Mayor Sharon photo opp at new Senior Center today

Plainfield senior citizens will get a first look at their new Senior Center at 11 AM this morning, when Mayor Robinson-Briggs is scheduled to host a ceremony there.

It's a good thing that the Seniors are finally getting their new center, and I certainly hope they enjoy it.

It's a bad thing that it is not what they were promised (size) or need (parking).

It's also a bad thing that it is not 'free' as Assemblyman Green is constantly touting. The city is now a glorified renter in the new building with a 13% share of the operating costs -- in perpetuity. Some 'free'!

This is in contrast to the original plan for the Senior Center, where the City would have owned the building outright and used rents from commercial/professional tenants to pay off the bonds, eventually turning the Center into a load-free asset for the City.

So much for the Assemblyman's 'positive' contribution. (Well, it is maybe, but to the UCIA, and not to the City.)

Jerry also said at a Seniors' meeting back when the project was being discussed that the Dornoch building would be 'just like Cranford Crossing', the condo project which is mere steps from that town's train station, includes a sizable parking deck, and is in an attractive shopping district.

Assemblyman, I know Cranford Crossing. I've been to Cranford Crossing. I've seen the Cranford Crossing shopping district. Assemblyman, this is NO Cranford Crossing.

And this is without taking into account the questionable transfer of the property to the UCIA for $1. (Since this was a 'development' project and not a REDEVELOPMENTproject, word is the property should have been offered to the HIGHEST BIDDER. Certainly it would have fetched more than a measly dollar, no?)

The builder, the politically well-connected Fishman family's Dornoch organization, which can't get it up in Rahway (see ongoing troubles with their Savoy project here), is delivering the goods for Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs. Could it be because there is no mayoral race in Rahway this year?

Despite the fact that with upwards of twenty redevelopment plans on the books and seemingly countless projects being proposed, the fact remains that after three and a half years, Mayor Sharon can boast of only this one project's completion.

But have no fear, somehow I feel a political mailer coming on -- with a smiling Mayor Sharon, in front of the new building, perhaps hugging a worker -- telling us how lucky we are to be Living In The Promised Land Through Unity In The Community.

---

-- Dan Damon

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Jazz pianist Ernie Scott plays Smiley benefit Thursday

Love jazz? Think Jerry's gotta go? Plainfielders can kill two birds with one stone when Plainfield's living jazz keyboard legend, Ernie Scott, plays a benefit performance for Assembly candidate Rick Smiley Thursday evening.

Scott, longtime friend of Smiley and his wife Belinda, will play for the delight of Plainfield's New Democrats and their friends at the Mapp-Smiley headquarters at 117-B Watchung Avenue, from 7:00 - 10:00 PM.

Light refreshments and beverages will be served.

Suggested donation: $25 at the door.

Come on out, have fun, support Rick and Adrian (or oppose another candidate of your choice).

---

Art for Democracy
Keyboard Stylings Of

Ernie Scott
Thursday, May 21
7:00 - 10:00 PM
New Dem HQ, 117-B Watchung Avenue
Suggested Donation: $25

-- Dan Damon

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Mayor Sharon: Math-challenged Artful Dodger?

Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs is in full campaign mode, dodging crime facts, exhibiting a truly weird math sense, and raising questions about her understanding of respecting boundaries.

CRIME IS 'DOWN'?

In Mayor Sharon's carnival-mirror world, 'crime' is down.

Depends on what 'crime' you are talking about.

Gang and gun crime are down slightly (5% -- from 485 to 461 incidents, according to Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig -- see here).

But the fact of the matter is that NONVIOLENT CRIME (read: home invasions, burglaries, robberies, car breakins, etc.) are UP -- not only up, but UP BY MORE THAN 12% over the previous year (see the Ledger's April 22 story here, a recent Courier story here, and candiate Adrian Mapp's blog here), and these are the crimes of which Plainfield voters are most likely to be the victims.

MAYOR SHARON'S WEIRD MATH

Claiming that murders are down 300 percent shows Robinson-Briggs' math is even weirder.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, consider the chart below --

What it looks like to reduce something by 300%.

So as not to damage any brain cells in checking her math, let's use an example any taxpayer can grasp.

Suppose for the sake of illustration that your annual property taxes are $5,000.

Using the chart above, you can see that if your taxes are reduced by 100% they will be at $0, as in the second column in the chart.

If reduced by 200%, they would be negative 100% as in the third column, and if reduced by 300%, they would be 200% below the zero line.

This would make you very happy, since the City would actually be paying you $10,000 instead of you paying the City.

Translating this to murders, it means that Mayor Sharon has undone murders -- from a high of 15 in 2005, to having brought 30 murder victims ... back to life?

Weird math.

ABOUT MAYOR SHARON'S CAMPAIGN PHOTOS

In the two mailers she has put out so far, Mayor Sharon has chosen interesting photos. The crime mailer shows her posing with three smiling cops, in uniform, apparently at some event.

