Dems work while Sharon defends 2010 actions

 
Plainfield's Democrats were busily working on plans for the final days before the Primary Election on Friday evening, while half a block away incumbent Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs summoned Rev. Al Sharpton to her aid in defending her actions regarding a 2010 WBLS radio broadcast. (For reportage on the Sharpton event, see Bernice here and my post here).

After hearing from candidates Linda Stender on the situation with the Legislature, Adrian Mapp on his vision for Plainfield, and Linda Carter on the tasks at hand in Union County, the seventy or so assembled city committee candidates and supporters got down to brass tacks about campaign details. (Coincidentally, Sharon's event drew only a similar number.)

Using a spreadsheet detailing every phone call made, door knocked on and lawn sign distributed, Assemblyman Jerry Green, led a district-by-district review of support for the Democratic ticket, for Adrian Mapp for Mayor, and for Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

The review was used to highlight the few areas where the Regular Democratic Organization needed to tighten up support in anticipation of the June 4 Primary.

As the meeting ended, some attendees at Sharon's Sharpton event arrived and were debriefed on how that program went.

Saturday morning, volunteers on the Mapp campaign were out knocking on doors by 10:00 AM and plan to work through the holiday weekend.

June 4, election day, is just a week from Tuesday.

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• Plaintalker II:  "Sharpton visits, pledges support for mayor" 
  
• Plainfield Today:  "Swag from Sharon's Sharpton event shows she fibbed"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Were Plainfielders unfair to Rev. Al Sharpton?

Everything about the 2010 WBLS broadcast leads back to Sharon, not Sharpton.

Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs asserts in an online story from the Courier (see here) that her community meeting this evening will --

...provide the community of Plainfield with accurate information. There’s a lot of stuff that has been thrown out over the last three years that was pretty unfair to myself and the Rev. Al Sharpton...

Her Honor is referring, of course, to the huge flap caused by her misappropriation of funds given by Investors Bank for the 2010 July 4 Parade to instead cover expenses to WBLS for the broadcast of the August 1, 2010 community forum (which included a brief appearance by Rev. Al Sharpton).

In the ensuing investigation, Sharpton was only referenced in connection with the event as a participant (as for Plainfield Today, you will find I have only referenced Sharpton twice [see here] but have many references to the WBLS investigation [gathered together here].)

Investors Bank provided testimony in the Council's investigation that the $15,000 check had been cut for July 4 Parade expenses. Investors did not at any point say that it had given Robinson-Briggs permission to apply the funds to any other purpose.

Former City Administrator Bibi Taylor testified concerning the Keystone Cops atmosphere surrounding Robinson-Briggs' attempt to scrape together the funding as a deadline for pre-payment approached (see my report here). The focus of everything is the Mayor's actions, Sharpton is not a part of the story.

No matter where one starts in the whole WBLS broadcast fiasco, all roads lead back to one person: Sharon. And it is Sharon, not Sharpton, whose record is on the line.

And Democrats will make their decision on June 4.

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• Courier:  "Plainfield mayor to host Rev. Al Sharpton again"
• Plainfield Today:  "WBLS inquiry: Is fraud the issue?" (9/22/2011):
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield Dems rally tonight

Mayoral candidate Adrian Mapp smiles down on an iconic
Plainfield street corner.

Tonight's rally for Plainfield candidates on the Regular Democratic Organization's line caps a week of nonstop meetings in the runup to the June 4 Primary Election.

Assemblyman Jerry Green, chairperson of the local party, will gather the troops for a pep rally as we head into the Memorial Day weekend and the final week of campaigning.

The highlight of the local campaign is the contest between Councilor Adrian Mapp and incumbent mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, who is running off the line. Fourth Ward Councilor Bridget Rivers is unopposed. This year, Democrats will choose party candidates for offices ranging from Governor at the top of the ticket (Barbara Buono is the nominee) to neighborhood District leaders at the local level.

68 men and women are on the ballot for District representatives in Plainfield's 34 voting districts. Assemblyman Green, Assemblywoman Linda Stender and Senator Nick Scutari are also up for the party line, as well as Plainfield's own Linda Carter, who this year serves as Chairperson of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. 

The meeting gets under way at 7:00 PM at campaign headquarters on West Front Street (next to the Dunkin' Donuts). Guests and supporters are most welcome.

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Last minute chance for organic produce deliveries

Plainfield resident John Brinkley sent along an email noting that Honey Brook Organic Farms is willing to provide boxed produce to Plainfield residents, providing twenty residents are willing to sign up and participate in the program.

