Jerry will have competition in race for Assembly seat

 
Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green will have competition in the race for the 22nd District Assembly seat, after all.

When I picked up the PolitickerNJ story on candidate filings on Tuesday (see here), there was no indication whether Plainfield resident the Rev. Shannon Wright had gotten her petition straightened out before the 4:00 PM Monday deadline.

I was informed by way of a comment on the post that in fact she had, and that there is a full Republican slate for the 22nd Legislative District, meaning Jerry, Linda Stender and Nick Scutari will have competition in the November general election.

Here are the lineups as per the Ledger's complete filings (see here)

22nd DISTRICT (Assembly)

• Jerry Green * (D) Plainfield
• Linda Stender * (D) Scotch Plains
• Joan Van Pelt (R) Plainfield
• Jeffrey D. First (R) Middlesex

22nd DISTRICT (Senate)

• Nicholas P. Scutari* (D) Linden
• Shannon Wright (R) Plainfield
  
  *Incumbent

Besides Wright, Plainfielder Joan Van Pelt (who sent me the comment) is running for one of the Assembly seats. Joan, of course, is Jim Pivnichny's wife, and a practicing attorney. The other Assembly candidate, Jeffrey First, is a council member for Middlesex Boro.

This will make for an interesting election season!

---

• Plainfield Today:  "Record 130 petitions filed"
• Ledger:  "Complete legislative races filings"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Which is worse, Jerry embarrassing Union County Dems, or Union County Dems embarrassing themselves?

Most of the time I think you need a secret decoder ring to understand what Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green is trying to say.

 

Take his blog bomb (see here) dropped the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day -- when most folks had their minds fixed on a real turkey and a long holiday weekend. At the time, blogger Nat Singleton was the only one to pick up on Jerry's attack (see 'Assemblyman Jerry Green, a closeted anti-Semite in sheep's clothing' here)

Why is a decoder ring needed?

Well, the post begins with a quintessentially Jerry attack on Councilor Cory Storch which does not fit the style or content of the rest of the piece. What's up?

It only became clear on Wednesday, when PolitickerNJ's Max Pizarro wrote on the 'open letter' (see here) that the letter was not by Jerry Green at all, but by Roselle council president Jamel Holley, who was circulating it among Union County Dems for signatories. Even with a decoder ring, you can't be sure from Jerry's post that he is signing it, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

So, Jerry embarrasses the Union County Democrats by deviating from their line and attempting to smear Storch. Since the import of the 'open letter' is that the GOP candidates are racists, Jerry is here really PLAYING THE RACE CARD, and not the 'closeted Republican' allegation against Storch. Jerry's attempt to call Storch a racist doesn't stand up to the light of day -- but don't expect Jerry to stop; Jerry's got an agenda of his own.

I find it interesting that Jerry is lining up behind Jamel Holley's leadership, given that Holley escaped criminal prosecution for voter fraud in the 2006 election cycle by the skin of his teeth (see here, and here), getting off with pre-trial intervention being imposed by a completely independent and non-political Union County judge incapable of being suborned.

But, hey, Holley is a comer in Union County politics, having been championed by the disgraced ex-Assemblyman Neil Cohen (now facing jail over a child pornography conviction) as well as Sen. Ray Lesniak and sometime State Dem chairperson Joe Cryan. This is what makes politics -- especially New Jersey politics -- so interesting.

But Holley exposes the Union County Democrats to embarrassment and ridicule, too.

While attempting to paint the defeated Republican candidates as racists (unproven in my mind), Holley has exposed the Democrats to the scrutiny they deserve with regard to Union County's diversity and their record in promoting it.

And, guess what? The Union County Dems come up short, as CountyWatcher's Tina Renna pointed out in a blog post of November 29 (see here).

The record of Union County Democrats in opening up leading county jobs to women and minorities is abysmal. Make that ABYSMAL. Renna ticks off all the top county positions and the woeful record of filling them with minority and/or women candidates. 95% white men, by her count.

And to make things worse, when Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo decided to dump Freeholder Rayland Van Blake (a story which I broke on March 5, see here), Jerry Green was prepared to let the seat be filled by a white male candidate from Linden (since the nice white lady from Linden had moved to Westfield and had no intention of stepping down).

Ready, that is, until the PLAINFIELD TODAY post lit a bonfire under the Assemblyman, who finally got the gumption to say that Plainfield would like to see an AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN have a chance at the seat, thank you very much.

