I asked again for a cop car to meet trains at Netherwood after dark. By the way, the mayor was there when I left. Pat
I forgot to say: at least one person pleaded for timely information on crime all over the city. Netherwood Neighbors has made a start on this for their area. FOSH is working on taking this citywide. Please send ideas to fosh@foshnj.com.
Again, Pat
When will the people of Plainfield get tired of our pompous, unimaginative mayor. These are the nicest things I can say, even after a year of trying to work with her honor on the Connolly disaster. I hope people put her on notice that we are watching and we can get rid or her before the next election if she doesn't start earning her salary. She's the absolutely worst mayor I've seen in 25 years. Too bad for Plainfield. I like this city. I wish the mayor did.
Mentioning Hitler & Goebbels in this context is one of the most tasteless entries I have ever seen in your blog. And adding Moynihan's name to the mix sullies his memory. It's beyond snarky--it's shameful!
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