Her previous huggy-kissy mailing piece pictured her with youngsters.

Were these photos of the mayor performing official duties and taken by her house photographer, Laurence Rice? If so, why is Mayor Sharon using pictures paid for on the public dime? Isn't that cheating?

On the other hand, it would just be a continuation of her ongoing inability to get the boundaries right between the political and the official -- think of the banner of her sporting a campaign button that is stretched across the front of City Hall.

THE ARTFUL DODGER

Charles Dickens created 'the Artful Dodger', a cunning pickpocket who became the leader of a gang of child criminals in Oliver Twist.

Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers recorded an American folk song inspired by this character in 1941 (see here), including the following lines --

Oh, the candidate's a dodger, yes, a well-known dodger,
Oh, the candidate's a dodger, yes, and I'm a dodger too.
He'll meet you and treat you and ask you for your vote,
But look out, boys, he's a-dodgin' for your vote.

We have a dodger on our hands, folks, but is she an Artful Dodger?

---

• Courier, 5/17/09: "Crime, utilities agency dominate mayoral race"
• Ledger, 4/22/09: "Crime is on the climb across Union County"
• Adrian Mapp, 5/15/09: "On crime and public safety"

-- Dan Damon

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PHS security guard suspended after strip search

A Plainfield High School security guard has been suspended after a strip search of a 15-year-old female student, according to a report in the Courier News.

The report, which appeared in Friday's print edition, has not appeared online as of Sunday, May 17, and was transcribed by DD and posted online HERE.

Working on email situation

Will be spending weekend working on email situation.

Hope to have everything up and running by Monday.

Go work in the yard!

-- Dan

Jerry confirms cop caper under investigation

Assemblyman Jerry Green has confirmed that a Plainfield police officer is under investigation.

I reported yesterday (see 'Will Mayor sweep cop caper under carpet?') that stories were circulating concerning the use by the officer of a Police Division van while on duty and in uniform to move personal belongings to a location in an adjoining community.

As usual with Green, however, one has to be careful in assessing what he says. Green writes in his blog, Jerry Green's Page, the following --

...[r]egarding the issue with the Plainfield Police officer, it is my understanding that the matter is under investigation. That being said, the officer will either be charged or cleared. No one is trying to sweep the matter under the rug. Nevertheless, if the evidence shows that the officer broke the law, then like anyone else, the consequences need to be applied to the officer. There are no double standards here...

Let it be known that Assemblyman Green is the FIRST ONE TO SUGGEST that the officer BROKE THE LAW.

In my humble opinion, and not being a lawyer myself, my guess is that the misdeed doesn't rise to the level of criminality. However, I could be wrong.

In any event, my concern is that there be no POLITICAL INTERFERENCE by the Mayor to avoid potential embarrassment while she is facing the Democratic primary on June 2.

While it may comfort some to see the Assemblyman write that, if necessary, 'consequences need to be applied to the officer'...and 'there are no double standards here', readers might also note that the Assemblyman does not call for a speedy resolution of the matter.

In which case, you might conclude it will be decided WHFO*.


*When Hell Freezes Over

---

-- Dan Damon

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Jerry's attacks on Estevez: Is Jerry losing it?

Would a spy-catcher be useful?

Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green has attempted to slime Board of Ed member Christian Estevez for three days this week.

Estevez posted a measured response on his blog yesterday, asking why Green doesn't respect the privacy of the District's students and employees (see here).

Reasonable people might wonder whether the Assemblyman is going around the bend.

Let's see if we can sort out any facts from his increasingly hysterical rants.

On Monday, the day BEFORE the Board of Ed's weekly meeting, Assemblyman Green wrote (see here) --

I am researching the policy on the books regarding the criteria for security at the high school for searching students, female students in particular. It is my understanding that ...School Board member Chris Estevez [is] trying to cover up such activities at the high school, situations where student’s rights are being violated.

On Wednesday, the day AFTER the BOE meeting, he had this to say (see here) --

A few days ago, I brought to the attention of the public an issue dealing with a young female whose rights may have been violated by a security guard at the Plainfield High School. Because the Mapp team controls the Board of Education, their point person, Christian Estevez, who is running on the New Democratic slate as a Committee person, is working very hard behind the scenes to not allow this to become public knowledge.

Thursday, the Assemblyman continued his attack (see here) --

Secondly Dan, Adrian Mapp, and Christian Estevez: Was a young, 15 year old female’s rights violated in the Plainfield High School recently, yes or no?

Leaving aside the tortured grammar, what can we parse from all this?