DeFilippo swallowed hard. Linda Carter got the nod and will be duly sworn in on January 1st.

The County Dems should get to work on really correcting THEIR embarrassing lapses.

Racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance go hand in hand. Assemblyman Jerry Green should apologize to Cory Storch for his insinuation.

'Do the right thing', as the man said.

---

• Jerry Green's Page: "An open letter to the 2010 Republican candidates..."
• Dumbed Down America:  "Assemblyman Jerry Green, closeted anti-Semite in sheep's clothing"
  
• PolitickerNJ --
• 11/24/2010:  "Union County flare-up: Dems go after GOP candidates over post-election remarks"
• 8/27/2009:  "AG's office indicts Holley 'by accusation' with 2006 vote fraud"
• 10/8/2009:  "Judge orders Holly into PTI for 'overzealous' pursuit of signatures"
• CountyWatchers:  "Let's talk race"
• Plainfield Today:  "County Dems dumping Van Blake from Freeholder slot?" -- and followup here.

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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The Unhappy Fall of Assemblyman Jerry Green

Congressman Frank Pallone and Asm Jerry Green. (Photo, Courier News)

The Fall campaign season is under way, and Plainfield's Assemblyman Jerry Green has reason not to be happy.

On the one hand, he has not made peace with New Dem Rebecca Williams, who defeated Green's choice in the June Democratic primary election.

Besides the churlish language he indulged in against Williams during the primary, he also accused her of making a rude gesture at him -- which Williams denies -- when she came upon the scene outside his home, where pranksters had lined his sidewalks with Williams' campaign signs.

Though Williams is ready to campaign, she has said she expects Jerry to apologize. The thought of apologizing cannot make the Assemblyman happy.

Then there is the matter of money.

Looks like money will have to be spent on the Fall campaign, and that also cannot make the Assemblyman happy.

Assemblyman Green, who is also chairperson of the Plainfield Democratic City Committee, has shown no great enthusiasm for an expensive campaign on behalf of his two local candidates -- Williams, running for the Wards 2/3 at-large seat, and Bill Reid, the incumbent running for re-election in Ward 1.

With their high visibility and name-recognition in their respective wards, Green may have figured he could get away without spending any money, especially since most folks are disinclined to do any work for him unless paid to do so.

Williams and Reid may be less of a factor in Green's having to spend money on the Fall election than Congressman Frank Pallone.

Pallone?

The Congressman, to whose district Plainfield was added after the 2000 Census and the subsequent redistricting, has never -- up to now, anyway -- had to pay much attention to Plainfield. And that's about the amount he has given -- the occasional visit, the occasional taxpayer-funded Congressional 'newsletter', the occasional campaign mailer.

But this time around it's different.

Plenty of Democratic Congressional seats around the country are in play this Fall, and it seems that Pallone's may be one of them.

In an August poll, his Tea Party-backed Republican opponent Anna Little (Mayor of Highlands) stood just 6 percentage points behind (see here). That is what they call 'within striking distance'.

Pallone is taking the challenge seriously.

Several readers reported getting phone calls from Assemblyman Green's staff on Sunday, August 29 (one as late as 10:00 PM), beseeching their attendance at an event at the Plainfield Senior Center on Monday the 30th featuring Congressman Pallone.

Turns out that was for the benefit of a CNN segment (as yet unaired) on this Fall's contested Congressional races.

Then, lo and behold, I caught sight of two white men in well-tailored blue blazers, jeans and with open collared dress shirts (they might have been L.L. Bean) striding purposefully through the Art Festival at Library Park this past Saturday.

They stood out not because they were white (there were plenty of white folks there) but because they were a little too preppy, a little too overdressed for the casual crowd.

Drawing closer, I saw that it was Congressman Pallone, presumably with a young staffer, working the crowd. Good for him!

Assemblyman Green was nowhere to be seen.

Campaigning without the Assemblyman is unheard of, and I wondered what that was about.

At any rate, it looks like we'll be seeing more of Congressman Pallone this Fall, perhaps more than we ever have.

And the pressure will be on Assemblyman Green to deliver those much-needed Democratic votes in November.

Just when he thought he was going to get away with a low-cost -- or even no-cost -- campaign.

Exactly how to make an Assemblyman's Fall unhappy.

