Burney's 'transparency with teeth': Would it work? Is there a better way?

Councilor Burney's proposal: A random act of management?

Plainfield Councilor Rashid Burney posted on Wednesday (see here) a longish 'rebuttal' of my recounting of the Council's votes on Monday that failed to overturn the vetoes of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs of two ordinances passed by the Council in August (see my post here).

Let's leave aside the cheap shot that I did not post the ordinances online as Councilor Burney did -- I would have had to OPRA them (7 days wait) after their failure to pass (which was unexpected, given the way the August votes went), whereas Burney is privileged by virtue of his office to get the copies in his packet, from which he is able to scan them at will (no OPRA wait) and post them online, as he did with these on the 15th, the same day as his post.

The ordinances were posted by Councilor Burney (kit0415) on September 15th.

Let's note that I was reporting on the Council's actions, not concocting an alternative to the ordinances on which the Council had previously agreed, so it is somewhat disingenuous to claim I 'did not show...what the ordinances would do'.

And also let's note that on the same day as Councilor Burney's post, I put up a second piece on the vote that pointed out the resolutions were REALLY TANKED by the unexplained switcheroo by Councilor Rivers (see here).

Councilor Burney argues that TRANSPARENCY is not the issue, rather --

...[t]he issue at hand is not tranparency - the issue at hand is more about compliance, accountability, accuracy and what no one wants to say in public: control.

Let's grant Councilor Burney's point: He wants compliance, accountability, accuracy and...control.

So, let's look at Councilor Burney's proposal (which he presents in 55 words in a nearly 1,200 word post) --

My proposal: Would require the administration to provide the governing body with a list of all contracts executed by the Mayor along with a monthly list of purchase orders. By getting this information at the front end of the services, we can see and ask questions on purchase orders and contracts before services are rendered.

The gist of Councilor Burney's proposal is getting CONTRACTS and PURCHASE ORDERS up front, giving a better chance at compliance, accountability and accuracy (he leaves out 'control' the second time around).

WOULD BURNEY'S PROPOSAL WORK?

The Robinson-Briggs administration has argued that the bills ordinance would unduly burden staff by causing them to have to prepare more documentation and would disrupt the payment cycle (twice monthly now) by having the Council review bills (once a month) before the checks are cut.

If the administration is not ALREADY GETTING THIS DOCUMENTATION as part of its standard management practices, we need to be very fearful. If they are (it is, after all, standard fiscal practice in corporate America), then it is simply a matter of SHARING WITH THE COUNCIL ALREADY EXISTING DOCUMENTATION, which should be no big deal.

Councilor Burney's proposal, however, would REALLY GUM UP THE WORKS.

It might be one thing to require Mayor Robinson-Briggs to share with the Council CONTRACTS she has executed before the work is performed.

But PURCHASE ORDERS is another kettle of fish altogether. Unlike a BILLS LIST, which is all stacked up, ready for the checks to be issued at the press of an 'ENTER' key, PURCHASE ORDERS dribble in in a constant stream -- sort of like the alimentary canal of a living organism.

To cause PURCHASE ORDERS to be backed up for a once-a-month review by the Council would be like feeding your pet dog or cat every day but only letting them do their duty once a month.

It strikes me much more like one of the 'random acts of management' one would get from a mid-level Fortune 500 company manager who had never actually worked 'in the trenches'.

IS THERE A BETTER WAY?

So, what we have before us are two roads, diverging in a wood as it were --

• The ORIGINAL Bills List ordinance, which Councilor McWilliams acknowledges does not give the Council control over expenditures by the Robinson-Briggs administration, but just oversight; and
  
  
• Councilor Burney's proposal for the Council to get lists of CONTRACTS and PURCHASE ORDERS in advance, on a monthly basis. (Let's leave aside for the moment whether Councilor Burney's ordinance would be vetoed, and whether it could surmount that fate.)

Sadly for Councilor Burney, the Robinson-Briggs administration still holds the trump card under the current charter. As City Administrator Bibi Taylor said at last Monday's Council meeting, and I quote, 'the Administration has the power to request services and make payments WITHOUT Council approval'.

Is there a better way?

If the Council is to have CONTROL (Burney's word), or even a meaningful say, maybe it's time to consider getting rid of Plainfield's antiquated special charter in favor of one of the menu options the state offers municipalities under the Faulkner Act (see links below).

Now, that would really be pursuing 'transparency with teeth'.