1. Assemblyman Green evidently knows something about a search of a 15-year old female PHS student by security staff.

Questions for the Assemblyman: Was it drug-related? Was it weapons-related? Was it theft-related? Was it justified? Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

2. Assemblyman Green asserts a cover-up.

Questions for the Assemblyman: Why aren't you accusing Dr. Gallon of a cover-up, since he is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school district? Or are you -- indirectly? What makes you think Estevez was even aware of the search when you wrote? As a matter of fact, I am told the matter was brought FOR THE FIRST TIME to the Board on TUESDAY evening, the day AFTER Jerry wrote about it. Now, if Estevez didn't know about it until Tuesday, why didn't Jerry accuse Board President Bridget Rivers (who might be expected to know more in advance than other Board members) of a cover-up? Or why not accuse Jerry's own handpicked Board member, Lisa Logan-Leach? Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

3. Assemblyman Green fails to mention any Police Division involvement.

Questions for the Assemblyman: How is it that you come to know so much before the matter is even brought to the Board of Ed's atttention at a Board meeting? Were the police involved? Was a police report on the incident submitted? Did Lisa Logan-Leach, who processes incident reports in the Police Division have improper contact with Assemblyman Green, supplying confidential details about the incident? Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

4. Does Assemblyman Green have an anti-Hispanic agenda here?

Questions for the Assemblyman: Does Jerry have an anti-Hispanic agenda here? I have noticed that Assemblyman Green has gone out of his way to go after Christian Estevez ever since Gov. Corzine had the temerity to appoint Estevez to a statewide Hispanic (correction) immigration affairs panel. It bothered Green so much that he pulled strings to get a nominee of his own appointed -- Carol Ann Brokaw-Boles, PMUA chairperson and currently a candidate in the mayoral primary. Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

5. Doesn't Assemblyman Green believe in the rule of law?

Questions for the Assemblyman: If incidents such as the one Jerry refers to are to be handled by policies set up by the school district, in accord with New Jersey law, shouldn't Jerry point out where the rules have been broken or the law transgressed? Instead of slinging mud? Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

6. Do these attacks on Estevez have anything to do with Jerry not being able to pick the new Board president?

Questions for the Assemblyman: Jerry made phone calls on behalf of having his candidate Lisa Logan-Leach elected BOE president at the recent reorganization. A majority of the Board resisted and Bridget Rivers was re-elected. Did he make the phone calls as a 'citizen'? (I am reminded of Orwell's distinction that all citizens are equal, it's just that some are 'more equal'.) Jerry doesn't enlighten us.

7. Where does Jerry Green get his 'inside' information about the Board of Ed and the School District?

Is Lisa Logan-Leach the source of all his knowledge of confidential school district matters? If so, is that an ethics breach? Should an ethics complaint be filed? Perhaps the first thing to do is bait a trap. George Smiley would have been most adept at that. Maybe Dr. Gallon and the virtuous Board members should take a look at Alec Guiness' portrayal in the two BBC series featuring the famed spy-catcher.

So, dear reader, is Jerry losing it? Or is he a wily slimer?

Or perhaps a little of both?

---

-- Dan Damon

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Will Mayor sweep cop caper under carpet?

Word in the street is that a Plainfield police officer who is close to Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and whom some credit as instrumental in her 2005 election, was videotaped in uniform, on duty, using a Police Division van to move personal items to a business location the officer has in a neighboring community.

And that the videotape is in the hands of the Police Division's Internal Affairs unit.

Some say the whole incident will be swept under the rug until at least after the June 2 primary, in which Robinson-Briggs faces Councilor Adrian Mapp and four other contenders.

Or will it?

---

-- Dan Damon

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Was DeFilippo cash to Green a payoff?

Was Jerry Green paid off by Charlotte DeFilippo to the tune of THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS?

Many Plainfielders are intrigued by the question of whether Assemblyman Green has improperly benefitted personally from his relationship with Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo.

Not many people know that Jerry grossed THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS in the sale of a property he owned to the Union County Improvement Authority, of which DeFilippo is the executive director.

The transaction, which took place quietly in 2007, came to mind when I came across the following written by Assemblyman Green in a recent piece he titled 'Real Politics' (see full story here) --

...some elected officials use their power for personal benefit, while real politicians use their influence for community betterment.

A noble sentiment, but I wondered which side of the equation the Assemblyman is on.

Have you been lucky enough to sell any of your multiple properties to a well-juiced political operative? Well, why not?!

Windfalls of this magnitude don't just happen by luck. The stars, as they say, have to be aligned.

There is an old saying, 'A politician who is poor is a poor politician'. And this certainly seems to be true of the Assemblyman.

What intrigues me, now that the heat is being turned up on the investigation into DeFilippo's wheeling and dealing -- especially in real estate -- is whether the trail is leading to Plainfield.

Was Charlotte's Camelot Title Agency involved in the transaction?

Was there any quid pro quo?

Has Jerry made his contribution to DeFilippo's legal defense fund?

And will he need to be starting one of his own?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Should Jerry come clean? Vote now in the poll at top of the right-hand column.

