Plainfield meeting touches on minority concerns with redistricting

Plainfield was the location of a little-publicized meeting this past Saturday to discuss minority concerns with the upcoming legislative redistricting that is mandated to take place after the release of the Census 2010 population numbers next month.

I am told about thirty attendees gathered at the Mohawk Lodge on West 3rd Street at 10 AM in a meeting that featured leadership from the NJ State Conference of the NAACP, the Garden State Bar Association and the NJ Black Issues Convention (see links to websites at end of post). Representatives of some statewide Latino organizations were also invited.

Though Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs was a participant, several Council members told me they were unaware of the meeting at all, and one Council member said an email notice was received from Robinson-Briggs' confidential aide Barbara James just ten minutes before the scheduled starting time of the meeting.

Assemblyman Jerry Green was also said to be in attendance, though making a late appearance, and said to offer not entirely helpful remarks with regard to Hispanics, noting that he 'likes' Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Paterson) but is suspicious of the motives of most Hispanics.

The state's legislative districts are to be redrawn by a bipartisan commission evenly split between Republicans and Democrats and with an independent tie-breaking member selected by the commissioners (or appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court if they cannot agree). That commission will have to work in haste to have its map approved in time for the April 11 filing deadline for the June primary election.

Minority voters are likely to be a bone of contention between the Republican and Democratic sides as each tries to shape the district lines to maximize the chances for 'safe' districts returning members of one or the other party on a regular basis.

PolitickerNJ, the website of all things political in New Jersey, took up the issue in a post yesterday (see here), but for the most part the public's attention has yet to focus on the matter.

While participants said the Saturday meeting was useful for bringing concerns about the fate of minority voters in the redistricting to the fore, it is not clear exactly what strategies will emerge as the process unfolds.

The email from James indicated that further meetings are scheduled for Newark (today), Jersey City (tomorrow), Glassboro on January 18th and Toms River on January 20th.

All of this takes place in the context of both the redrawing of New Jersey's Congressional districts (which will surely be contentious as we are losing one Congressional seat) and local wards and voting districts (which must also meet the April 11 deadline).

More on the implications for Plainfield of all of this later.

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• Politicker NJ:  "Race to play major role in redistricting effort"
  
• Websites --
•  "Garden State Bar Association"
•  "NJ Black Issues Convention"
•  "New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield, New Jersey and America the morning after

Why this image with an election story? Read on.

Plainfielders turned out in droves yesterday to elect Rebecca Williams and re-elect Bill Reid to City Council, and to push Linda Carter over the top, making her the top vote-getter among the three Freeholde candidates, despite being a newbie.

And Plainfield's (unofficial) 7,717 votes for Congressman Frank Pallone did their part in cementing his -- narrow -- victory over Tea Party challenger Anna Little.

By the numbers tracked at the New Dem headquarters on East 7th Street, Plainfield came through with a 39% registered voter turnout -- which will probably top 40% once the absentee ballots are counted in the next few days.

The race for the Wards 2/3 at-large seat are an indicator of the strength of the 2010 turnout: Williams polled 4,426 as contrasted to Councilor Burney's tally of 3,719 in 2006 -- a 19% increase in voter turnout.

So Plainfield had plenty to be proud of last night locally.

NEW JERSEY
 
Democrats kept three of four key Congressional seats (Pallone, Holt and Pascrell), with only freshman John Adler losing to former football pro Jon Runyan in South Jersey.

And Linda Greenstein won a special election for a state Senate seat in Mercer County, in part due to the efforts of Plainfield's own Christian Estevez, who was on assignment to that campaign.

Democrats will continue their hold on the Legislature, but without a veto-proof majority in the Senate (it will be 24 Dems - 16 Republicans).

NATIONAL

While the GOP made enormous strides in House seats nationally (see links to national coverage and interactive maps at end of post), the Senate remains in Democratic hands, though weakened.

Beginning today, reality will set in. That throbbing feeling in the heads of victors this morning -- whether Dem, GOP or Tea Party -- is not just from the overindulgence in the moment last night, it comes from the realization that all of the problems facing their defeated incumbents yesterday ARE NOW THEIRS.