---

• As I See It (Councilor Burney):  "Transparency with teeth"
  
• Plainfield Today --
• 9/14/2010: "Burney, Carter and Rivers fail to support transparency moves"
• 9/15/2010:  "Was Dan unfair to Burney and Carter over mayor's vetoes?"
  
• Faulkner Act:  "NJ League of Municipalities" | "Wikipedia" | "LWV" |
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield readies for a charter school focused on music and excellence

Plainfielders got a sneak peek Monday evening at a new charter school that will be opening here in September 2009.

The school's unique aspect is the tight correlation of music in every aspect of the school's proposed curriculum, programs and activities.

"We are not selecting for musical aptitude," said founder and board president Dr. Norman Pressman, "but are opening the school to all applicants and will use music and the appreciation of music to enrich the academic and life experience of the students."

Pressman noted that all students would participate in choral activities as part of entering the charter school, and noted that the school was avoiding preference for aptitude with any particular musical instrument as that often leaves lower socio-economic students at a disadvantage.

The school is named after Pressman's late sister, Dr. Ellen G. Pressman, who was an educator and principal in New Jersey who passed away in 2007 after battling pancreatic cancer.

With a ratio of one teacher to twenty students, the school will offer intensive contact on an instructional basis. Beginning with a projected 160 students evenly divided between grades 6 and 7 in the 2009-10 academic year, the school would expand to 240 students in the 2011-12 year as the 7th graders move up to 8th grade.

As part of the admission process, each student and his or her parents will craft an individualized educational plan, which will include metrics and development of a student portfolio.

In the arena of character development, students will learn about the roots of genocide and the Holocaust, as well as learning to deal with bullying, and with developing processes for making wise life decisions as a lifelong pattern.

At the moment, a fact sheet and application form are available at the Plainfield Public Library as well as on the school's website (here).

As the state requires with New Jersey charter schools, a blind lottery will be used, and a waiting list developed for those who don't make their first chance at enrolling (if anyone drops out during the year, the slot is offered to the next person on the waiting list).

With applications currently being accepted, Pressman was optimistic that parents who enroll a student in the next two weeks or so, before the first blind lottery, would have an excellent chance of being included in the opening classes.

Charter schools are publicly funded public schools in the state of New Jersey. Their funds are derived from the allocation formulas set up by the state for each school district. While they are public schools and work in close association with the County Superintendent of Schools and the NJ Department of Education, they are governed by an independent Board of Trustees.

While no firm decisions about a building have been made yet, Pressman said several promising sites had been located in the community and the process of narrowing down the choice would get under way shortly.

A second informational meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 24, at 7 PM at the Plainfield Public Library, where questions may be asked and registration forms picked up.

For more information visit the website (here) or call (908) 668-7770.

---

• Website: "Pressman Charter School"

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Breaking news from the City Charter

It's not exactly a page-turner, but you can learn interesting things reading the City Charter. Take the following, for instance:

CITY COUNCIL

Article 2. Section 6. Meetings.
Council shall convene in regular meetings at least once each month at the City Hall at a time to be fixed by ordinance...

So, all the huffing and puffing about the Council's 2007 meeting schedule could be easily remedied by deciding to meet once a month for business (implying a second meeting for an agenda-setting session).

Think of the angst that can be saved: The Council would get relief from a surfeit of meetings plus time to study proposals before they do meet. The Clerk would have more than adequate time to get agendas, resolutions, ordinances, advertising and minutes organized. The Administration would gain needed time to get its act together. What's not to like?

THE MAYOR

Article 3. Section 3. General Duties.
He shall annually report to the Council and the public on the work of the previous year and on the condition and requirements of the city government ... He shall supervise the departments of the City government and shall require each department to make an annual ... report of its work...

This has traditionally taken the form of the State of the City Address, delivered annually at the Council reorganization, summing up the previous year and laying out the Mayor's agenda for the upcoming year.

Contents of the address are eagerly awaited by the populace and it has traditionally been made available in print and, since the advent of the Internet, on the City's official website.

We continue the tradition of eagerly awaiting the State of the City Address and its availability on the city's website and in print.

Meanwhile, shouldn't something be done about the fact that the Charter requires the meetings to be in City Hall and they are not? And how about that masculine language which must offend Her Honor as much as it does the rest of us?

City Council reorganizes Monday evening, January 8, 2007, 8 PM, at the Courthouse, Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street.

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/