More information is available on the Netherwood Neighbors website (see here), including a registration form.

But you  must hurry -- the deadline is tomorrow.

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Sharpton skipping Sharon's campaign event

Robinson-Briggs has invited popular MSNBC journalist
Rev. Al Sharpton to her illegal campaign event.

The Rev. Al Sharpton will not be making an appearance at Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' hastily organized, poorly publicized and illegal campaign event slated for Friday evening at Washington Community School, according to a source.

The event, which Robinson-Briggs is trying to disguise as a 'community forum' first came to public attention at last Sunday's NAACP candidate forum and was reported by Bernice.

Though Robinson-Briggs has taken great pains to make sure the event is clearly NOT city-sponsored (no use of the city seal or listing of the city as a sponsor), there are clear indications that is is a CAMPAIGN EVENT and not a true community forum.

Consider these facts --

• The title: 'Partnerships, Priorities and Progress for Plainfield' echoes Robinson-Briggs Primary Election slogan;
  
  
• The only 'hosts' are mayoral candidate Robinson-Briggs and PMUA employee Kim Montford, who is running on the same slogan as Robinson-Briggs for a Ward 1 committee seat';
  
  
• A community videographer has been denied permission to tape the meeting, though it is supposedly 'public'.

As a partisan political campaign event, the meeting would not be allowed on public school property, suggesting that Mayor Robinson-Briggs is trying to flim-flam the school district.

My source suggests that Robinson-Briggs did not inform Sharpton that this was an illegal campaign event, nor that the circumstances surrounding his prior visit at her invitation (the $20,000 WBLS matter) led to an investigation of her conduct with regard to its financing, and that the Attorney General's office has yet to exonerate her from any criminal liability in the matter.

Meanwhile, Sharpton's situation has changed greatly since 2010, when he was spent a few minutes at a true community forum (councilors and other mayors were present as participants). Sharpton has since become a popular journalist with MSNBC, which jealously guards the purity of its brand and would likely look askance at such damaged goods as Robinson-Briggs.

So, one of Robinson-Briggs' last hopes for generating any forward momentum in her re-election campaign may come to naught.

Would anyone be surprised?

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Is Sharon fatally wounded by her no-show at debate?

Sharon and Mapp were to debate last night, but she was a no-show

Have Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' chances of re-election been fatally wounded by her no-show at Wednesday evening's mayoral candidates forum?

The Plainfield Public Library's meeting room was packed to the gills with a crowd eagerly anticipating the first -- and only -- opportunity to see and hear the incumbent mayor and her challenger, Councilor Adrian Mapp, face-to-face.

Organized by FOSH and co-sponsored by the Plainfield chapter of the League of Women Voters, the event was emceed by FOSH president Pat Turner Kavanaugh and guest LWV moderator Dawn Clark, who has filled that role at several Plainfield forums.

When the appointed time came, the audience was asked to be patient pending the arrival of the Mayor. Kavanaugh gamely filled in the time with a series of 'community service announcements', several of which drew rounds of applause from the audience (especially notice of the FOSH plan to erect signs in honor of PHS Cardinals' two state championships). Eventually, however, Clark made the decision to pull the plug and the event was shut down about 7:30 PM. At that point, candidate Adrian Mapp announced that he was prepared to stay and answer questions from attendees as long as they wished.

As some were making their way to the exit and others to the front to speak with Mapp, longtime mayoral go-fer Barbara James arrived with a note from the Mayor, explaining her absence was due to a medical condition (Bernice and the Courier were said to have been given copies, not moi).

After all the titillation dies down, the burning question is whether Sharon's failure to show will be fatal to her re-election hopes.

Bearing in mind the maxim that each person in attendance will influence between 10 and 20 others' perceptions of the events (and that was before the days of bloggers, FaceBook and Twitter), the negative fallout to Robinson-Briggs runs into the thousands. (Keep in mind that very few people were aware of her explanatory note, which arrived as things were breaking up.)

Add to this the fact that Robinson-Briggs is not walking the districts door-to-door -- it is just not her style -- and she is left with appealing to niche groups that she has fallen back on before.

Though she has called for a 'community forum' for Friday evening, that is a barely concealed campaign event and using a school facility as its venue is being protested (see my other post here).