Voters nationwide are upset at the state of the economy and the rate of joblessness. Though President Obama labored mightily, their is a widespread feeling that he had a tin ear to the question of jobs -- which I think is the straw that broke the back of many folks who supported Obama in 2008 and pulled the plug on Tuesday.

Tea Party victors now face a terrible choice: either maintain their independent streak and be utterly ignored in Congress or be co-opted by the GOP and become the big-spending Beltway insiders they inveighed against during the campaign.

The independents who voted GOP because they are upset over the economy and joblessness will give the new crew a chance, and if things don't improve will change their vote again in 2012.

Will President Obama learn the value of having political enemies in the driver's seat? Only time will tell.

UPCOMING CHALLENGES

One of the biggest challenges facing Plainfield in the electoral scheme of things is the REDISTRICTING that will take place once the Census figures are verified early in 2011.

Lines will have to be redrawn from the bottom to the top, beginning with Plainfield's ward and district boundaries.

After the 2000 census, both Ward 2 and Ward 3 were enlarged by the several blocks -- a result of POPULATION GROWTH in Ward 1 and Ward 4. Will that trend continue?

Voting districts are also redrawn where necessary to account for shifting turnout patterns. (Districts are determined by the numbers of voters who turn out on average, with a threshold that mandates reducing the number of districts in a ward and redrawing the lines when it is not met.

Plainfield will also be facing the question of LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT REDISTRICTING. Will the 22nd Legislative District remain the same? Or will there be a rejiggering of the lines?

As for Congressional districts, these must also be redrawn if, as expected the Census results will cause the loss of a Congressional seat.

In both the Legislative and Congressional redistrictings, having a Republican governor in office will have an effect -- even though New Jersey's system calls for an 'independent' tie-breaker to be appointed to the redistricting commission.

And Plainfield and the state Democratic party will be worried about whether Plainfield will be put into a more (or mostly) Republican district, depriving Plainfield of the clout it brings to the electoral table.

One thing the future will not be is DULL.


PS -- the Red Stripe Beer illustration accompanying this post is a nod to the fact that I lost an election wager with New Dem chairperson Adrian Mapp, and I will be presenting him with some of Jamaica's famed Red Stripe beer. Prosit!

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• National Elections Overviews:  Politico | WashPost | NYTimes | WSJournal |
• Local and New Jersey Overviews:  "See today's CLIPS"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Development: Interactive, historical maps for Plainfield area

So, OK, the headline is slightly misleading. These great interactive maps are for the whole of New Jersey, including Plainfield.

They come from a link in yesterday's NYTimes story about New Jersey's 'last million acres', which I finally got time to read last night (see here).

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last thirty years, you know that SPRAWL has been the dominant New Jersey story for years.

Even mostly-built-up Plainfield has not escaped. Literally hundreds of units of housing -- from condos and townhomes to the luxury offerings of Hovnanian off Woodland Avenue above Muhlenberg Hospital -- have risen over the past couple of decades, proving that change is everywhere, Plainfield included.

Left hand pane shows point selected, right pane shows aerial view
in slideshow of several historical photos.

Not only that, more is on the way, or at least proposed to be on the way.

Whether you are concerned about what the complete 'building out' of New Jersey may mean for our future quality of life, or if you are just curious to get a historical perspective on development in our area, you will want to check out these interactive maps.

The project (see website here) is a project of Rowan University's geospatial labs and Rutgers.

In addition to the interactive maps (here), there is a downloadable report (here, PDF) on the study.

The maps have two panes -- the left-hand map preview, and a right-hand view of the subject area with several historical aerial views.

Simply zoom in on the left hand map to the detail you are interested in and click to center the view. The right hand window will reflect the location you clicked. You can click to re-center as often as you like, and it accepts the tiniest of moves. If you are interested in an area that is 'off screen' simply drag the map when a hand shape appears in any direction you like. (It's a hybrid of Google maps and historical aerial views from Bing.)

There is also a feedback mechanism (see here) for you to offer more information, corrections, or to report problems with the data.