---

• PolitickerNJ:  "Little campaign poll shows GOP challenger within striking distance"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: Plainfield Primary Election turnouts, 2010 vs. 2006

Did a contested Wards 2/3 Dem primary drive up voter turnout?

A Plainfield Today reader complained about what they considered the low turnout in the 2010 Democratic Primary. That got me to comparing the Wards 2/3 turnout with those two wards' registration, which gave a turnout rate of 21% (see here) and which I posted about last month -- not shabby at all!

While digging through the archives for another matter the other day, I stumbled across my report of the 2006 Primary Election (see here) --

...[y]ou may be forgiven if you hardly knew there was a primary vote yesterday for the City Council's Ward 1 and Wards 2/3 at-large seats. Signs for Rayland Van Blake and Rashid Burney were not in evidence before mid-day Monday -- the day before the election. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans did any mailings. So, for the first time in living memory, the number of voters who turned out outnumbered the yard signs it seemed to me. But you will look in vain in the print editions of either the Ledger or the Courier for numbers. The Ledger only checks off the winners, and the Courier's print edition snubs Plainfield altogether (remember when it used to be the Plainfield Courier-News?). Oh yes, the numbers? Ward 1: Van Blake - 166, Johnson - 18; Wards 2/3: Burney - 496, Perun - 124."

In 2006, a grand total of 496 Democrats turned out to vote in the Wards 2/3 (uncontested) race -- LESS THAN A THIRD of the number turning out in 2010.

On the other hand, Councilor Reid in the 2010 Ward 1 race outpolled Rayland Van Blake's 2006 turnout by 80 votes, nearly half as many more.

At the same time, the Republican votes in both Wards 2/3 and Ward 1 remained relatively constant --

	TOTAL VOTES CAST
WARDS 2/3 GOP
2010 (Pivnichny)	127
2006 (Perun)	124
WARD 1 GOP
2010 (Alfred)	13
2006 (Johnson)	18
WARD 1 DEM
2010 (Reid)	246
2006 (Van Blake)	166

As I don't have the 2006 registration figures, it is not possible to compare the actual turnout PERCENTAGES.

But make no mistake, the 2010 turnout clearly exceeded the 2006 turnout, and I think that having a contested primary had a great deal to do with it.

---

• Plainfield Stuff:  "Plainfield 2000 Primary Election results (Council)"
• Plainfield Today, 6/7/2006:  "An election? Who knew?"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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A sweet break from Plainfield politics, sort of

 

I know you will find this hard to believe, but Plainfield politics can be vexing, especially on hot days.

So, it was pleasant last evening to lay aside the ins-and-outs of why there was no tour of the city-owned Tepper's basement yesterday and the pluses and minuses of the city's IT situation as presented by IT manager Chris Payne (more on both later), and indulge a table of sweets set out by one of Plainfield's favorite caterers.

That would be Sandy Spector, who happens also to be chairperson of Plainfield's Republican city committee.

Sandy emceed a friendraiser event for City Council candidates Jim Pivnichny (Wards 2/3 at-large) and Sean Alfred (Ward 1), graciously hosted by Piv and his wife Joan Van Pelt at their home. (I was a guest at Piv's invitation, for which I thank him kindly.)

As it turns out, the group, which filled the couple's spacious living room, also got to hear from Highlands mayor Anna Little, who is challenging Frank Pallone in the 6th Congressional district; Ellen Dickson, Summit council member running for Union County Freeholder, and 'Bo' Vastine, candidate for Scotch Plains Town Council (and opponent of Jerry Green in last year's legislative race).

Noting that they all had uphill battles in a very blue county and congressional district, each candidate reiterated the importance of keeping the two-party system viable by putting candidates forth and actively working for election, as well as ensuring that the public gets to hear all points of view in deciding who to vote for.

A two-party system? How American! (One-party rule just doesn't turn out well for the people; just think of the Soviet Union and Cuba.)

Choices? Again, how American!

Hearing out all opinions? In America?

And with homemade brownies, too?

Like I said, a sweet break from Plainfield politics, sort of.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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2010 Plainfield Democratic Primary: District-by-District Results

Ward maps with districts have also been posted.

For those who like to 'drill down' as Excel users say, I have posted Plainfield's primary election votes district-by-district (see here, in a printable format), along with maps of the wards showing each voting district (see list at end of post).