One local operative with years of experience estimates that Robinson-Briggs has only about $10,000 in funds on hand. That would be barely enough for printing and mailing just one citywide piece, with nothing left over for the final get-out-the-vote push which is so essential to winning an election.

Even if she has backers secretly (and illegally) bankrolling many of her campaign expenses, there are limits to anyone's resources, unless of course they have a million dollars to spend to help a drinking buddy.

Add to this that we are going into a long holiday weekend, the official beginning of summer, and many folks will not be focused on politics until everyone is back at work on Tuesday. That leaves Robinson-Briggs with precious little time to engineer any recovery of lost forward motion by her campaign.

Are her chances fatally wounded?

By her own doing, I'm afraid.

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Robinson-Briggs to endorse Christie?

Sharon and Christie ... perfect together?

Is Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs preparing to endorse Chris Christie for governor?

While Plainfield Democrats were noshing and swaying to the beat of a Caribbean steel band on Saturday evening at Councilor Mapp's home, breakaway candidate and incumbent mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs is said to have been busy schmoozing it up with her supporters at a fundraiser for Republican Assembly candidate John Campbell Jr. at Plainfield's BUF complex.

Christie has crowed about several Democratic endorsements of his candidacy in recent days, and the Paterson City Council president's endorsement yesterday created quite a stir (see story here).

Campbell's candidacy is just a mosquito-buzz of an annoyance during the Primary, but Robinson-Briggs could return to her GOP roots and endorse Christie for governor.

The question is, how many Democrats are likely to vote for her for mayor in the Primary if she does endorse Christie?

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Tonight's Mayoral debate: Clash of Titans?

The 2010 fantasy-adventure movie could hardly top Plainfield politics.

 
Will tonight's debate between Plainfield mayoral candidates incumbent Sharon Robinson-Briggs and challenger Councilor Adrian Mapp be a 'Clash of Titans'? You won't know if you're not there.

The debate, originally planned by the Friends of Sleepy Hollow (FOSH) is now being jointly co-sponsored by the Plainfield chapter of the League of Women Voters. The two-candidate event is technically a forum, since the candidates will be answering questions posed in writing by audience members.

The event will be the only chance voters have this election season to see the candidates face off.

A debate planned earlier this month by Plainfield High School students got snagged in politics at the school district and never came to fruition. For that debate, a date was actually set and candidate Mapp showed up at the appointed time and place only to learn that it had been mysteriously cancelled.

Cancelled by whom was never made completely clear, and when a campaign representative emailed school district officials -- including the students' faculty adviser Jeffrey Truitt -- they were not even given the courtesy of a reply explaining why the event was not being rescheduled.

This is a sad comment on how adults in the school district are failing to be proper role models for our young people -- especially given that the students have shown an abiding interest in participating in the political process and expect to be out in force at tonight's forum.

The forum gets under way at 7:00 PM tonight at the Plainfield Public Library, Park Avenue at 8th Street. League of Women Voters rules apply.

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Candidate forum Wednesday is centerpiece of busy week

With Democratic Mayoral Primary, 2013 budget, and
Charter Study, Plainfield is at a crossroads moment.

 
A candidate forum on Wednesday pitting incumbent Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs against challenger Adrian Mapp is the centerpiece of a busy week.

With the June Primary just two weeks away, the tension is mounting for the two mayoral campaigns. Candidate Mapp, who is the Plainfield Democrats' standard-bearer, has been busy campaigning door-to-door across the city and blanketing voters with mailings. Those traveling through downtown will find it hard to miss Mapp smiling down from a billboard above the Plainfield Donut Shop at East 2nd Street and Watchung Avenue.

The mayor, on the other hand, is not a 'hoofer', so the Wednesday forum (put together by the Friends of Sleepy Hollow with the assistance of the Plainfield chapter of the League of Women Voters) is one of her few opportunities to show her stuff to the voters.

The forum gets under way at 7:00 PM Wednesday at the Plainfield Public Library, Park Avenue at 8th Street. League of Women Voters rules apply.

BUDGET DELIBERATIONS TUESDAY & THURSDAY

Budget deliberations tonight and Thursday will bracket the Wednesday candidate forum.

This evening, the Council will take up the Department of Public Works and Urban Development. That will take place in the large meeting room of the Plainfield Senior Center at 400 East Front Street at 7:00 PM.

Thursday evening, the Council will take up the Department of Administration and Finance, the city's largest department. That meeting will also take place at 7:00 PM, but the venue has been changed to the Plainfield Public Library (the Senior Center is having a billiards tournament).