Map geeks, on your mark!

Go!

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• New York Times:  "New Jersey: Down to its last million acres"
• Rowan University:  "Changing landscapes in the Garden State"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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A second thought on pay-to-play: Close that loophole

I'm having second thoughts about one of the pay-to-play 'reforms' posted on Plainfield Today on Wednesday: Raising the contribution disclosure level from $300 (to $1,000 is suggested).

When ELEC's chairperson Jerry Fitzgerald English put forward his reform proposals in the agency's July newsletter (see here, PDF), I thought the proposals would go a long way to helping free New Jerseyans from the excesses of the corrupt pay-to-play atmosphere.

Now that it seems legislation may actually be put forward, by State Sen. Tom Goodwin (see story here), I am having second thoughts about the fourth of English's points, raising the disclosure.

English argues that because this is New Jersey, the limit is unrealistically low.

Upon reflection, it seems to me that this would be a major LOOPHOLE to any effective reform.

As things stand now, non-cash contributions up to $300 are exempted from the requirement that the donor's name, address and employer be reported.

The way many vendors get around the pay-to-play restriction is to have spouses, relatives, in-laws, employees and other make contributions to the $300 limit, meaning that the donor information will not have to be reported.

These contributions are often 'bundled' into one envelope presented to the candidate together, just so the candidate should understand exactly how much money has been generated by the vendor.

It's been a loophole all along.

Raising the limit to $1,000 would simply make it easier for it to continue to be an even more effective loophole, making it possible to raise larger sums without any reporting requirement.

A more gutsy 'reform', in my mind, would be to eliminate the exemption and simply require ALL contributions to be reported (as is the current situation with CASH DONATIONS, for whom the donor must be reported no matter how small the cash contribution).

Will somebody propose it?

Hey! This is New Jersey, what do you think?

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• Plainfield Today:  "Will Robinson-Briggs lose favorite pay-to-play trick?"
• PolitickerNJ:  "Goodwin running with ELEC ball"
• ELEC:  "ELEC-tronic: July 2010" (PDF)

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Census 2010 may bring big changes to Plainfield

Dr. Ernest Reock's guide to redistricting in New Jersey.

Plainfield's 2010 Census is being handled much differently from that of 2000, as far as I can see, and that portends possible big changes coming.

Depending, of course, on what is happening elsewhere in New Jersey and whether or not Gov. Chris Christie will speedily 'promulgate' the Census findings when they are expected to be delivered to him in early February 2011.

Breaking the 50,000+1 barrier for Plainfield has consequences that have previously been noted (see here) --

...[g]etting a census figure of 50,001 residents would mean that Plainfield would get its CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) monies DIRECTLY from HUD. For decades, Plainfield has had to suffer the indignity of monies generated for the programs by virtue of its economic profile going to other Union County communities whose profiles would not generate the same level of revenues. All under the watchful eye of a committee said to be attentive to the desires of 65 King Street [the home of Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo]...

But there are other impacts -- the city's wards will have to be redrawn, the Legislative district may shift as well as the Congressional district.

PLAINFIELD WARDS

Plainfield's four wards were redrawn after the 2000 Census.

Based on the Supreme Court's 'one man, one vote' ruling (Reynolds v. Sims, 1964 -- see here), Plainfield four wards are supposed to represent approximately one fourth of its total residents in each. (Voting districts are an entirely separate matter; a district is determined by the numbers of voters who turn out on average, accounting for the disparity between high- and low-turnout areas in the city.)

As population distribution patterns in the city fluctuate, Ward lines are redrawn to maintain the relative equality. After the 2000 Census, Ward 2 was extended northward to George Street (from South Avenue) and Ward 3 was extended northward to include portions of West 4th Street (from West 7th Street). Both these adjustments reflected a growth in the total populations of Ward 1 and Ward 4.

My gut feeling is that that trend will show itself to have continued in the 2010 Census, and that may mean further changes to the boundaries of the four wards.

Those changes will be made by a Board of Ward Commissioners that will include the four members of the Union County Board of Elections (2 Dems and 2 Republicans) plus the municipal clerk (who has the tie-breaking vote).

