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Yeah, sure. |
North Plainfield resident and businessman Bob Sarfatty opines it is in a letter in Saturday's Courier (see here), after jumping through hoops with 'the mayor's assistant' (Barbara James?) to get an appointment with Her Honor and still not having any response after six months.
Sarfatty -- who says he owns several rental properties in Plainfield -- contrasts Robinson-Briggs' performance with that of North Plainfield's mayor, who either promptly returns the call or schedules a face-to-face meeting.
This is not the first time I have heard this complaint -- it is even said that Robinson-Briggs does not return County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo's phone calls either, so Mr. Sarfatty should not feel he is being singled out.
Coincidentally, there was a story in Saturday's NY Times about the visit of Lexington, Kentucky's mayor-elect Jim Gray to the Big Apple's Mike Bloomberg.
Both wealthy businessmen, they bring the talents, skills and point-of-view of pragmatic, hands-on management to running a city.
Not a bad thing, but the Times columnist, Joe Nocera, figures that's what they should stick to -- managing enterprises, their strong suit.
If only enterprise management were Robinson-Briggs' strong suit.
Instead, her strong suit seems to be acting as municipal hostess (the smooch scene at the announcement of Municipal Clerk Laddie Wyatt's retirement comes to mind) and decorations coordinator, which I surmised after discovering the Christmas tree on the City Hall lawn is now festooned totally in red (Her Honor's signature color, but also ironically that of one of Plainfield's gangs, the Bloods).
Is it a case of misplaced priorities? Or of having no idea of what is really important or how to get it done?
The Mayor's determination to 'paint the town red' put me in mind of another 'red' city: Bologna, Italy.
Bologna is an ancient city, home to the oldest university in Europe. It is also a manufacturing hub and was the center of the Resistance during World War II. It has been famed for decades for its residents' constantly re-electing Communist candidates as mayors. Partly owing to those officals' attention to constituent issues, Bologna constantly ranks among the top cities in Italy for its quality of life.
In Bologna, 'red' stands for something -- and delivers for its residents.
In Plainfield, all we get is 'red' as the Mayor's decorating choice.
And bologna for the rest.
- Courier: "Mayoral interactions a key to success" -- Letter by North Plainfield resident Bob Sarfatty.
- NY Times: "Why CEOs should stop at City Hall":
-- Dan Damon [follow]
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5 comments:
Red Lights in front of the house? When the red light is on the house is open for prostution. It is a common sigh in some neighborhoods. What happened to having class at city hall ?
Bob should not take this personally. The mayor has no idea what it takes to run the city. She has no managerial skills, no leadership skills and no professional skills. It appears she also has no manners. In polite society, when someone contacts you, it is polite to call them within a reasonable amount of time. I believe the mannerly time frame is 48 hours.
So Bob, consider who we are talking about. Perhaps you can reach out to the council. There are professionals on the City Council who I am sure will at the very least contact you.
The entire town knows you dislike the mayor and that you don't support her, which is your right. However, can you state your opinion without the personal attacks? Wearing the color red or loving the color red is not an indication of her having an affiliation with the gang called the Bloods.
If wearing red or loving the color red now represents that then I suspect any woman who is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a National public service soririty, including Council President McWilliams, has some affiliation with the Bloods, which is not the case!
Mayor Robinson-Briggs is not a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., but red is a color that we proudly wear. We don't believe any one color belongs to any one particular group and therefore should be avoided.
If only Bloods can wear the color red or paint the town red, should we no longer use the color red for Christmas?
I can appreciate your statement about Mayor Robinson-Briggs not returning calls, but what color she wears is trivial and petty! Can you simply fight with the facts and not innuendo?
Your words ring true and it is no wonder the city of Plainfield is in the shape it is in......maybe she can't return phone calls until she clears it with Jerry? Now that is a scary thought.............
Dan..hosting parties can be quite a difficult task..let's give Sharon credit that she is trying to do the hard things first.
I am sure the city will fall into her radar again..sayyyyyyyyyyyyyy around the next election.
And remember, North Plainfield is different, it's a city with people, where they pay the Mayor to work for the good of the people and the city and is expected to act in a fiscally responsible manner ...oh..wait a minute. Never mind
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