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Friday, May 31, 2019

Council candidate forum shows comforts and dangers of the form



The City came in for criticism for its (non) response
to Tuesday evening's severe stormy weather.



The well-attended League of Women Voters Council candidate forum at duCret Wednesday evening reminded me of the comforts and dangers of this form.

(The Freeholder forum slated to precede it was a bust, with only two candidates [of nine] showing up, meaning that per LWV rules no forum could be held.)

The comfort comes from both the form itself and the audience.

I refer to the LWV format as the gold-standard of forums for a reason: it is time-tested, fair, and does not allow the forum to be captured by any one of the candidates or their followers (though admittedly the moderator sometimes had to stare down claques that insisted on applauding and cheering their candidate).

As far as the audience goes, immediately I came into the room I felt as if I were at a family reunion. After more than 30 years of attending these events, the number of repeat attendees has always been very high, and people have socialized after the forum -- regardless of which side they were on -- with other attendees as though greeting long lost relatives.

Both those things are good, good for community feeling in a time of division and hopeful for Plainfield's future.

The danger of the form comes in regard to the candidates themselves.

We're a small town really, and pretty much everyone who come out knows several -- if not all -- the candidates.

But, like political figures everywhere, these folks are tempted to have an answer for every question -- sometimes straying out of their depth, sometimes failing to properly frame the discussion, sometimes answering questions that don't deserve answers.

Let me illustrate --


THE (PERPETUAL) YOUTH CENTER "ISSUE"

It seems like the idea of a "youth center" comes up during every election cycle.

It is never well-defined.

Candidates almost to a person respond favorably -- if sometimes vaguely.

No candidate ever asks how much this might cost, where it should be located, or how much it would add to the permanent tax burden to build, maintain, staff and insure such a facility.

No candidate ever asks why the Board of Ed seems to have welched on the "Community Schools" (Washington and Emerson), that are supposed to open their facilities to young people (and others) in the evenings and on weekends.

No candidate ever cites voluntary youth programs that are in existence -- like the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and various church youth groups.

So both the candidates and the voting public are just settling for bromides. What's the point of that?


THE STORM ALERT

In the course of the forum, the fact that the City of Plainfield did not issue a robocall concerning the fast-moving storm alert Tuesday night came up.

Immediately, candidates began criticizing the City.

No one seemed to understand the difference between the National Weather Service wireless alert system which targets cellphones from their regional headquarters which is tasked 24/7 with nothing but weather; and the city's robocall system, which must be activated by a script approved by a City official and then recorded by a staffer before being broadcast.

The storm threat was fast moving and long-gone before the City could have even thought of responding.

None of this was pointed out by candidates who felt under pressure to have an immediate answer to the matter.



UNIONS vs. LOCAL EMPLOYMENT BY DEVELOPERS

During the discussion of development projects, the question came up whether the City should push for local employment or the use of union employees.

My heart warmed to hear candidate Terri Briggs Jones speak up strongly in favor of unions (she is a union member and long-time employee of the Piscataway public schools; I am not aware of union connections among any of the other candidates).

After all, unions brought us the 8-hour day, the invention of the weekend (with the 5-day week), improved pay and better working conditions.

Other candidates pointed to efforts to get developers to agree to hire local employees.

Both responses failed to frame the question in a better way.

When we are talking construction employment, we are NOT talking the kind of union of which Briggs Jones has experience.

Instead, we are talking the construction trades unions, which are still among the most racially segregated unions in the country. Using those unions would be absolutely no guarantee of fair opportunities for minority workers.

Using "local contractors" also misses the mark -- but on the other side. To my knowledge, local contractors do not boast their employees are unionized. In fact, they hold out to developers that they are less expensive because they are not unionized and their pay scales are lower.

When it comes to economic justice for local workers, we need a reframing of the discussion, not a repetition of the same old bromides.

All of this means that voters need to exercise their own judgment carefully as they enter the voting booth on Tuesday to roll the dice for another chapter in the ongoing drama of democracy in the United States.




  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Tuesday, May 28, 2019

City Council candidate forum also on Wednesday


OK, so if the Freeholder forum was arranged by first
name, what is going on here? Your guess is as good
as mine.


In a double-header, the Plainfield League of Women Voters will also host a City Council candidate forum on Wednesday (May 29).