I have the current Ward maps online --

• Ward 1 

• Ward 2 

• Ward 3 

• Ward 4

It is most likely the new ward alignments will be in effect for the 2012 election cycle.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS

The 22nd District includes towns in 3 counties.

Demographic changes may also affect the outlines of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts. Although Union County is not expected to have grown that much, growth spurts in other areas of the state can cause the average number of voters to be included in a legislative district to cause the boundaries of the 22nd District to shift (for more on our district, see here); for more on municipal population estimates statewide, see here).

This will be an interesting one to watch, also expected to first affect the 2012 election cycle.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Our Congressional district is a textbook case of gerrymandering.

After the 2000 Census, Plainfield was added to the 6th Congressional District, whose representative is Frank Pallone.

The district is the very model of modern gerrymandering, Plainfield looking like the head on a very attenuated dragon.

New Jersey is widely expected to lose one of its 13 seats in Congress in this next go-round, meaning all of the Congressional district boundaries will have to be redrawn by the NJ Redistricting Commission (the responsible body -- see more here). This is sure to get interesting as incumbents try to jostle each other to keep their seats. As growth has shifted to central and southern sections of the state, boundaries of the districts in the urban north and east are likely to be shifted outwards.

For a detailed overview of the complete redistricting process, you can do no better than to download, read, mark and digest Dr. Ernest Reock's Redistricting New Jersey After The Census of 2010 (available here, PDF).

Whatever Plainfield's final count in Census 2010, there is certainly going to be plenty else to keep an eye on, which is likely to affect us in ways both large and small.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Local support for monster rally against Christie budget cuts

George Rivera, education chairperson of the Plainfield NAACP has forwarded information on the monster rally being planned for Saturday, May 22 to protest Gov. Christie's proposed cuts to schools, health care, transit and libraries in his upcoming budget; and to demand passage of the 'millionaire's tax'.

More than 60 groups have signed on as sponsors of the event, planned to kick off at noon in front of the Statehouse.

Fliers and sign-up forms in both English and Spanish are available on the Better Choices for NJ website (see here).

Bus pickup locations have been scheduled throughout the state. For more information and/or a list of the pickup locations, contact campaign@betterchoicesfornj.org.

You can also sign up online at the Eventbrite invitation (see here).

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Was Corzine sealing a deal with referendum non-veto?

Plainfielders following the story of the last-minute switcheroo by Jon Corzine on the anti-referendum bill get another piece of the puzzle this morning.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), lobbied her November running mate not to sign the bill, and thought she had made her case, only to discover -- 13 minutes before Chris Christie was sworn in -- that Corzine had moved the bill out of the 'vetoed' column, according to a story on PolitickerNJ (see here).

'It's bad public policy, it's bad government, it's bad politics ... to change the law to take democratic action away from the citizens is to me a rather serious step,' Weinberg said.

I'll second that.

This being New Jersey, one has to wonder whether there was some sort of deal at stake here, some quid-pro-quo between Corzine and the Democratic power structure.

What could he have wanted that was in their gift?

Perhaps we shall see soon.

(Hey, Auditor! You lookin' at me?)

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• PolitickerNJ: "Weinberg upset Corzine did not veto referendum bill"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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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.

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-- Dan Damon

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NJ campaign issues featured on WNYC call-in show

Plainfield concerned about seeing that the real issues in New Jersey get aired (as opposed to driving habits and cash gifts), have a unique opportunity to hear -- and PARTICIPATE -- in an on-air discussion on the area's famed public radio station, WNYC (93.9 FM, 820 AM).

Each day this week, talk show host Brian Lehrer will take up a separate New Jersey issue on his eponymously-named show, which airs from 10 AM to Noon daily. A background story by senior news correspondent Bob Hennelly is here.

Here is a rundown of the week's lineup --

Week 3: Week-long Focus on Development in NJ

As with the look at NYC, this week will be devoted to development issues in New Jersey, from high profile projects at the Meadowlands to the intersection of development and corruption.