---

• Ledger: "Probe focuses on Union politicos" (11/09/2007)
• PolitickerNJ: "Lesniak, Cryan form legal defense fund for DeFilippo" (5/07/2009)
• Jerry Green's Page: "Real politics" (3/24/2009)
• NY Times: "Carlos Hank González, coiner of famous bon mot" (8/13/2001)

-- Dan Damon

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Robinson-Briggs, Watson diss public, skip forums

MAYOR SKIPS FORUM

Some say Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs disrespected the voters Tuesday evening by failing to show up for the candidate forum organized by Shiloh Baptist Church's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas.

I beg to differ. I think Mayor Sharon's opting to dismiss the event is evidence of her disrespect for the democratic process, where those who seek to lead the community come before the voters to present -- and defend -- their platform, record and point of view on pressing issues.

It had been rumored for weeks that Robinson-Briggs might not attend the event. The reason given Tuesday evening was that she 'had an important meeting with the Governor'.

Unless she dined privately with Corzine after hours, I think not.

The Governor's published schedule for yesterday showed that he was booked for the annual Governor's Conference for Women in Atlantic City (see more here). If this is the 'meeting with the Governor' of which Robinson-Briggs speaks, it doesn't wash since the conference concluded at 3:45 PM, plenty of time for Her Honor to get back to Plainfield.

Was this a fatal mistake?

I'm not sure, but it certainly fits with her style of only wanting to appear in generally friendly circumstances and avoid being bruised by public questioning (sort of like events organized for George W. Bush?). She has been noticeably absent from recent Council meetings except for huggy-kissy opportunities.

In any event, ALL the other candidates were on hand, made their pitch to the voters and answered questions posed by attendees.

Courier News reporter Mark Spivey was present and you can expect a story online later and probably in print Thursday.

WATSON THROWS EMPLOYEES TO THE WOLVES

At the same time as the mayoral forum, angry residents packed the Library's meeting room to discuss their frustrations with the PMUA (Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority).

Though organizer Pat Turner Kavanaugh had originally expected that PMUA Executive Director Eric Watson would attend, he instead sent operations director Howard Smith and PR person Erin Donnelly. How unlike President Obama, who steps right up to the plate when the hot potatoes come his way.

As with the Mayor, this was a serious blunder.

The two were not up to the task, a fact that was exacerbated by Smith's chauvinism -- he seemed to think it was all about him and hardly acknowledged Donnelly's presence, let alone treating her like an equal member of a team.

It's been many years since I've seen anything so baldfaced as this. Maybe Watson should include some consciousness-raising and team-building training in future junkets.

The meeting was wild and woolly, in part because of the extremely loose hand with which it was guided by its organizers.

Assemblyman Jerry Green put in a cameo appearance and made brief remarks, saying 'I'm not here to be critical...but there need to be some changes', before he left for the candidate forum at Shiloh Baptist Church.

When Green assumed the podium and began speaking without either being introduced or introducing himself, a man in the back of the room interrupted him, calling out 'And who are you?', at which attendees guffawed. Somewhat flummoxed, Green identified himself as an Assemblyman. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Eventually most folks did get to ask their questions and get some sort of response from the PMUA staffers.

For the most part, however, Smith and Donnelly appeared tone deaf about ratepayer concerns and their 'answers' fell mostly into two categories: either not answering the question at all, or using the Dashield-like 'I'll have get back to you on that'.

A case of the former was the homeowner who is on a Monday-Thursday trash pickup schedule who asked what to do about extra garbage when Monday legal holidays meant that he had excess garbage for the Thursday putout? Answer: You must not fill the containers so much the lid cannot be pushed firmly closed. The answer simply did not address the question of what is essentially offering a whole class of residents (those with Monday pickups) less service than all others.

An example of the latter came when asked why the sewer charges are so much higher than water charges, and why they are calculated on the previous year's usage. Though you would think the hapless employees would have been ready to handle this common question, they were not, and Smith fell back on the 'we'll get back to you' shtick.

DumpPMUA founder Phillip Charles spoke at length about the frustrations he had dealing with the PMUA's rigid and defensive bureaucracy, citing the experiences as motivating him to start his website (see here) and monitor and publish his findings about the organization.

While the anger of the ratepayers may yet translate into action at the polls, Charles shone a spotlight on an issue that may have more direct repercussions for the PMUA's haughty methods.

One of the issues that led him to file a suit against the agency is the most recent rate increases -- which have gotten people plenty steamed.

Though the rate hearing was held on January 26, Charles stated that the new rates went into effect on January 1.

This appears to be a big no-no.

One has to wonder what kind of legal advice Watson and the PMUA commissioners were given that allowed them to arbitrarily jack the rates before the public got to speak out on the matter. And how much they are paying for it.