The candidate forum will be held a duCret School of Art, 1030 Central Avenue, starting at 8:00 PM (immediately after the Freeholder candidate forum).

The forum will follow the time-honored LWV format with time for opening and closing remarks by each candidate as well as answering questions posed by the public on cards handed out to the audience.

An experienced League member will moderate the event.

LWV candidate forums have always been the most well-attended of efforts by various groups over the years -- deservedly so, since they are conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

The are five candidates running for two City Council seats: incumbents Cory Storch (Ward 2) and Barry Goode (Wards 1/4 at-large) are facing off against challengers for the Democratic Party line in the November general election.

Storch's opponent is Sean McKenna and Goode faces former Councilwoman Bridget Rivers and Terri Briggs Jones.

duCret is at 1030 Central Avenue in Plainfield. Parking and entrance to the auditorium in the lot all the way at the rear of the school.



  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Monday, May 27, 2019

League of Women Voters Freeholder candidate forum Wednesday


It took me a moment to figure out that the candidates
are listed in first name order.  Incumbents are marked
with an asterisk (*).



The Plainfield League of Women Voters will play host to a candidate forum sponsored by the Union County LWV on Wednesday (May 29).

The candidate forum will be held a duCret Art School, 1030 Central Avenue, from 6:30 - 8:00 PM, and all nine candidates for Freeholder have been invited.

The forum will follow the time-honored LWV format with time for opening and closing remarks by each candidate as well as answering questions posed by the public on cards handed out to the audience.

An experienced League member will moderate the event.

LWV candidate forums have always been the most well-attended of efforts by various groups over the years -- deservedly so, since they are conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

The are three slates of candidates for the three freeholder seats that are up this year: the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County, the People First Democrats, and the Democrats United for Progress.

The three groups are also on the ballot for City Council and city committee seats in Plainfield. However, the forum is only for Freeholder candidates.

duCret School of Art is at 1030 Central Avenue in Plainfield. Parking and entrance to the auditorium in the lot all the way at the rear of the school.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Saturday, May 25, 2019

Despite budget cut, Recreation opens Hannah Atkins Pool Memorial Day weekend


Hannah Atkins Pool opens this weekend.



Despite a budget cut for seasonal employees (read: lifeguards and pool attendants), the Recreation Division was able to open one pool on its regular schedule.

The pool at Hannah Atkins opened Saturday (May 25) and will be open on Sunday (May 26) as well from Noon - 6:00 PM.

It will be open Saturdays (Noon to 7:00 PM) and Sundays (Noon to 6:00 PM) until June 22, after which the regular summer schedule will apply.

The pools at Seidler Field and Rushmore Playground are being prepared for the summer season.

For more information, call Recreation at (908) 753-3097.

Everyone in the pool!



  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Friday, May 24, 2019

1970s Party fundraiser for Councilman Goode Friday

Get out your 70s fashions for a party...







Whether formal (including the Minnie Mouse shoes)...



...Glitzy, as in this 1977 photo of the Jackson 5...




...and let's not forget it was the decade of patterns.





Rummage in your closet and get ready for a 1970s Party this Friday night.

The fundraiser for Councilor Barry Goode, who is the Plainfield Democratic Party's candidate for re-election tow Wards 1/4 at-large, will be held at Plainfield Dem Headquarters, 31 Watchung Avenue from 6:00 to 9:00 PM this Friday (May 24).

The suggested donation is $100 (but come, and give what you can). Checks made payable to "Goode for Council".

Dem Headquarters is at 31 Watchung Avenue (next to Antojito's Restaurant). Parking behind headquarters and in the public lot adjacent or on the street.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Sunday, May 19, 2019

Signs of the times: 2019 Primary Election campaign signs are springing up


Busy billboard for a busy corner. You probably can't take
it all in in one pass -- Council, City Committee,
Freeholder, Assembly and more.



With Plainfield's June Primary Election just two weeks away (June 4), I thought to take a look at the sign situation.

As everyone knows, signs don't vote, but still they are a rough indicator of interest in the upcoming election.

Here's what I turned up --











There is a fair sprinkling of signs for the re-election of Barry Goode for Wards 1/4 at-large. There were considerably fewer for his challenger, Terri Briggs Jones -- and I didn't see any for former Council President Bridget Rivers (I will take another look).