Readers with faulty math skills who complained about the Williams victory being a mirage because 'turnout was so low' would do well to note that with 7,384 registered Democrats in Wards 2 and 3, the turnout was 1,549 Democratic votes cast -- or 21%.

Not shabby at all, considering that in the People's Republic of Montclair the turnout was 6.7% (see their data here - PDF).

---

• 2010 Council Primary: "Plainfield 2010 Council Primary Results"
  
• Plainfield Ward Maps With Districts --
• "Ward 1"
• "Ward 2"
• "Ward 3"
• "Ward 4"
• Union County Board of Elections: "Voter Registration Summary: Plainfield" (PDF)
• Union County Clerk: "2010 Primary Election Results"
• Montclair: "2010 Primary Results" -- Table is here (PDF).
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield, District 22 and Union County: 2005 and 2009 compared

Chris Christie campaigned in Plainfield this summer.
Here he is shown with Assembly candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Martin Marks.

Plainfield's turnout in Tuesday's general election fell by 5% compared to 2005, despite the surge in Democratic registrations brought about by last year's presidential candidacy of Barack Obama.

Though Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs won two-thirds of the votes cast, the total cast was down 5% from 2005, bearing out the general conclusion that Dems simply were not on fire to vote in this election as compared to FOUR YEARS AGO.

MAYOR - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
(D) SHARON ROBINSON-BRIGGS	4,357	55.75%
(I) ROBERT FERRARO	1,119	14.32%
(Personal Choice) AL McWILLIAMS	2,339	29.93%
Total	7,815	100.00%

MAYOR - 2009	Vote Count	Percent
(D) SHARON ROBINSON-BRIGGS	4,906	66.27%
(R) JIM PIVNICHNY	2,103	28.41%
(I) DEBORAH JOYCE DOWE	391	5.28%
(Personal Choice)	3	0.04%
Total	7,403	100.00%

Edison's new mayor, Antonia Ricigliano, echoed comments heard here in Plainfield --

"A number of people told me, 'I will vote for you, but I will not vote for Jon Corzine,'" recalled Ricigliano, a Democrat who was elected Edison's mayor Tuesday.

-- as you can read in today's Ledger story (see here).

More striking is the 4th Ward council vote, where outgoing Councilor Elliott Simmons garnered 968 of the 1008 votes cast in 2005. Incoming Councilor Bridget Rivers was elected with 338 votes cast, with no opponent and no write-in ballots. That is exactly one-third of the ballots cast in 2005, and does note bode well for the 4th Ward in the redistricting that will take place after the 2010 Census next April.

The situation for Jerry Green and Linda Stender was considerably worse.

Green suffered a falloff of 12% as compared to 2005, while Stender dropped a startling 16% (I suspect partly fueled by the perception she has been disengaged during and after her unsuccessful run for Congress). But voter discontent is clearly highlighted by the growth in GOP votes by 27% over 2005, bringing candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Marty Marks within striking distance of District 22's deadly duo.

ASSEMBLY - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
(D) LINDA STENDER	30,076	32.30%
(D) JERRY GREEN	28,194	30.28%
(R) MALOOL & BOCHICCHIO-MEDVED	34,830	37.41%
Total	93,100	100.00%

ASSEMBLY - 2009	Vote Count	Percent
(D) LINDA STENDER	25,357	26.83%
(D) JERRY GREEN	24,790	26.24%
(R) MARTIN MARKS	22,744	24.07%
(R) 'BO' VASTINE	21,585	22.85%
Total	94,476	100.00%

With 44,329 (47%) votes cast for GOP candidates Marks and Vastine, Republican votes in the 22nd District surged by 9,499 or a remarkable 27%.

Even Assemblyman Green acknowledges that voters are angry with Democrats (see here) --

...some suburban towns were not only angry with me but Corzine and the entire Democratic Party. However, I did not take this personally; I am a team player and have to accept the message that was sent through their actions. These communities were not happy with the Democrats over the last four years and this victory is an opportunity to change that.

-- and he acknowledges that his re-election (scant though the margin was) gives him a chance to makes amends to the District for its perception he only attends to Plainfield.