One last example of PMUA tone-deafness: the next Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2.

That would be Primary Election Day, in which PMUA chairperson Carol Ann Brokaw-Boles is a candidate and, presumably, would be busy.

Not to mention the ratepayer-voters.

---

• DCA Website: "Annual Women's Conference"
• Website: "DumpPMUA"

-- Dan Damon

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Two go-to forums tonight: Mayoral candidates, PMUA

Plainfielders following city issues have two choices tonight: a mayoral candidates' forum at Shiloh Baptist Church and FOSH's forum on the PMUA at the Plainfield Public Library.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Shiloh's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, has put together and will moderate this evening's forum, to which all mayoral candidates have been invited. As of this writing, I am still hearing that one has not yet formally accepted the invitation, a fact which gives a certain frisson to the evening's festivities. (Today's Courier features a story here.)

The format of the CANDIDATES FORUM will differ significantly from the League of Women Voters format Plainfield residents are most accustomed to. Before the meeting, candidates will draw lots for the order in which they will speak. The forum will be moderated by Dr. Thomas, who will introduce each candidate. Candidates will have ten minutes to present their platforms, followed by five minutes of direct questions from the audience.

The forum is At Shiloh Baptist Church, 515 West Fourth Street. Info: (908) 754-3353.

FOSH's PMUA FORUM

Responding to intense interest in the community over the PMUA (Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority) and its rate increases and service questions, the Friends of Sleepy Hollow (FOSH) has organized a forum for Plainfield residents with a PMUA staffer, also this evening. (See the story in today's Ledger here and more information on the DumpPMUA website here.)

Besides the matters which gave rise to the meeting, residents now have the hubbub around the trip made by PMUA executives, Commissioners and staffers to Oakland, CA on the public dime last month.

Hopefully, organizer Pat Turner will share the tale of her adventures (and misadventures) with the PMUA trying to put this meeting together and get some simple public information from the defensive public authority.

Turner told me she was informed that PMUA Executive Director Eric Watson, originally scheduled to appear as the PMUA representative, will not be there. She was told that 'a PMUA representative' would attend, but not Watson, who is 'busy'. The Ledger reports there will be TWO reps from the PMUA.

The FOSH forum on the PMUA is at 7 PM this evening in the Anne Louise Davis Meeting Room at the Plainfield Public Library, Park Avenue and 8th Street.

Can Ms. Brokaw-Boles, mayoral candidate and chair of the PMUA's Board of Commissioners, make both events?

Don't know, but I'm going to try to.

---

• Ledger: "Plainfield residents confront waste management"
• Courier: "Mayoral candidates and trash forums set for Tuesday night"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Candidate Profiles in Courier: Interesting omissions and more...

Mayor Sharon's MySpace profile from February.
(Click on image to enlarge or print.)

Plainfield's seven mayoral primary candidates got their first opportunity to get their story before the Courier's audience with Sunday's print edition. Many folks keep the section for future reference as the campaign unfolds.

It's interesting what some of the candidates omitted to tell the voters.

For instance Mayor SHARON ROBINSON-BRIGGS, running for a second term, omits any reference to having been Board of Ed president (where she was cited by the State in an ethics matter) or her Seton Hall degree in Political Science/Criminal Justice (mentioned in her MySpace profile, see image above). Interesting enough, but Mayor Sharon shows that after all these years she still has trouble keeping City Hall and politics separate -- by listing her official city government email as the point of contact. Not cool for someone who has had more than three years to get it right.

Mayor Sharon touts her Seton Hall degree
and Board of Ed experience.
(Click on image to enlarge or print.)

CAROL ANN BROKAW-BOLES has some great credentials, all listed in the candidate profile, though she evidently did not submit a photo. Curious, among the long list of her activities, are one omission and one inclusion. The omission? There is no reference at all to the fact that she is Chair of the PMUA's Board of Commissioners. The inclusion? She includes the organization whose conference in April ignited a firestorm when it was discovered 13 Commissioners and staff went to the Oakland, CA event, apparently at the public's expense. (The Courier profiled the brouhaha in Sunday's edition, see here.)

Inexplicably, two of the Democratic contenders dropped the ball and did not appear in the handy 'keeper' reference -- MARTIN COX and TOM TURNER.

Does size matter?

Some say yes, some say no. But if you're into measuring things, Robinson-Briggs clocked in with the longest one at 20 inches, with Mapp and Brokaw-Boles in the middle of the pack. Ferraro came in a distant fourth with 3 ½ inches.

Fourth Ward council candidates Bridget Rivers and Vera Greaves also submitted profiles.

Unfortunately, if you go to the Courier's web page for the yearbook, you will not find it up yet. Will advise when it is posted.

Courier candidate 'yearbook' as it appears now.

---

-- Dan Damon

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Jerry & Sharon's Mother's Day Gift: An Update

A year ago, Plainfielders were coming to grips with the threat of Muhlenberg's closure.