In Ward 2, Councilor Cory Storch has a considerable numbers of signs along busy streets (like Watchung and Leland Avenues), but also on the side streets.

While there are fewer signs for challenger Sean McKenna, they are spread out -- indicating he is doing his door-to-door work. I have to say he has shied away from the standard advice of bold sign colors for a very subdued palette. Off the beaten path, so to speak.












The county races -- dominated by the Freeholders -- only saw signs pop up this weekend, though the challenger's signs that I saw have been in place for more than a week.

I don't think Freeholder Rebecca Williams and her running mates -- Betty Jane Kowalski and Sergio Granados -- have anything to fear.

However, the Dems United for Progress slate (which includes Plainfield's own Wilma Campbell -- who switched parties for this race) appears to be coordinated with the People First slate of Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, who declined the regular party's line.

The buzz is that the Dems United are a proxy for Sen. Joe Cryan in the ongoing struggle with Sen. Nick Scutari for dominance in Union County Democratic politics.

Mayor Mapp, as chairman of the PDCC, sprang for the billboard above the Plainfield Donut Shop, paid for by his "Mapp for Mayor" account. The billboard makes a prominent pitch for his re-election as PDCC chair along with the cast of candidates. It is a bit busy to take in all on one pass by, so you will need to make a couple of passes -- or park and take a photo as I did.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Friday, May 17, 2019

The robots are coming! The robots are coming!


"Marty" the robot, hard at work at the Stop & Shop.



Another geezer and I happened to walk together into the Stop & Shop at Watchung Square a few days ago.

We exchanged pleasantries on the way in, where I picked up a package and was perusing the label (haven't we ALL become label readers?) and he stopped to look at the fruit specials at the table near the entrance.

Deeply engrossed in my label-reading, I became aware of a clicking sound. The other gent and I looked up at the same time -- and were surprised to see a the robot pictured above creeping along near us. The clicking sound had come from the robot. It's name is "Marty".

He had seen "Marty" before, I had not.

"Marty" clicks and whirs, then advances a short distance, stops, clicks and whirs again, then advances in a slightly different direction a little bit more.

When it gets a certain distance from a bin or a customer or a shelf, it corrects itself and starts off in a slightly different direction.

Eventually, "Marty" covers the entire store. But what is "he" looking for?

There is a small label affixed to "his" front that says he is for customer safety, but it took a clerk to explain to me that "he" is supposed to spot spills and the occasionally dropped box or other item in the aisles.

"Marty" never gets tired, never gets distracted and does not need a bathroom break -- ever.

Smart idea?

Does this mean anyone has lost a job?

I don't know, but when I mentioned "Marty" to the cashier on the way out, she rolled her eyes and said, "What a pain!"

Her complaint was that "Marty" is programmed to be too sensitive and blasts "his" news and the location out over the public PA system whenever something is spotted, which in her opinion is entirely too often.

"They need to dial 'it' back", she said, banging the register shut.

As I left, "Marty" was just starting down another aisle, weaving between shoppers' carts and the shelves. The future is upon us.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Soup kitchen starts up again at Crescent Avenue Church


Volunteers set up the serving line under the
supervision of Executive Chef Kevin Cook ...


... and stand ready to greet the guests.


With a the completion of a kitchen renovation at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, the church's soup kitchen ministry has restarted, with meals served every Tuesday.

Named Valarie's Kitchen in honor of the late Valarie Fisher, who encouraged its beginnings, the kitchen is the result of a successful $300,000 fundraising effort and involves the complete renovation of the original 80-year-old kitchen and installation of new state-of-the-art equipment.

Valarie (who incidentally was also the first director of Grace's Kitchen at Grace Episcopal Church) -- after realizing that the church's kitchen was functioning while many members' homes were without power -- encouraged the congregation to open its doors and bring together those who had food that would otherwise spoil to cook and serve it to the hungry.

The program grew through word of mouth until there were volunteers from the church and the community at large who prepared lunches for as many as 250 guests each week.

Volunteers serve under the supervision of Executive Chef Kevin Cook. Cook is a seasoned executive chef with more than ten years experience in such fine dining establishments as the Somerset Hills Hotel in Somerset and the Lake Edge Restaurant in Watchung.