(ASIDE: I remarked to a reader during the race that I thought the racial 'division of labor' which the Union County Dems had traditionally made to regard Jerry as delivering the (Black) Plainfield vote and Linda that of all the other (white) towns worked just fine as long as the party was riding the crest of the wave. However, as soon as things get problematic, that Faustian bargain shows its Achilles heel (forgive the clashing allusions!): each candidate is seen as uncaring and unresponsive by the towns that, in the bargain, they did not consider 'theirs'.)

Finally, consider the disastrous plunge in the Democratic vote for GOVERNOR in Union County.

GOVERNOR - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
Total Registration: 268,810 Turnout: 49.95%
(D) JON CORZINE	77,982	58.00%
(R) DOUG FORRESTER	50,036	37.25%
Total (includes 3rd parties)	134,294	100.00%

GOVERNOR - 2009*	Vote Count	Percent
Total Registration: 292,490 Turnout: 46%
(D) JON CORZINE	68,507	51%
(R) CHRIS CHRISTIE	56,592	42%
Total (includes 3rd parties)	134,550	100.00%
*Note these are UNOFFICIAL results.

Though voter registration in Union County has increased by 23,680 -- 9% -- over the 2005 figure (mostly on account of the Obama surge in 2008), the numbers of votes cast was practically FLAT, as shown by a nearly 4% drop in the turnout percentage figure.

However, when you factor in a 4.75% increase in votes cast for the GOP candidate, there are indications of two things: the Democrats, despite what Union County chairperson Charlotte DeFillipo says (see Ledger article here) about having 'done our job', FAILED TO GET OUT THE VOTE across the board, as you can see from both the Plainfield and Union County figures.

The second thing to infer from the turnout and vote is, as Assemblyman Green and mayor-elect Ricigliano both agree, ANGER AT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY among grassroots voters.

Green, Stender and Robinson-Briggs will certainly have to work very hard over the next few years to recoup these losses, which cannot be entirely blamed on Corzine's unpopularity.

On that note, I will have a further post next week.

---

-- Dan Damon

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Corzine must do better the second time around

The promise Jon Corzine showed in 2005 has proven illusory.
(Shown here in 2005 with Mayor Al McWilliams and Councilor Rashid Burney.)

Jon Corzine must do better as governor the second time around.

And thoughtful Plainfielders must put aside their anger and disappointment with him in order to maximize the chances that things will ever get better for our community.

There is no denying that by failing to implement his own standards on 'rationalizing' New Jersey's hospital situation, the closure of Muhlenberg Hospital -- with the deterioration of healthcare services delivery it has brought and the economic hardship wrought on the community by the loss of 1,100 jobs -- is a blot on Corzine's reputation that can only be healed by the hospital's restoration, if at all.

Assemblyman Jerry Green and Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs proved lacking in both vision and leadership by coming too late and with too little gumption to the struggle to save Muhlenberg.

There is also no denying that the dismantling of the Abbott v. Burke decision is going to cost Plainfield taxpayers severely over the long haul. The crux of the Abbott settlement was that the Supreme Court put an obligation on the state to ensure that students in the 'Abbott' districts received a 'thorough and efficient' education as guaranteed by the State constitution, and provide the financial resources necessary.

While there is a three-year review period for the new funding scheme, no one was predicting the severe recession the country is passing through and it does not seem realistic to assume the new formula will be overturned -- or that any extra aid for the Abbott districts (including Plainfield) will be available beyond the review period.

This means that Plainfield taxpayers will be faced with an increased burden for the schools. It is worth remembering that Assemblyman Jerry Green cast the deciding vote in the Assembly for this new funding formula.

So, Plainfielders have much to be angry and disappointed about with Gov. Jon Corzine.

What are the options?

Some folks think that Chris Daggett offers a breath of fresh air as an outsider. Others think that Chris Christie's tough stance on public corruption means that he will clean the muck from Trenton's Augean stables.

Given that Democrats are not going to lose control of the Assembly, all of whose seats are up for election Tuesday, GOVERNING with a Democratic legislature is a key consideration.

For anything useful and beneficial to get done, we will need Corzine in the governor's office.

But there is another, and I think more important, reason Corzine must be re-elected.

Nationally, Republicans are viewing the two governors' races this year -- New Jersey and Virginia -- as a proving ground for whether President Obama's initiatives can be derailed, the GOP hand strengthened in advance of the 2010 midterm elections, and Obama effectively rendered a lame duck before the end of his first year in office.