11 Mon 10/5 Corruption and Development
12 Tues 10/6 Focus: The Meadowlands
13 Weds 10/7 Smart Suburbs and Transit
14 Thurs 10/8 Affordable Housing
15 Fri 10/9 Farmlands and Open Space

CALL IN to share your insights and questions (212-433-9692), email the show here, or log on to the program's website and leave a comment here.

Jump in, the water's fine!

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-- Dan Damon

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Why wasn't cop's gun discovered at Newark Liberty?

A Wayne, NJ, police officer planning to honeymoon in Cancun was being held by Mexican authorities after a .40-caliber Glock pistol was discovered in his bags (read the full story at northjersey.com here).

Everyone seems to be coming to his defense, saying it was an oversight.

But, shouldn't the real question be how he got it past security at Newark Liberty airport in the first place?

Are cops excused from screenings at the airport?

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• northjersey.com: "Cop arrested in Mexico after gun found in his bags"

-- Dan Damon

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Is fighting corruption worth it?

This Plainfielder was struck by a comment on a recent Ledger story concerning Middlesex Borough's contemplation of tougher pay-to-play restrictions (see story here).

Commenting on the proposal to be tougher than the state by limiting the contributions of any firm doing business with the borough to $300, 'obiwanisback' says --

... [a] nice idea but it won't work. Just give the cash to your friend, neighbor or relative with a different last name and have them send the donation in...

In Plainfield, the Council didn't even try to trump the state's weak pay-to-play rules.

What's worse, Plainfielders must face the charade of the 'fair and open process' of awarding contracts, where they are given -- without bidding -- to those on a list the administration has previously prepared and submitted to the Council for ratification.

Yet even where there are supposedly open public bidding procedures, bid-rigging goes on.

Someone, it seems, will always find a way to bend or break the rules.

Writing in NJ Newsroom, Jim Goodman points out that Alexis de Toqueville cast a sharp eye on American political corruption in his 1830s book and decided that it was a 'life-giving element of the system' (see article here).

Sisyphean though the task seems, my small-town heartland-of-America values demand keeping pushing the 'reform' ball uphill.

Is it worth it?

Albert Camus, reflecting on the myth of Sisyphus, condemned to eternally repeating the task of pushing a rock up a hill only to have to repeat the process when it rolls back, suggested that we should learn to 'love our rock', whatever it is.

What do you think?

Vote in the poll HERE (top of right-hand column).

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• Ledger: "Middlesex eyes new pay-to-play rules"
• Newsroom NJ: "Corruption scandals as old as democracy itself"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Corruption Thursday: No joy in Plainfield

Plainfielders convinced that Union County is part and parcel of the corrupt practices highlighted in yesterday's massive 'Corruption Thursday' bust of mayors, Assemblymen and assorted government officials got no joy yesterday as the lengthening list of names published throughout the day failed to feature any Union County pols or operatives.

I was continually bombarded by email and cell yesterday -- 'Any Union County names'?

One caller said, 'I just want to hear two names' and then rattled off the name of a well-known county figure whose last name is composed of two words.

Sorry, folks.

No joy in Mudville just yet.

But PolitickerNJ's columnist Wally Edge recently noted that AG Anne Milgram is going after Democratic pols -- including Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte De Filippo (see here). The same day the Ledger ran a story about Milgram's expanding investigation into vote fraud in Essex County (see here), and another story noting that Senators Ray Lesniak and Nick Scutari were pushing back against Milgram's choice for civil rights chief (see here).

That would be the same Sen. Lesniak who set up a defense fund for De Filippo last May, which included as a co-founder Monmouth County Dem chair Nick Scudiery.

Wait a minute!

Monmouth County -- isn't that where Deal is located? One of the foci of the Corruption Thursday bust?

As environmentalist John Muir once said, 'everything is connected to everything'.

Ain't it so.

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-- Dan Damon

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July 4, New Jersey and 'We the People'

Peter Rodino, Newark Congressman,
presided over the Nixon impeachment hearings.