The reopening of the kitchen with expanded services is just one of many initiatives that Crescent Avenue Presbyterian has planned for the celebration of its 175th anniversary in 2019. Volunteers -- either individuals or groups -- are welcome.  For more information, calling the church at (908) 756-2468 or visit the church’s web site here.



  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Monday, May 13, 2019

Council takes up a PILOT of a different kind Monday


The Allen Young Apartments on Central Avenue
(across from the Fire Station) are on the agenda.





Monday's Plainfield City Council business meeting will take up a PILOT of a different kind.

PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) is a familiar tool of projects promoted as "economic development". Think of the current large-scale apartment project on South Avenue.

They are advantageous to the developers (which after all are in the business of making a profit) because the payments are based on a formula (in the case of a residential project, on the rents) that never rises to the level of full tax rates because the school district and the county assessments are excluded.

This is fine for the City of Plainfield as far as covering its expenses, but not so much for the schools and the county. However, everyone has become accustomed to living with the arrangement. (Though an individual property owner might wonder if he or she is being soaked for the difference -- after all, the school and county budgets must be made up no matter who is let off the hook.)

Monday's PILOT, though, is of a different stripe.

The State of New Jersey allows as how affordable housing is a desirable thing and provides for a particular kind of tax abatement for providers of such housing.

The Council will take up an ordinance (MC 2019-12) for a PILOT covering the Allen Young Apartments, which has two locations: Central Avenue at West 4th Street, and Myrtle Avenue at Clinton Avenue, with a total of 104 qualifying units (plus 3 at market rate, for a total of 107 units).

Apartments vary from 1- and 2-bedroom units on the same floor, to 3- and 4-bedroom duplex (2 floor) units.

The documentation with the agenda shows that the new owner, IC Development Urban Renewal, LLC, replaces the original owner/developer of the project, United Plainfield Housing Corporation (UPHC), which obtained the original PILOT in 1973.

The UPHC is the outgrowth of the Plainfield NAACP Branch's housing committee, chaired by Freeman Whetstone in the mid-1960s. (See the UPHC website here.)

(This matter does not reference the sale or sale price by the original owner/developer, nor the sale date, nor what use UPHC is making of the proceeds.)

THE IMPROVEMENTS

The PILOT is predicated on improvements the new owner will make to the properties.




Outlining the improvements (click to enlarge).
Full details are in the online documentation.


Given the developing scandal with the State's tax incentive program involving Camden projects -- where an investigation is finding lax (or non-existent) followup by the State on performance of the promises made -- it is incumbent on the City to follow up on this developer's promises.

I say this because in the most recent other affordable housing PILOT -- at Liberty Village on West 4th Street in 2014 -- among the promises made were to be replacement of the sidewalks and renovation of the community center, all to be performed within 24 months of taking ownership.

To this date, I have never seen any work done on the sidewalks, and only just recently have I noticed new siding being put on the community center. We are now at five years after the adoption of the PILOT.

At the time, the PILOT created quite a stir when there were allegations that $1.5M set aside for improvements by the previous management (the Plainfield Housing Authority) had mysteriously disappeared, and that promised improvements had never been made. I wrote about those discussions and the allegations surrounding it in several posts you can find here.



'FIRST SOURCE' EMPLOYMENT






'Good faith' effort to use local contractors and businesses.
Full details are in the online documentation.



On its face, this looks good enough. The management team is supposed to stay in place -- I assume that UPHC will then still manage the property.

Will the improvements be done by Plainfield businesses and contractors? "Good faith" is not a firm guarantee of any kind. What do you think?



PILOT PAYMENTS




The payment schedule is itself an incentive
to perpetual rollovers.

For those who are curious, the schedule of payments shows why for-profit businesses like to engage in these projects. For the first 15 of the 20 years of the PILOT, only the PILOT is paid. In the last 5 years, the owner liability rises rapidly to a maximum of 80% of the fully taxable rate -- providing a built-in incentive to repeat the process at the end of the PILOT's lifespan. By which time all of the current players (and many of us) will no longer be on the scene.

Doing well by doing good? I suppose it depends on whom you ask.


City Council meets at 7:00 PM May 13 in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

NOTE: I have seen officers in patrol vehicles allow Council attendees to turn onto 4th Street in front of Police Headquarters to enter the public parking. Exiting is no problem. Be cautious.