For those who believed in Barack Obama and voted for him last year, this is a decisive moment.

If Jon Corzine loses in New Jersey, Barack Obama will be wounded and the ability of his administration to deliver on key fronts such as healthcare reform and leading the country out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression will be severely compromised.

For this reason, I think Plainfielders must put aside their anger and disappointment in his lackluster performance and cast their vote for Jon Corzine and his running mate, Sen. Loretta Weinberg, who will become New Jersey's first lieutenant governor.

Corzine must do better in a second term. He must show some spine and take on the issues of tackling the nation's highest property tax burden and cleaning up the worst public corruption anywhere in the country.

If he does not, he will fail not just Plainfield, but President Obama, New Jersey and the entire country.

---

-- Dan Damon

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Muhlenberg a big focus of races

Sign on a Watchung Avenue yard during Muhlenberg closure crisis.

Plainfield's Muhlenberg Hospital is the gift that keeps on giving -- headaches, that is -- for incumbent candidates Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and Assembly incumbents Jerry Green and Linda Stender.

Though taxes, crime and development were among the issues focused on in the League of Women Voters' mayoral forum Wednesday evening, attendees were plenty vexed over the loss of Muhlenberg Hospital and the role of incumbent politicians in same.

Mayor Robinson-Briggs totally ducked a question asking what she had done BY WORKING THROUGH HER MEMBERSHIP ON THE MUHLENBEG BOARD to save or reopen the hospital. Avoiding any mention that she has NEVER TAKEN UP HER SEAT ON THE BOARD, she said she and Assemblyman Green had chosen instead to 'deal directly with Trenton'.

To what effect we can all see.

Assemblyman Green was at pains, as he has been throughout the campaign, to point out that he had done 'nothing illegal' in being a vice president with the Alman Group, which lobbies on behalf of hospitals throughout the state according to Green.

Green's relationship with Alman was previously undisclosed until an article appeared in the Courier in October, 2007 (see here), detailing how lawmakers can hide conflicts of interest.

The day after the story appeared, Green announced he had resigned from the lobbying firm (see here).

Ever since, Green has gone out of his way to point out that he did nothing illegal, a point with which his opponent 'Bo' Vastine agreed at Wednesday's League of Women Voters forum. Citing New Jersey's 'culture of corruption', Vastine was careful to say that he was not accusing Green of breaking the law, but that the exact point he was making was how the way ethics have been defined in New Jersey make profiting from abuses of the public trust perfectly acceptable.

Screenshot of Jerry Green's page on the Alman Group website, 10/1/2007.
(Click to enlarge or print.)

It's an old story, but will it make a difference to voters as the go to the polls on Tuesday?

That Muhlenberg is an important issue, on which incumbents Jerry Green and Linda Stender feel vulnerable, can be seen in the expensive, four-color mailer which hit District 22 mailboxes on Tuesday.

The piece, titled 'The TRUTH About Muhlenberg' simply repeats the laundry list of issues with Solaris, asking the reader to 'join [Green and Stender] so that together, we can re-open Muhlenberg hospital'.

The other side reprints a Courier editorial of March 20, 2009, lauding Jerry for saber-rattling against Solaris.

That editorial did Green no good at the LWV forum, where one of his opponents, Marty Marks, read the Courier's endorsement of the Marks-Vastine team over incumbents Green and Stender.

Meanwhile, both Vastine (see here) and independent mayoral candidate Deborah Dowe (see here) posted a letter from GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie promising a top-to-bottom review of the Muhlenberg closure is he is elected.

Muhlenberg is obviously on voters' minds. How much of a difference it will make in Tuesday's elections is an unknown.

But all parties seem to agree it will make some difference.

Why else spend so much time and money on the issue?

---

• Courier --
• 10/1/2007: "Lawmakers still finding ways to hide conflicts"
• 10/3/2007: "Green resigns from lobbying firm"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Muhlenberg: The world according to Dottie G.

Protesters at first 'Save Muhlenberg' rally, March, 2008.

Plainfield's inimitable Dottie Gutenkauf has written an election piece attacking Republican candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Marty Marks, which was given prominent display under its 'Guest Commentary' section by the Courier in Sunday's print edition.

The piece was called to my attention by a reader in an email yesterday, which led me to look into how I missed it.