One of the Muhlenberg workers affected was the grandmother of my godson (see the original story here).

Older, but not old enough for Social Security, her years of working in Muhlenberg's cafeteria left her with few job options.

How has she fared since then?

She has found work, but it is part-time in the cafeteria of a public school, with no healthcare or retirement benefits.

Though her reduced circumstances have made life more difficult, her religious grounding and strong family network have helped her through these difficult times.

While Assemblyman Jerry Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs have moved on and seldom mention Muhlenberg any more, my godson's grandmother represents their REAL Mother's Day gift to Plainfielders.

Jerry and Sharon, how can we ever thank you enough?

---

-- Dan Damon

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Mayoral campaigns: No shows, hot seats and signs

Just a brief update for Plainfielders following the developing mayoral primary race --

BROKAW ON HOT SEAT

4th Ward candidate Bridget Rivers hosted a candidate meet-and-greet at her home earlier this week. Though Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs was a no-show, candidates Mapp, Brokaw-Boles and Cox attended. People who attended advised that the meeting was relatively low-keyed until 4th Ward residents began asking candidate Brokaw-Boles, who is also chair of the PMUA commissioners, about the agency's recent fee increases and other matters. Seems that upset over the agency reaches to all corners of the Queen City.

ONE CANDIDATE SHOWS FOR HARVEST RADIO

Harvest Radio had invited ALL the mayoral candidates for a talk-show with phone-ins this past Thursday afternoon, but only one candidate took advantage of the offer. The net result is that Adrian Mapp had a solo opportunity before the station's listenership. What candidate would give up the opportunity to be in front of an audience? Several, it seems.

SIGN UPDATE

Sign-spotting around town, I note that in addition to signs for Robinson-Briggs and Mapp (including Rick Smiley, who is running against Assemblyman Jerry Green in the primary), mayoral candidates Tom Turner and Martin Cox have a sprinkling around town. In the 4th Ward, there are signs for Bridget Rivers and Vera Greaves (who is on Sharon's signs). No signs in evidence yet for Bob Ferraro or Carol Ann Brokaw-Boles.

SHILOH FORUM TUESDAY

Shiloh's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, is offering the candidates an opportunity to be in a forum this coming Tuesday at 7 PM. Word has it that ALL BUT ONE of the candidates has responded they will be there. To find out who the missing one will be, you'll have to be there. Unless, of course, they read this and get their act together. Forum is Tuesday, May 12, 7 PM, Shiloh Baptist Church, 415 West 4th Street.

Things are beginning to get interesting.

---

-- Dan Damon

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Jerry Green contributing to DeFilippo defense fund?

UC Dem Chair DeFilippo	Plainfield Dem Chair Green

For Plainfielders interested in what has become of the investigation into Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo, the rug under which it has seemingly been swept was lifted slightly yesterday.

PolitickerNJ posted an item mid-morning Thursday that State Sen. Ray Lesniak, Assemblyman Joe Cryan (chair of the State Democratic Party) and Monmouth County Dem Chair Victor Scudiery are organizing a LEGAL DEFENSE FUND for the beleaguered chairwoman (see story here).

Some say that former Assemblyman Neil Cohen, for whom DeFilippo once worked and who is facing sentencing on child porn charges, is singing like a canary. He certainly should have a lot to sing about, one suspects.

Will the investigation spread to Assemblyman Jerry Green, who has benefited politically -- and personally -- from close relations with the county Democratic chair?

We shall have to see.

In the meantime, PoltickerNJ reports total contributions in the 'five-figure range' are being made by pols to the defense fund.

Does that include our friends Assemblyman Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs, on whom DeFilippo has heaped such praise?

It will be interesting to see how much Green, notoriously tight-fisted with his money, gives to help his pal.

For those interested in Plainfield Today's complete coverage of the wheelings and dealings of DeFilippo in Plainfield, see the articles here and from the 'old' Plainfield Today site here.

---

• PolitickerNJ: "Lesniak, Cryan organize defense fund for DeFilippo"
• Plainfield Today: "Charlotte DeFilippo articles" -- Old PT site posts here.
  

-- Dan Damon

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Did Jerry Green intimidate employees to run for City Committee?

At least three Plainfielders who are city employees are being run by Democratic Party chair Jerry Green for seats on the City Committee, to be voted on in the June 2 Primary.

I wonder whether they are being intimidated by Chairman Green into running.

As many know, Edison mayor Jung Choi is facing a life-and-death struggle in his race against the powerful Democratic machine for a second term.

Currently, he is being beaten up over alleged contacts with police officers -- off duty and at home -- about running on his line for seats on the Democratic committee. Today's Courier (see here) picks up the story line that was first put out yesterday by the Ledger (see here).