Plainfielders giving thought to the significance of Independence Day would do well to ponder how the founding of this great, diverse country has led to opportunities for immigrants and the children of immigrants to put their stamp on the country and its place in world affairs.

Take the case of Peter Rodino, son of Italian immigrants and congressman from Newark from 1949 to 1989 (profile here).

Rodino eventually became chair of the House Judiciary Committee and was charged with presiding over the impeachment hearings of President Richard M. Nixon in 1973.

A model of probity and fairness, Rodino navigated the treacherous waters of the hearings -- which could have been merely a Democratic partisan exercise -- eventually securing a unanimous vote of Republican and Democratic members alike to impeach the President.

Preamble to the Constitution

Rodino's respect for the Constitution inspired his widow Joy to pen a memoir, Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me, a meditation grounded in the preamble to the Constitution (more here), perhaps the most memorable words ever assembled by a committee --

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Joy was the subject of a recent profile by Ledger columnist Mark DiIonno (see here), a fitting brief read for this day that recalls our nation's founding.

Then, go out and take in the July 4th Parade, down Front Street to the center of town, beginning at 10:00 AM.

Your batteries will be recharged.

Time Magazine recognized Rodino's role.

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• Ledger: "A tribute to Peter Rodino and 'We the People'"
  
• Amazon: "Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me"
  
• Wikipedia: "Peter (Pellegrino) W. Rodino"
• Cornell: "United States Constitution"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Mayor Sharon's pal runs for governor against Corzine

The Rev. Shannon Wright	Mayor Robinson-Briggs

An old pal of Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs has announced her intention to run for Governor against Jon Corzine.

Saying she can 'no longer endorse a candidate that (sic) has demonstrated inability to make the hard decisions necessary to put our state back on solid ground', PolitickerNJ continues to quote from the Rev. Shannon Wright's statement launching her candidacy --

“...Our state is in a crisis. This is not the time to be indecisive. We need a strong, clear thinking leader with a heart of the people, an ear for wisdom, and a spirit of the greater good. Politics can no longer be “me first,” too many families are hurting.”

Plainfielders with good memories will remember the Rev. Wright bursting upon the scene after Mayor Robinson-Briggs' inauguration in 2006.

In July of that year, the late Council President Ray Blanco lectured Robinson-Briggs for casually walking on appointments to a youth commission (created in March of 2006) that included the Rev. Wright, her children Chandra and Michael Jr., and Devon Walcott, son of Democratic party fixture Johnny Walcott, withdrawing the nominations from the agenda by fiat on the spot.

Wright and the others were subsequently confirmed, following Blanco's untimely death.

The youth commission raised eyebrows because no schedule of public meetings was ever announced and the rump commission (it was supposed to have 15 members, but only the four were ever appointed) went on to spend $3,000 in public monies without an accounting.

Although an annual accounting of its activities to both the Mayor and the Council is part of the ordinance, there is no indication any reports were ever made.

Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, the Rev. Wright vanished, though there were differing versions of where she had gone.

Not to worry.

We now learn that she was the campaign manager of Franklin Township's Republican mayor Brian Levine in his abortive attempt to get on the GOP gubernatorial bandwagon (his petition was bounced this past week for lack of qualified signatures).

Does this mean that Mayor Sharon might possibly be asked to run as an independent in the Rev. Wright's Lieutenant Governor spot?

Why not?

This is, after all, Weird New Jersey.

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• PolitickerNJ: "Levine's campaign manager resigns, launches bid for governor"
  
• PolitickerNJ: Wally Edge: "African American woman running as an Independent could pull votes from Corzine"
• Ledger: "Rev. Shannon Wright to run as independent for governor"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Does Mayor Sharon want to cut library funding in half?

Plainfielders are justly proud of their public library, and they show it by using it heavily.

And a story in last Sunday's NY Times (see here) noted that New Jersey's libraries are being heavily used in these challenging economic times. This reminded me of another story on New Jersey libraries that ran in the Courier about a month ago (see here), which struck me as a little odd because I couldn't quite figure out why the NJ Library Association's executive director, Pat Tumulty, was beating the drums so hard about library services.