Turns out it was in the PRINT EDITION of the paper on Sunday, but NOT ONLINE. As I have pointed out before, I put the CLIPS blog together early in the AM from online sources (it is, after all, LINKS to online stories).

Since it was not online, I did not catch it, though I did pick up three Courier pieces, including an anti-Chris-Christie letter to the editor by Tiran Billlups.

It was evidently put up by the Courier staff later on Sunday, and can be found here.

Dottie makes a full-throated defense of the notion that only those who personed the barricades have a legitimate right to comment on the Muhlenberg situation.

While her portrayal of the involvement (heroic, she thinks) of Jerry Green and Linda Stender, as well as Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, may be open to other interpretations, she certainly has a right to hers. Just don't mistake it for what journalists like to call 'objective' reporting.

This incident just underscores one of my ongoing peeves with the Courier -- the inconsistent way the online version squares up with the print edition.

For instance, weekend before last there were two items on Parliament Funkadelic founders Ernie Worrell (who has a new group, SociaLybrium) and George Clinton (who has an upcoming gig at the War Memorial in Trenton) -- see the CLIPS page here.

My gridge? The Worrell story, lengthy and worthwhile, covering the less-famous Funkadelic founder and his migration to a new phase, was eminently worth sharing. Unfortunately, it was not online, and an email inquiry to the managing editor got a response that it would not be put up, period. The less noteworthy, and very brief, George Clinton item was, however, available for all online. Go figure.

I am not sure Gutenkauf's rant is anything more than pablum for the preconvinced, but it is your right to read it.

Go ahead.

The march looped along the Park Avenue sidewalk.

---

• Courier: "Republicans didn't help with Muhlenberg"

-- Dan Damon

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Public employees removing roadside Christie signs?

Are public employees removing Christie for Governor signs in Plainfield?

Seems it might be so.

Got the following comment Wednesday in response to the post about Linda Stender getting in the sign game (finally) by chipping in for some new Linda/Jerry signs.

Here is the comment, in full --

Dan,
Was driving to work this morning at 6:15 am listening to 101.5 (Trenton). A caller from Scotch Plains told the host Jim Gearhart that yesterday he witnessed Plainfield DPW employees removing Christie signs on West 7th St. The caller asked the DPW employees why and they said "the signs were too close to the road." The caller said Corzine, Green and Briggs signs were in the exact same location and left untouched. Seems to me the DPW is now working for the re-election of the Democrats. Can you investigate? Call the station. Talk about unfair -- first the removal of the Republican mayoral candidate from a public forum and now opposition party signs being removed compliments of city employees. Come on.

An email inquiry to the producer of the Gearhart's call-in show has not been answered as of this posting.

However, I wonder whether the caller may have confused the identity of those allegedly picking up the signs.

West Seventh Street (on which I live) is a county highway, and the city's DPW trucks do not come down it to pick up leaves or yard waste, nor plow snow. However, Union County trucks are regularly seen. My suspicion is that the driver may have spotted Union County public employees along the county roadway.

Besides, if Assemblyman Jerry Green or his protegé Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs wanted any signs removed, I have a hunch that Christie's would NOT be at the top of their lists.

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• Plainfield Today: "Monarch condos: More wrinkles than Dorian Gray"

-- Dan Damon

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Plainfield political sign wars reach new heights

GOP mayoral candidate Pivnichny's billboard is visible from Jerry Green's office.

It's October, which in Plainfield means the political sign wars are under way.

So far, the street wars have been dominated by the Democrats' outcroppings for Corzine, Jerry Green, et al.

But Republican mayoral candidate Jim Pivnichny has taken the sign wars against incumbent mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to new heights -- literally.

Drivers in downtown Plainfield could not help but notice this week his full-size billboard sign atop Lee's shoe store at East Front Street and Watchung Avenue.

The sign is clearly visible from mayoral mentor Assemblyman Jerry Green's Watchung Avenue office.

That's not the ONLY NEWS on the sign front, though.

Readers recalling the Corzine campaign's pique at not being consulted over Jerry Green's RED signs (see previous post here), began reporting over the weekend on a presto-chango miracle -- Jerry's little RED signs are being replaced by identical but BLUE signs around town.

With a single stroke, the RED signs have been turned into collectibles -- perhaps to turn up on eBay?

Sacrebleu!

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• Plainfield Today: "Corzine camp seeing red over Plainfield campaign?"