The PBA is calling it 'intimidation' --

... [the PBA spokesman] said the visits occurred in the weeks leading up to the April 6 deadline for candidates to enter the race for the township's 167-seat Democratic committee... Choi, who is running for a second term as mayor, fielded a slate of 120 candidates on his ticket.

Choi visited at least five off-duty Edison police officers at home, [he] said...

"This puts (the officers) in a bad position: 'Either I say no to the guy and shoot my career in the foot, or I do something I don't want to do,'"... [he] said the officers themselves would not comment because "they're afraid of retaliation."

Several questions occur to me --

• Were these candidates solicited by the Assemblyman after hours or while they were working?
  
  
• Was there any implied threat to their careers if they didn't say yes?
  
  
• Would they really have been free to run with the New Democrats (as some had before) if they wanted to?

Silly Dan!

Plainfield is NOT Soviet Russia or Communist China!

Everyone KNOWS The Chairman is above reproach and would never use intimidation!

Stop smirking.

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• Courier: "Edison PBA files complaint, alleging intimidation"
• Ledger: "Edison PBA accuses Choi of visiting homes"

-- Dan Damon

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Would it be like this if the PMUA ran the city?

As other Plainfielders and I were leaving Tuesday's PMUA board meeting, an incident happened that was both threatening and revealing of the PMUA's attitude toward the community.

While we were funneling out the door so the Commissioners could go into executive session, one of them called out loudly, 'Dan Damon! Dan Damon! Come here!'

When I approached the Commissioners dais, I bent over close thinking the Commissioner had something private to say only to have my eardrums blasted as they shouted 'Don't you ever put my name in your blog unless you know what you're talking about! Ever! Do you hear me?!'

Puzzled, since I have not mentioned this Commissioner's name, I asked what they were talking about. 'You know! You said I went on that trip [to Oakland --DD] and I didn't! Don't you ever do that again!'

Angry. Menacing. And just plain uninformed.

It's clear this Commissioner, who shall remain nameless, is more misinformed than they were accusing me of being. They could not have read their name in Plainfield Today because it never appeared there.

Not only had I NOT mentioned the Commissioner's name, they are NOT mentioned in the DumpPMUA investigation of the trip by at least 13 people to a conference in Oakland, California the last week of April (see DumpPMUA here; for the PMUA's take, see their website here).

Leadership by being misinformed, defensive and threatening is never a good thing.

But that's not all.

I learned from Pat Turner, a retired Star-Ledger reporter and longtime Plainfield activist, that her simple request for information from the PMUA (who are the commissioners? who appoints them? what is their compensation?) was met with the response that she must file an OPRA request for the information.

I kid you not.

Further, she says that when she went to PMUA headquarters and asked for the OPRA form, she was told they weren't available there and she had to go elsewhere. (After quite a go-round, the forms were HAND-DELIVERED to her home by an employee!)

This is right in line with the treatment I reported on April 30 of a customer getting the runaround over opt-out forms (see here).

It is just these issues (transparency, good customer service, sticking to the organization's mission) which are causing people to rally around DumpPMUA (see their website here).

Instead, Plainfielders are getting a defensive circle-the-wagons reaction.

Is this what it would be like if the PMUA ran the city?

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• DumpPMUA: "Trip to Oakland, California Conference"
• PMUA: "PMUA chairperson speaks at conference"
  
• Plainfield Today: "PMUA Questions: Boondoggle? Runaround?"

-- Dan Damon

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July 4th Celebration: Should something go?

The matter of Plainfield's July 4th celebrations came up again at Monday's Council session.

Does Plainfield have to lose yet one more sign of its proud past?

Seems to me that in tough times, those in charge should be looking at how to get the most bang for the buck.

Stretching the money thinner and thinner to cover all the various components doesn't make sense to me.

Why not take a cold hard look at the three separate activities -- the morning parade, the concert and the fireworks -- and decide whether one or more of them ought to go?

The only reason that the 'Central Jersey July 4th Parade' seems not to be more 'central Jersey' is that Plainfield doesn't organize it that way -- at least not under the Robinson-Briggs administration.

Each year it gets limper and limper.

There are hardly any of the attractions that used to draw thousands upon thousands -- multiple marching bands whose music and razzmatazz marching stirred the crowds. Or the Shriners with their wacky miniature cars zigzagging down the parade route. Or tapping into our sense of patriotism -- is this not a great country, warts and all?

While some think the parade wouldn't be missed, I'm not so sure.

And I'm not so sure we would be better off without it.

Maybe we could do without the concert and use the money saved to beef up the parade and the fireworks?

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-- Dan Damon

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Assemblyman Green demands investigation of PMUA

Writing on his blog a few days ago (see here), Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green said he has asked the State Comptroller to 'examine the entire operation of the PMUA', saying --

...It is important because of the high rate of dissatisfaction with this agency. By asking the State Comptroller for a thorough deduction of the PMUA, this asks a neutral entity to deduce its operation, allowing us to make decisions on facts...