The Citizens Budget Advisory Commission members will be in attendance, and opportunity will be provided for residents to ask questions.

CHARTER STUDY COMMISSION THURSDAY

Plainfield's Charter Study Commission continues chugging along, with a meeting Thursday that will feature a presentation on the Faulkner Act forms of government by Dr. Ernest Reock. Dr. Reock, who is a professor emeritus at Rutgers and the retired Director of its Center for Government Services, is considered the go-to guy on the structure of local governments in New Jersey. It will be an interesting and informative evening, setting the stage for the Charter Study Commission's own exploration of Plainfield's Faulkner Act options.

The public is warmly invited, and there will be ample opportunities for questions. The Charter Study Commission will meet at 7:30 PM Thursday in the City Hall Library.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES MEETING FRIDAY

[Note: This is a corrected post; the meeting is for PDO candidates and supporters, it is NOT a meeting of the City Committee as stated in error.] Capping a week of nonstop meetings will be a gathering of the Plainfield Regular Democratic Organization nominees Friday evening. Assemblyman Jerry Green, chairperson of the local party, will gather the troops for a pep rally as we head into the Memorial Day weekend and the final week before the June 4 Democratic Primary.

This year, Democrats will choose party candidates for offices ranging from Governor at the top of the ticket (Barbara Buono is the nominee) to neighborhood District leaders at the bottom of the slate. 68 men and women are on the ballot for District representatives in Plainfield. Assemblyman Green, Assemblywoman Linda Stender and Senator Nick Scutari are also up for the party line, as well as Plainfield's own Linda Carter, who this year serves as Chairperson of the Board of Chosen Freeholders.

The meeting will take place at 7:00 PM at campaign headquarters on West Front Street (next to the Dunkin' Donuts). Guests and supporters are most welcome.

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Sharon breaks election rules, but compliments Mapp

In knocking off Mapp's 2009 Mother's Day card,
Sharon pays him the ultimate compliment.

 
Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs seems constitutionally unfit to follow any rules and election rules are no exception; however, she still finds room to pay her opponent, Councilor Adrian Mapp, a compliment.

As for the rules, folks around town report seeing Her Honor using her city-issued SUV to lug around campaign signs and materials and to attend campaign events. That's a no-no.

The permission she has for a 24-hour vehicle is that it is to be used for City business and she gets it overnight because she is 'on call' 24/7, so to speak. It is not a substitute for her personal vehicle, which is the only sort of vehicle in which she should be hauling campaign mterials and signs. (I myself have seen her SUV with 'MG' plates parked in front of her campaign headquarters while she dashed in and out with materials.)

Sharon gloms onto the President...

As for complimenting her opponent, Councilor Adrian Mapp, consider that she swiped the Mother's Day mailer which has been a New Dems trademark for years. Mapp's Mother's Day card from 2009 is at the head of this post. As they say, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' and I am sure the Mapp campaign thanks Her Honor for the compliment.

Less flattering for Sharon though, are the circumstances around the Mother's Day mailer. When I first laid hands on a copy, I noted its surface flashiness first, and then on closer examination that it was really shoddily produced.

What is that quote under Michelle Obama?....

That is without even considering the strange 'quotation' beneath Michelle Obama's picture. Who is being quoted? Michelle? Sharon Robinson-Briggs? It's very strange and jarring.

Then, I pondered why it would be delivered in an envelope, with a 46-cent stamp hand-applied? This is very odd.

Campaigns are very sensitive to postage costs, the are a significant amount in the overall picture. I cannot think of when I've seen full-freight postage used for a mailing piece. The discount on bulk mailing can exceed 40%, and that's a lot of savings when you're doing thousands of pieces. If 5,000 pieces were mailed to identifiably female recipients from a voter list, that would come to $2,300 in 46-cent stamps. So why splurge?

Could it be that one or more of her supporters are trying to skirt the ELEC requirements for contributions by buying postage with cash and then simply giving the stamps to the campaign with no record that they constitute a contribution?

It certainly could, since at least two of her supporters might be embarrassed or embarrass Sharon if too visible. I am thinking in particular of former PMUA exec Eric Watson (he of the $1 Million Payday) and Malcolm R. Dunn, appointed by the Mayor to the PMUA Board of Commissioners (and the architect of Watson's 'payday').