After all, there had been a spate of stories nationwide about how important a resource libraries have become in these tough times for those who use their free Internet connections and access to resume-writing software to stay on top of the job market.

A little digging turned up the story behind the story: an effort by the NJ League of Municipalities (on whose Executive Board Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs sits) to reduce legally required funding of public libraries by 50% (see League resolution in PDF here, and letter to mayors here).

That would, to put it mildly, cripple the state's public libraries and make life even harder for those who depend on its services.

The League shopped around for a sponsor in the Legislature and found one, writing to the state's mayors on February 12 of its success (see here) and citing the bill number, A3753 (see here).

The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Bergen), the Deputy Majority Whip. You may view his legislative profile here.

Two questions come to mind:

1. Since the League resolution passed unanimously, are we correct in assuming Mayor Sharon supports cutting library funding by half?
   
   
2. If she supports cutting library funding, why hasn't she said so in Plainfield?

Is Mayor Robinson-Briggs really this mean-spirited? Or is she just careless and inattentive to details?

Oh yes, there may be another question: What's become of the proposed bill?

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NJ League of Municipalities --

• Letter to Mayors, 1/08/09: "Library Funding Changes and Resolution"
• Resolution 2008-03: "Regarding Tax Levies for Free Public Libraries" (PDF)
• Letter to Mayors, 2/12/09: "Re: A-3753 Municipal Library Funding Flexibility"
  

NJ Assembly --

• Profile: "Assemblyman Vincent Prieto"
• Bill: "A-3753: Reduces tax levy for free public libraries"

NYTimes, 3/15/09: "Times Are Tough, and Libraries Are Thriving"
Courier, 2/24/09: "Central Jersey's libraries show 'snapshot' of services, impact on residents' lives"

-- Dan Damon

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Plainfield school aid from state to top $100M

State aid to the Plainfield public schools for the 2009-10 school year will push the district over the $100M mark, according to a story in today's Courier.

Written by Gannett State Bureau reporter Michael Symons, with inserted material by local reporters, the PRINT EDITION carries a section on Plainfield that is missing from the ONLINE version.

I am transcribing the missing section below, without comment.

CHARTER HIT

Plainfield Public Schools, the lone Abbott district in the Courier News coverage area and one of two in Union County, will receive a one percent state aid increase. The move pushed the approximately 7,000-student district's aid over the $100 million mark, from about $99.2 million to $100.6 million.

The district was one of 10 Abbott districts (out of 31 statewide) to receive an increase at all, as four of the state's largest urban school systems -- Newark, Jersey City, Trenton and Camden -- failed to see aid figures rise. But Superintendent Steve Gallon III said the news was tempered by a stark budget reality facing the district.

"We're very pleased that the state made provisions for us to realize a one percent increase, keeping in mind that several (Abbott districts) did not receive an increase at all," Gallon said. ". . .however, we are very, very cognizant that with the influx of charter schools into the city's landscape, that increase will be mitigated."

Gallon explained that the district's charter school budget has spiked from $8.6 million in 2008-09 to $11.4 million for 2009-10, a $2.8 million hike that more than eclipses the $1.4 million rise in state aid. Most of the aid increase will be used to offset the charter-school hit, Gallon said, and it will not "have a significant impact directly on students in (the district)."

Plainfield has Union County's only four charter schools. The district's budget for such facilities has increased almost tenfold, from $1.2 million to more than $11 million, in a span of seven years, according to Gallon.

If the online version is updated, I will post the link to it later.

Screenshot of Plainfield aid from state's website.
(Click on image to enlarge or print.)

You can search the state's database of aid by any school district here.

---

• NJ Education Dept.: "2009-10 Summary of Aid"
• Courier: "Despite state cuts, aid the same for some schools, increases for others" -- The online version of the article that does NOT contain the Plainfield portion.
  

-- Dan Damon

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Find Plainfield's 'Stimulus Plan' plan. I dare you.

You may recall that back in January, I pointed out Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs apparently had not participated in the NJ League of Municipalities effort to prepare proposals for the expected Stimulus Plan (see here) -- despite the Mayor being a member of the organization's Executive Board.