I couldn't agree more with Assemblyman Green's stated desire to see the facts, but experience shows that he is more clever at getting the headline than he is at delivering on his promises.

So...while it is tempting to assume he has done what he says, perhaps we ought to invoke the 'trust, but verify' rule. Here are a couple of things Assemblyman Green needs to do show he is serious and not just blowing smoke --

1. To assure the public that he has really requested a 'thorough deduction' of the PMUA by the Comptroller, he needs to post a copy of the letter sent the Comptroller making the request.
   
   
2. The public needs to know NOW, not three weeks from now, or after the Primary, in which the Assemblyman is now making this an issue.
   
   
3. The Assemblyman needs to make sure the complete travel, entertainment and reimbursement records of the Commissioners, executive team and department heads as well as City Council liaisons are made public all the way back to the beginning of the PMUA.

Doing these things will help Assemblyman Green in two ways: It will show the public he is not just grandstanding, and it will show us just how much mojo he has with the State's bureaucracy.

But the Assemblyman isn't the only one who has an interest in clearing up the questions around travel and other expenses by the PMUA's Commissioners, executive team and department heads -- as well as City Council liaisons.

Ms. Carol Brokaw-Boles, as chair of the Board of Commissioners, should also want to clear the air, especially since the current trip to Oakland doesn't appear to be connected to the PMUA's mission (solid waste and sanitary sewers), and appears profligate at a time when the Authority is laying off workers.

Both Ms. Brokaw-Boles and executive director Eric Watson should want to completely open up these travel records and show the ratepayers their tax dollars have been well and wisely spent.

You may want to express your opinion in the poll on this matter at the top of the right-hand column.

Or at the Board of Commissioners meeting tomorrow at 7 PM at PMUA headquarters, 127 Roosevelt Avenue.

Or both.

P.S. Checking back on the DumpPMUA website just before publishing, there seems to be some question of a side junket to Las Vegas by an unknown number of those attending the Oakland conference. Check the website here for updates.

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• Jerry Green's Page: "Comptroller asked to investigate PMUA"
• State of NJ: "Office of the State Comptroller"
• PMUA: "Home page"
  
• DumpPMUA: "Oakland -- and Las Vegas? -- trip" | "Home page"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Want some spare cash? Join the FOSH/VWB garage sales.

Who couldn't use a little spare change in these tight times?

Plainfielders have an opportunity right now to take advantage of one of the city's most popular events, FOSH's annual garage sale, which attracts thousands of browsers -- and buyers -- each May.

Last year, the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District held a yard sale on the same day. The experiment was deemed worth pursuing, and this year the VWB has joined forces with FOSH, which has a reputation with the annual sale (and marketing muscle), in a joint promotion of the event.

You can still register to participate (download the form here -- PDF) by submitting your application and fee to FOSH, which is handling the details. (Note the fee is $5 more for submitting after May 1st.)

Besides the fun of having stuff you are ready to part with discovered as 'treasures' by shopping visitors, you will want to mark your calendar for the 'Maidens in May' house tour being offered the same day by the United Way's Plainfield Community Council. The house tour benefits the Plainfield Rescue Squad and the Tri-County Chapter of the Red Cross.

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• FOSH: "FOSH website" | "Garage Sale application" (PDF)
• VWB: "Van Wyck Brooks blog" | "Yard Sale & House Tour"
• United Way: "Maidens in May House Tour"

-- Dan Damon

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Pet Fair Sunday at Trailside

Plainfield pet lovers will want to check out the 30th Annual Pet Fair Sunday at the Trailside Nature Center from noon to 5 PM.

The fun family day includes loads of activities for kids and pets (mostly dogs), featuring a petting zoo, face painting, games with prizes and contests galore for dogs.

Exhibitors include everyone from animal rescue organizations to pet services.

Admission: $3/person, children 6 and under FREE. At Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside. (908) 789-3670 or visit the website at www.ucnj.org/trailside.

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-- Dan Damon

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Mayor Sharon's recreation forum, an update

Seems not many Plainfielders wondered what to do at 7 PM on Tuesday evening when Mayor Robinson-Briggs scheduled (on short notice) a community forum head-to-head with the citywide block associations meeting.

Though there was no notice of the meeting on the city's website, where press releases are posted, a brief item appeared in Tuesday morning's Courier (see here).

A resident who is interested in recreation matters attended and reported back.

Here are the text messages I was sent --

7:14 PM. I'm the only member of the public here so far.
7:19 PM. Present: Mayor, Assemblyman Green, 6 employees.
7:24 PM. Seems like it might start. No.
7:29 PM. Outta here.

Reminds me of the old 'Plan ahead' poster.

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• Courier: "Forum Tuesday to highlight recreation activities"

-- Dan Damon

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