But to be sure there was no hanky-panky, we would have to be able to check Robinson-Briggs' campaign fund reports filed with ELEC which would show all the costs associated with the mailer, including the postage. Except that as of July 20 -- two weeks after the most recent report was due -- there is no 29-day pre-election report posted to the ELEC website.

One more rule that Sharon feels she is exempt from?

To paraphrase Leona Helmsley: Rules? Only the little people follow rules.

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Ward 3 Town Hall tonight

Burning questions? Bring 'em on...

 
The third of four Town Halls hosted by Plainfield's City Council takes place this evening at Cedarbrook School on Central Avenue.

Conceived as a means of getting input from residents and taxpayers on issues of concern to the community, the Town Halls have been invaluable as an opportunity for residents to speak out without the formal constraints that hold during regular Council meetings -- plus giving an opportunity for back-and-forth with Councilors.

While they are held in each of the city's four wards, they are meant to be opportunities for anyone from the community to come out and share concerns at any (or all) of the meetings. In fact, each has had representation from all across the city, and the same is expected for this evening's meeting.

Topics are whatever is on the mind of attendees, and almost always include property taxes, crime and policing, the PMUA, the responsiveness of city government and budget concerns.

Tonight's Town Hall is the next to last for this year; the final Ward 4 meeting takes place next month.

Parking is available in the school lot or on the street (the easiest entry to the Cafetorium is from Central Avenue).

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Crescent Concerts presents 'A Testament of Freedom' today

Plainfield's Crescent Concerts presents its Spring finale today with a program titled "A Testament of Freedom' at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church at 3:00 PM.

The work from which the concert takes its title is a 1942 composition by Randall Thompson highlighting quotations from Thomas Jefferson. Originally intended for the commemoration of Jefferson's 200th birth anniversary (Thompson was teaching at the University of Virginia at the time), it soon became widely performed as a patriotically uplifting piece during World War II.

The Thompson piece fits nicely with Aaron Copland's arrangement of Shall We Gather At The River, and a setting of Emma Lazarus' famous Give Me Your tired, Your Poor.

The program will also include a selection of spirituals, folk songs and Broadway show tunes. Tickets are available at the door. Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church is at Watchung Avenue at East 7th Street. (Parking in church lot, on street, or in Swain Galleries lot.)

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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FOSH Garage Sale today

Some folks offer freebies as 'teasers'...

 
Today's FOSH Garage Sale will once again work its magic, drawing thousands of visitors to the Queen City for a day of bargain shopping and sightseeing.

Annually drawing large crowds of attendees, the FOSH (Friends of Sleepy Hollow) garage sale is the grandaddy of them all. Cleverly marketed by FOSH over the years with lots of paid publicity, and with all the paperwork centralized to make it easier for homeowner participation, the event draws the largest number of visitors to Plainfield of any annual event except the July 4th Parade.

Today's sale runs from 9 AM - 4 PM, and includes several clusters of homes besides the Sleepy Hollow core. You can consider starting your shopping in the 900-block of Madison Avenue (for the Van Wyck Brooks HS cluster) or along Watchung Avenue between Leland and Woodland Avenues. Maps for the locations of all participants are available at each location. The back of each map lists locations and the special items available at each.

Think of the goodies awaiting you!

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20th Annual
FOSH GARAGE SALE

Sunday, May 19 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Rain or Shine

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Library Book Sale winds up today

Dad pays for brother and sister who tag-teamed him at 2010 Book Sale.

 
One of my favorite Plainfield events winds up today: the annual Book Sale organized by the Friends of the Library in support of programming activities at the Plainfield Public Library.

Forget your Kindle and e-reader, these are the old-fashioned, real McCoy B-O-O-K-S!

Some items are books withdrawn from the Library's collection, but many more are donated by Friends. The whole is organized by categories (Fiction, History, Biography, Kids, etc.).

When I dropped by Thursday to see how things were going, my eye was drawn to a rare 1939 book on the development of transportation in New Jersey from its aboriginal settlement. I importuned the organizers for permission to buy it on the spot, and have already begun to savor this look at NJ on the cusp of World War II and before superhighways took the world by storm.

This year brings a new feature -- you can immediately begin to enjoy your purchases in a Cafe where coffee, tea, hot chocolate and pastries are available, served by smiling volunteers from the Friends.

Think of the goodies awaiting you!

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FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
BOOK SALE
 
 Saturday, May 18
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

PLAINFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY
Park Avenue at 8th Street

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Caribbean Jazz Fest by Women for Mapp this evening

Plainfield will rock to a Caribbean beat this evening when Women For Mapp host a Caribbean Jazz Fest at St. George Manor, the home of Adrian and Amelia Mapp.