  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Sunday, May 12, 2019

Monday's Council business meeting has a new item


Cotton candy being spun the old-fashioned way
at a Plainfield festival.



Plainfield City Council business meetings agendas normally do not differ from the agenda of the previous week's deliberation session.

But not always.

Monday night (May 13) will be a case in point, where the Council will take up a new item (R 198-19), granting use of Lots 8 and 8A for a multicultural festival.

Edison Garcia, owner of Faraone's and sponsor of several past Latin American Independence festivals is requesting use of the lots for a "multicultural festival" on July 12 - 14th.

In the case of new business, the Council must entertain a motion to put the item(s) on the agenda, and if that passes, to then discuss and vote on the item.

City Council meets at 7:00 PM May 13 in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

NOTE: I have seen officers in patrol vehicles allow Council attendees to turn onto 4th Street in front of Police Headquarters to enter the public parking. Exiting is no problem. Be cautious.






  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Friday, May 10, 2019

John Grady talk on Plainfield history at the Library Saturday


The cover of John's book, with historic illustrations.


John Grady on the steps of his former home at Arlington
Avenue and West 9th Street.



Former longtime Plainfield resident and expert on Plainfield history and architecture John Grady will give a presentation at the Plainfield Public Library on Saturday afternoon (May 11) from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

John will illustrate his talk with photos and postcards from his voluminous collection. The presentation will be in the Anne Louise Davis Meeting Room on the ground floor.

At the same time, the Library has mounted an exhibit of photos, postcards and other ephemera from John's extensive collection that he donated to the Library on moving to Williamsburg, Virginia a decade ago.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn a great deal about Plainfield's past (and John has many funny anecdotes as well) and get to visit with someone who is an old friend to many of us.

The event is part of the City of Plainfield's 150th Anniversary celebration and is free to the public.

The Plainfield Public Library is at Park Avenue and West 8th Street. The library is an accessible facility. Parking available in the 8th and 9th Street lots and on the street. The library is open for this event only; the main library will NOT be open.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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A perfectly Plainfield Mother's Day treat


Rendering of the restored showcase house on Hillside Avenue.
Inset is Grace, after whom the showcase is named.



Why not celebrate Mother's Day this weekend with a visit to Grace's House, the showcase fundraiser for the Valerie Fund, which helps children with cancer get medical treatment as near their home as possible.

The showcase is a restoration of an 1870 mansion on Hillside Avenue that has been in disrepair ever since a tree was blown into its roof during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Abandoned, neglected, and in danger of falling into ruin, the house was rescued by custom builder Dan Reichard of Berkeley Heights, who, along with investors bought the house at auction last year with a mind to fix it up and flip it.

Then Reichard had another thought at a walk/run fundraiser sponsored by the  Valerie Fund. His granddaughter Grace was successfully treated for a brain tumor at The Valerie Fund Children's Center at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark in 2018.

His thought was not only to restore the mansion (many of whose details were intact) but to turn it into a designer showcase as a fundraiser for the Valerie Fund.

With buy-in from his investors and the Fund, Reichard has turned the 20-room mansion (8 bedrooms and 6 baths) on a 2-acre setting into a showcase for the best interior designers of the metro area (for a complete list of the designers and their rooms, see the TAPinto story here).

There will be special opportunities for this Mother's Day weekend --



SATURDAY -- BRUNCH WITH GRACE AND TOUR

[Sorry, the brunch has been cancelled.]


TOUR AND TEA AT THE SHOWCASE

This Saturday and Sunday, visitors can also enjoy both a tour of the showcase and a splendid 3-tier English high tea in the garden of the two-acre estate. Tickets for the tea are $30/person (in addition to the tour). Reserve your table by calling (908) 591-2900.
The Grace's House showcase is at 950 Hillside Avenue. Tickets are $35 at the door. The showcase will also be open for tours next Thursday and Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and next Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The showcase ends on Sunday, May 19.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Monday, May 6, 2019

A retro fashion statement at Grace on Sunday?



Newly baptized Xavier Ian Javon Cooper, in the arms
of Mother Joyce Scheyer, being welcomed by his new
church family.



Xavier, in his christening gown, with his mother
Celeste and his grandparents Denise
and Michael Simmons before the high altar.
(Thank you Denise, for the better snap.)





We had a baptism at Grace Church on Sunday.