Now comes further evidence the Robinson-Briggs administration may be asleep at the switch. But first, a little infill.

Assemblyman Jerry Green took great offense (see here) --

Regarding the stimulus package, New Jersey is in a good position in the realm of awareness when it comes to the outlines and guidelines of the financial aid we will receive. I have to agree with Doc in that he is right in some of his comments regarding the package moving from the House to the Senate, and there being a hold up in the Senate. With that being said, how could anyone say that Plainfield missed their deadline when the package is still in negotiation? To those who spread misinformation: when you do not have a clue as to what you are talking about, and stand behind it like it is a bonded word, you end up looking very foolish.

-- utterly disregarding that the 'deadline' I mentioned was only that of the statewide organization of which Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs is a board member.

Assemblyman Green goes on to enlighten us on how 'plugged in' HE is going to be on the process of distributing New Jersey's share --

To ensure the fact that the funding from the stimulus package...is appropriated fairly and out of necessity throughout the State of New Jersey, Governor Corzine has constructed two committees to monitor such actions. He has asked me to work directly with the new director who will monitor these two committees. One committee will provide the function of monitoring allotted funds that can be used in this year’s budget, while the second committee will oversee the balance of such funding. This is precisely the sort of initiatives our President is communicating that he wants to see; a unified front statewide that aims to foster and sustain efficiency and effectiveness.

-- which implies that the Assemblyman expects Stimulus Plan money to help Plainfield out in the CURRENT BUDGET YEAR.

Lastly, Assemblyman Green lets us know --

I look forward to sharing this information with the Mayor and Council President so that we can institute projects that will meet the criteria outlined by the federal government. Some of the recommendations of projects to jumpstart would be the roads here in Plainfield, and any infrastructural projects that we have on paper, but have not been able to act on due to the lack of financial backing, such as our IT System. From the Governor’s standpoint of building up infrastructure and sustaining it, these sorts of projects are of TOP priority.

Let's see now. With Plainfield's jobless rate reported in today's Courier to be at 10% (second highest in the newspaper's service area -- see here), Assemblyman Green is proposing to use the Stimulus Plan money to hire ONE FAT CAT AT CITY HALL FOR $130,000 and leave everyone else starving on the sidelines? And his proposed road projects WOULD NOT PUT A SINGLE UNEMPLOYED PLAINFIELDER to work.

Nice guy, this Assemblyman Green. Thoughtful.

Which brings us to the NEW news, thanks to reader SM.

The New Jersey page on Stimulus Watch.

A new website, called STIMULUS WATCH (see here), is monitoring 'shovel-ready' programs proposed by cities across the country for Stimulus Plan money.

Here is the New Jersey entry --

Below are the 'shovel-ready' projects for which the mayors of this state have requested federal stimulus funding. You can click on a project to read (and add to) its description. You can also discuss the project and vote on whether you believe it is critical or not. For a more local view, you can drill down to projects in a particular city. Just choose a city from the following list:

• Clifton • East Orange • Edison • Elizabeth • Hamilton • Irvington • Newark • Orange • Piscataway • Trenton •

The total of cost of all the projects submitted by New Jersey is $2,685,299,405.

Note Elizabeth is included, as are Irvington, Orange and Newark. As well as Plainfield's next-door neighbor, Piscataway.

But no Plainfield. Does that mean Plainfield has no 'shovel-ready' projects for Stimulus Plan money?

Not to worry, Assemblyman Green has it covered. In his February 2 post, he notes --

...one of my first phone calls this morning was to the Mayor and Administration to ensure ‘i’s and ‘t’s are dotted and crossed when the funding from the stimulus package is available for our State.

So, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and her administration are on top of everything.

Quick! Cross those i's! Dot those t's!

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• Plainfield Today: "Robinson-Briggs: Stimulus plan? What stimulus plan?"
• Jerry Green's Page: "NJ's relief efforts: Community first!"
  
• Courier News: "City's jobless rate hits 10%"
• Stimulus Watch: "New Jersey 'Shovel-ready' projects"
  

-- Dan Damon

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