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Monday, June 3, 2013

Putting Sharon's mailer under the loupe

 

Many Plainfielders (but not all) got this mailer from Sharon
Saturday (click to enlarge).


Many Plainfield voters received a mailing piece from Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs in Saturday's mail (though I have heard some folks in the 4th Ward did not get theirs -- maybe today).

Let's put the piece under the jeweler's loupe and take a closer look.

First, the address label side. Here, Sharon lists nine reasons to vote for her. How do they stack up?

  • Continuing the repaving of Plainfield streets...
    ...always start by taking credit for other people's initiatives; the roads program was begun under Mayor McWilliams and pushed by the Council against Sharon's wishes early on.

  • Continuing the delivery of a balanced budget...
    ...is this like 'breathing air'? State law mandates a balanced budget, every year.

  • Providing a Plainfield 'Youth Center'
    ...so, after talking about a Youth Center for 7½ years, just where exactly are we?

  • Investing in our youth, senior citizens and our veterans...
    ...let's see: a Youth Commission that has been dormant since she appointed it; a Senior Center on which Sharon blew $250,000 in decorations; a Veterans Center veterans cannot use.

  • Promoting business initiatives that will assist with growing our local economy...
    ...now just what does this mean? Go ahead, boil it down. Anything there but fluff?

  • Reinvesting Plainfield's money...
    ...Hmmm. Sharon and money... How about putting the City's $78 million in cash in her favorite bank (Investors) without Council approval?

  • Initiating a city-wide debt collection task force...
    ...Why would you need a task force unless you let uncollected fines owed the Municipal Court mushroom to $780,000 and the tax collection rate go to the lowest level in over 20 years?

  • President Obama's immigration plan...
    ...Again, what does she mean? And what exactly does Sharon support about it?

  • Providing '2nd chance' job opportunities for residents - local jobs for local people...
    ...This is coded language for hiring ex-convicts. Praiseworthy, but only the PMUA does it, folks with records need not apply for City jobs. How two-faced!
Now, let's take a look at the other side -- the side with the glamorous photo.



Everyone wants to know who the glamorous woman is
(click to enlarge).

The first thing everyone asks is, who is that glamorous woman? The glamorous woman on the right side of the card is Kim Montford, a PMUA employee who is running for a Democratic Committee seat in the First Ward. No mention of it in the mailer? As usual, everything is all-Sharon, all-the-time.

This is the 'Program' side, with more long-winded repetitions of many of the points from the front side of the mailer, mostly gibberish and buzz words. Here are a few highlights --

SHARED SERVICES: The last 'shared services' agreement Sharon brought to the table involved handing over $50,000 to the Housing Authority with no deliverable to the City. Shouldn't there be BENEFITS as well as costs (or savings) to each side? Not on Planet Sharon.

CITYWIDE BEAUTIFICATION and CODE ENFORCEMENT: Just to cite two examples, check out the Mayor's re-election headquarters which defies the municipal code by completely covering its windows. (Not only that, the reflective Mylar on the door has been covered with flyers to keep prying eyes from seeing in.) And in her walk-around this weekend, Sharon posted to her FaceBook page a picture of herself grinning with the owner of a new furniture store on Front Street whose merchandise is piled (against code) on the sidewalk (see my separate post).

YOUTH ISSUES -- INCLUDING A JOB FAIR AND SKATEBOARD PARK: Summer is upon us and Sharon is just talking about jobs for kids? Meanwhile, the Rec Division is desparate for lifeguards for the three city pools, which last year had to operate on reduced hours because of personnel shortages. As for a skateboard park, no skateboarders have been consulted about the proposed location across from the Police Station. Does Sharon know how to connect any dots?

INCREASING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Where were you during and after SuperStorm Sandy? And where do you think Mayor Sharon was? She swore she took a bullhorn and went through the neighborhoods, but residents from across the City booed that idea at a Council meeting where person after person came to the mike to report Sharon hadn't been seen in their neighborhood.

EMPLOYMENT TRANSPORTATION PLAN: This sounds  suspiciously like the scam that resident Alan Goldstein uncovered with The Incubator which was meant to deliver low-wage workers from Plainfield to big-box warehouses along the Route 1 corridor. Hmmm...