Xavier Ian Javon Cooper was welcomed into the family of God by the congregation of Grace Church and his family.

Xavier is the son of Celeste Simmons and her husband Michael Cooper. Celeste is the daughter of my longtime church friends Denise and Michael Simmons.

For the baptism itself, Xavier and his family processed from the front rows of pews to the baptismal font which is situated near the church's entrance, following the lead of the Mother Joyce Scheyer and Deacon Ted Moore, while the congregation sang "Amazing Grace".

I was struck as the procession passed by my pew and I noticed that Xavier was literally gowned in a christening gown.

I had not seen one in dogs years -- a full length gown, much longer than his tiny body, snowy white, and never to be worn again.

A very old-fashioned custom, I said to myself.

Thinking to chastise myself for letting my mind wander (as it seems to do so often) at this solemn moment, I was reminded why white is worn at all at baptism.

It is actually an ancient custom.

Those desiring baptism prepared (sometimes for up to two years) before the great Easter Vigil at which the catechumens were finally baptized and partook of their very first Eucharist. (In the Orthodox tradition, infants are given their first communion immediately after being baptized, with a bit of the wine and bread offered on a spoon.)

These baptized men and women were clothed in white robes. The christening gown in some respects recalls this ancient tradition.

Anglicans were never big fans of the idea of baptism being reserved for adults only, always practicing -- along with the vast majority of Christian churches -- infant baptism.

In infant baptism, the congregation and the parents and godparents pledge solemn vows (on behalf of the child) of renunciation of the Devil and his ways, fidelity to the church and its life, promising to raise the child in the family of faith, and reaffirming the earliest creed of the church (the Apostles Creed).

Something amazing to behold in a society like ours (so consumed with stuff and the here and now) -- to be "joining with the company of heaven" in celebrating an event of incorporation into a union with those of every age and every place who have gone before.

Church is the place where heaven and earth meet. Every Sunday.




  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Sunday, May 5, 2019

Citizens Budget Advisory Committee reports to Council on Monday


The Mapp administration has proposed cuts
in the CY2019 budget.


The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee -- appointed by members of the City Council -- will present its report to the Plainfield City Council at Monday's agenda-setting session.

The City Council has finished its budget review session with each of the City's departments.

Council members now are reviewing the proposed budget and making their individual recommendations.

These, together with any recommendations by the CBAC, will be taken into account as the Council comes to its final determination on the City budget for CY2019.

While the Administration is responsible for proposing the budget, it is the Council's sole responsibility to adopt it as proposed (or modify it in any way it sees fit).

This year is more sensitive than most because the Administration has proposed cuts that will diminish City services (especially the Plainfield Public Library and the Division of Parks & Recreation).

The budget is expected to be passed at the Council's business meeting May13.

City Council meets at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

NOTE: I have seen officers in patrol vehicles allow Council attendees to turn onto 4th Street in front of Police Headquarters to enter the public parking. Exiting is no problem. Be cautious.




  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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Friday, May 3, 2019

It's First Friday -- take-out dinner night


Lasagna is among the tasty options tonight.




So, would it be nice not to have to cook tonight?

The Women of Grace Church are at it again. This month with a new item in their tasty and convenient takeout menu.

Here's the May menu --


  • Stewed chicken with peas and rice, or

  • Beef Lasagna with salad, or

  • Vegetarian Curry (chick peas, potatoes and pumpkin) with white rice
All meals include homemade corn bread and a choice of cola, ginger ale or bottled water.

Dinners are $10 each and you may order as many as you like.

Lemon Cake is also available for $3 per slice.

Orders may be placed by email up until NOON to karen@graceplainfeld.org (clicking on the link will open a pre-addressed email). You can take a chance and just drop by, but there is no guarantee you will get a dinner if not reserved.

Simply indicate your choices in your email, time you would like to pick up and submit your order by Noon today (April 5).

Be sure to include a phone number in case there are questions.

Payment is by cash only.

You can pick up your meals between 6:30 and 8:00 PM.

Grace Episcopal Church is at Cleveland Avenue and East 7th Street and the entrance to pick up is near 6th Street on the Cleveland Avenue side. There should be plenty of parking on the street.

If you enjoy the tasty meal and convenience, mark your calendar. This is a monthly event on the first Friday of each month.

Come on out and treat yourself and your family. You'll be glad you did!






  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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