-- Dan Damon

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Mr. Christie goes to Plainfield

Republican candidate Chris Christie in Plainfield Tuesday,
with District 22 candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Martin Marks.

Downtown Plainfield got a political jolt on Tuesday with a visit by Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, who spent an hour walking and talking with business owners and customers in the Special Improvement District.

Christie, who spoke with reporters on his ideas to address urban issues, was joined for the walk by District 22 Assembly candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Martin Marks.

The gaggle of newspaper and TV reporters and camera folk who pressed around the candidate to catch every word and handshake didn't make it easy for locals like yours truly and Bernice to get in the mix, but we did get a few good shots. I am posting a slide show below and you can catch Bernice's photos HERE.




Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield), who in a normal year hardly needs to fog a mirror to be re-elected, chose to take on Christie. Perhaps to his surprise, it meant also taking on Vastine and Marks in an impromptu jibjab. You can read the Assemblyman's take on the visit on his blog today (see here) as well as Marks (here) and Vastine (here) on same.

When can Plainfield expect a visit from Gov. Corzine?

Candidate Christie chats with Chamber of Commerce president
Lisa Cohen in her store, Suburban Jewelers.

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• Read/View more on the Christie visit --

Bernice's Plaintalker | Courier | Ledger | NJN |
| Jerry Green | 'Bo' Vastine | Marty Marks |

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-- Dan Damon

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Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown replay - Not!

Dan Quayle's vice presidential portrait	Candice Bergen as 'Murphy Brown'

George W. Bush's father's Vice President, Dan Quayle, ignited a firestorm during the 1992 presidential campaign when, in an unscripted aside to a prepared speech, he decried the fictional TV character 'Murphy Brown' for having a child out of wedlock. The incident comes to mind in light of the Palin brouhaha.

Time magazine cited Quayle's aside thus --

"It doesn't help matters," Quayle complained, when Brown, "a character who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid professional woman" is portrayed as "mocking the importance of fathers, by bearing a child alone, and calling it just another 'life-style choice.' "

The remark was replayed endlessly. 'Murphy Brown' plowed on, and got its revenge in the opening of the 1993 season ('You say potatoe, I say potato' -- poking fun at the VP's famous spelling gaffe), when Brown arranges for a truckload of potatoes to be dumped in front of Quayle's home.

When Candice Bergen won an Emmy for her portrayal of 'Murphy Brown' that year, she thanked Quayle in her acceptance speech.

Lost in all the hubbub was the fact that Quayle was decrying the character's choice not to wed the father, and the notion that a role for the father was thus 'dispensable'.

Bergen, though no fan of the Veep (she said in a NYTimes OpEd that Quayle 'seemed to be doing a fine job of [heaping ridicule and scorn on the office of Vice President] all by himself' -- see here), later said no one could be more in agreement on the importance of fatherhood than she.

Since Barack Obama, mentioning that his own mother was just 18 when he was born, has put the subject of Palin's daughter's marital status off-limits, the Democratic campaign will not take up the Quayle cudgel.

It may not have to.

In 2000, W's campaign allegedly masterminded a smear campaign against presidential candidate John McCain, whispering that he had fathered a Black baby out-of-wedlock.

This year, we have YouTube and the Huffington Post and Google and email blasts, all powerful tools for spreading the word -- and not susceptible of control by either the Obama or McCain campaigns.

The pols may be right that 'kids are off limits', but you can be sure that the POLICY QUESTIONS behind the story -- sex education in the schools, 'abstinence' as a public policy, making US foreign aid contingent on abstinency education, AIDS/HIV policies, and more -- will be thrashed out, whether or not the pols want.

Candice Bergen won an Emmy for her work
in 'Murphy Brown', which ran from 1988 to 1998.

Too bad Avery, Murphy Brown's baby boy, is only 16 this year.

He will have to wait until 2012 to cast HIS vote.

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Time, 6/1/1992: "Dan Quayle versus Murphy Brown"
VP Dan Quayle: "Address to the Commonwealth Club, May 19, 1992"
TV Museum: "Murphy Brown: Situation Comedy, 1988-98"
Wikipedia: Dan Quayle | Murphy Brown |
2000 Campaign: "Anatomy of a smear campaign" -- McCain was smeared in 2000 race by Bush campaign as fathering a Black child out of wedlock.

-- Dan Damon

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