I will have to give a shoutout to Sharon for her tagline: 'Support people who ALWAYS support you'.

This time around the person to support who always supports YOU is ADRIAN MAPP.

Vote tomorrow for ADRIAN and the Democrats in Column B.

Let's get Plainfield on the road to recovery!





-- Dan Damon [follow]

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8 comments:

Rob said...

you know... as always you and the other New Dems have such a HUGE HUGE HUGE issue with Jerry and Sharon except when it comes to crunch time...
Put the magic letter "D" in front of Sharon's name... and you're jumping off the first cliff she points to.
It's been such a pleasure not commenting on your blog until this point.
Your hypocrisy is at least as entertaining as your blog can be at times.
You've gotten exactly what you wished for with your narrow minded blind party support... You, Adrian Mapp and Cory Storch.. all of you.
Enjoy your primary win tomorrow and pat yourselves on the back as the Plainfield version of Log Cabin Republicans.
As per the PMUA...well... we've seen such a bang up job the "Democrats" have done at riding the white horse into Plainfield to remedy the situation haven't we.
Maybe the bully Chris Christie will come in and clean it for the Democrats. But... that's a lot of trees to be shaking isn't it? Even for a bully.

Anonymous said...

Rob, I am not sure of your point. But what I am noticing is that what you are writing contains nothing of substance - just accusations.

You may not be aware of this but Adrian Mapp, as well as all "New Dems" have a D in front of their names.

The idea is to move Plainfield forward, open this city up for business and move forward.

It appears that you and others have already concluded that Mapp cannot do that. However, many people voted Sharon in for a second term when she proved that she had done nothing for Plainfield.

It's not the party, it's trying to get people in office who will try to help Plainfield. Does that include you, or do you only complain?

Bob said...

Rob,

Get over yourself and your hang-up with New Dems. We are just a club working for more transparent and responsible government, which Sharon has not given us in over 7 1/2 years. I believe you are the hypocrite, not us. I don't want Sharon for another four years, but it sounds like you do. Good luck with that.

Bob Bolmer

Anonymous said...

Where's Barbara James? She's running for Democratic City Committee, too. Did they throw her under the bus again?

Anonymous said...

Kim has obviously allowed herself to be used. I got one of the flyers in the second ward. What does she have to do with us unless she is starting her name recognition to be the next mayor. Hmm, allows herself to be used... Not a good start for that. Also the mayor wants to help the youth except the ones of Queen City Baseball. They were forced to play in the welcoming Dunellen and North Plainfield for their regular season because they couldn't get or wouldn't be given a permit for Rock Avenue where their parents pay taxes for. But luckily they are still playing ball. Wonder how Rec's team is doing. Went by Rock Avenue this past beautiful Saturday and no sign of any baseball playing. Is their season done already or did they not have enough kids to play. No baseball on a beautiful Saturday was unheard of back in the day.

Karen Glencamp-Daniel said...

She is talking about the youth while she continues to bully Plainfield's non-profit youth baseball organization "Queen City Baseball League." They can't even play in their own town due to her lack of common sense.

Rob said...

Oh Bob... would this be the New Democrats who like to speak ill of Jerry Green and wish him gone when speaking one on one and then actively tell you to vote for him on Election and Primary Day ??
Log Cabin Republicans... I voted for Adrian Mapp. I NEVER voted for Sharon.
You however my dear Bob have proven repeatedly that not only did you vote for Sharon because she had the "D" in front of her name as did many like you.. including some of those Blog holders who sooooo easily speak ill of her, all because they were told to.
Hypocrite ?? Oh Bob... that moniker as well as do nothing ( recall Sharon ring a bell Bob ??? ) are ones you've worn so well and aren't likely to shirk anytime soon.
So take your hypocrisy along with the others who like to speak ill of Sharon yet chew on the mouthful of fat that you voted for her, repeatedly because you were a good lemur and look in the mirror.
You and your kind brought her here.
So you have no one to blame for her..BUT YOU.
Congratulations in advance to Adrina, hopefully he'll see past a woman's right to choose and national gun control to steer Plainfield out of the blind party ideology that got it where it is.

Rob said...

and Bob.. I spoke out against her before the first primary she was in... SO EAT THAT. Your track record?
I'm speaking of the one after you voted for her the first time in the primary and the election.