Campaign notes: Sign thievery, Sharon's split vote, Scott's HQ

'Independent' D. Scott Belin has taken over Sharon's primary headquarters space.

  Though tomorrow's special US Senate election should be on everyone's radar, there are a few other Plainfield campaign updates to share.

The mystery of who will use Sharon Robinson-Briggs' primary campaign headquarters across from City Hall has been solved. On my way to the Plainfield Symphony concert Saturday evening, I saw Scott Belin signs in the window and a few campaign workers gathered around a table inside.

The same flag is in the window that hung there when Sharon used the space, but it looks to be otherwise much more sparsely furnished. Belin's campaign signs are taped to the windows, but you can see inside (which you couldn't when Sharon had herself cocooned there). I had noted back in August that folks were wondering if Belin would get the space (see post here), especially after I spotted Mustapha Muhammad's headquarters at East 2nd Street and Netherwood Avenue.

But if you thought Belin's getting Sharon's old headquarters meant he was getting her endorsement, you would be wrong.

Sharon splits her ticket, sporting GOP Campbell
and Independent Muhammad signs in her yard.

Driving by Robinson-Briggs' mayoral manse on Pemberton Avenue Sunday afternoon, I noticed she had two lawn signs, splitting her ote. One regular-sized sign was in support of independent Mustapha Muhammad. The other, oversized sign was touting the Republican Assembly candidate, young John Campbell. These are the signs that caused a discussion at a recent Planning Board meeting. Large by Plainfield standards, they are still dwarfed by those they ape that are seen in front of South Plainfield homes.

Speaking of signs, Democratic mayoral nominee Adrian Mapp has been noting for weeks that his campaign signs were being uprooted and disappearing -- especially in the First and Fourth Wards.

Monday morning about 6:30 AM, a resident on her way to work spotted a tall Black man in a suit removing a Mapp sign from in front of a house and putting it inside a silver hatchback vehicle.

Wearing a suit to steal campaign signs? Now, who would wear a suit to steal a sign?

Can the tone of Plainfield politics be gentrifying?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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