Featured will be New Jersey Steel Rhythms of South Orange, who have been delighting New Jersey audiences for years with the irresistible beat of calypso and the brilliance of steel band playing.

Food with a Caribbean flavor will be provided by Plainfield's own Clarke Catering.

Come along, have some great food and beverages, enjoy the music and mix and mingle with new friends and old in support of Councilor Adrian Mapp for Mayor.

The Jazz Fest is this Saturday, May 18, from 4:00 to 9:00 PM at St. George Manor, 535 West 8th Street. Tickets are $75/person and may be reserved by calling Joylette at (908) 872-0808 or by email to joymarc@comcast.net, you may also pay at the door; donations will also be accepted for those who cannot attend. Make checks payable to 'Mapp for Mayor'.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Book Sale at Plainfield Public Library today and tomorrow

Dad pays for brother and sister who tag-teamed him at 2010 Book Sale.

 
One of my favorite Plainfield events gets under way this morning: the annual Book Sale organized by the Friends of the Library in support of programming activities at the Plainfield Public Library.

Forget your Kindle and e-reader, these are the old-fashioned, real McCoy B-O-O-K-S!

Some items are books withdrawn from the Library's collection, but many more are donated by Friends. The whole is organized by categories (Fiction, History, Biography, Kids, etc.).

When I dropped by yesterday to see how things were going, my eye was drawn to a rare 1939 book on the development of transportation in New Jersey from its aboriginal settlement. I importuned the organizers for permission to buy it on the spot, and have already begun to savor this look at NJ on the cusp of World War II and before superhighways took the world by storm.

This year brings a new feature -- you can immediately begin to enjoy your purchases in a Cafe where coffee, tea, hot chocolate and pastries are available, served by smiling volunteers from the Friends.

Think of the goodies awaiting you!

---

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
BOOK SALE
 

Friday, May 17
Saturday, May 18
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

PLAINFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY
Park Avenue at 8th Street

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Statewide Conference on Tax Credits for Historic Properties in Plainfield Saturday

Owners of properties like Plainfield's Coriell Mansion
would benefit from Historic Property Tax Credits.

 
A statewide conference on tax credits for historic properties will be held this Saturday at the Plainfield Public Library. The conference runs from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, followed by a catered lunch and a walking tour. Sponsored by the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District, this event will address state legislation under consideration in Trenton that would allow generous tax credits to owners restoring historic properties, whether residential or commercial.

The Historic Property Reinvestment Act (NPRA) had been previously introduced in the NJ Assembly and State Senate and was overwhelmingly passed in February of 2011.  Despite enjoying bi-partisan support the NPRA was vetoed by Governor Christie because it was bundled with other legislation he rejected. At least 30 states offer a similar type of tax credit.

HPRA would allow a New Jersey taxpayer a 25% credit against his/her personal income taxes for residential owners. A business would be allowed a credit against its corporate business tax. Taxpayers not able to use the credit would be able to transfer it.

'New Jersey has a tremendous number of historic structures', said conference organizer Arne Aakre. 'Many of these homes and commercial buildings are significant for their contribution to local history, housing and commerce. Having a tax credit could help owners preserve their properties.'

The conference will bring together owners of historic properties, policy professionals, developers, contractors, realtors and accountants as well as the general public from across the state. Speakers representing these professions will talk about their experiences and give guidance to those attending. The goal of the conference is to explain and publicize the legislation and to strategize how to get the bill passed a second time and finally signed into law by the governor.

This important conference includes a catered lunch and networking opportunity at a local mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places, plus a guided walking tour of the historic district.

Registration is $35/person and must be made in advance because of space limitations. No registrations can be taken at the door. More information and links to online registration can be found here or by email to vanwyckbrooks@gmail.com.

The Plainfield Public Library is located at 800 Park Avenue, between 8th and 9th Streets. Event parking available in the 9th Street lot.

The Van Wyck Brooks Historic District was the first of 10 districts created in the City of Plainfield. Designated in 1981, the district was added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1985.

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Women for Mapp host Caribbean Jazz Fest Saturday

Plainfield will rock to a Caribbean beat on Saturday when Women For Mapp host a Caribbean Jazz Fest at St. George Manor, the home of Adrian and Amelia Mapp.

Featured will be New Jersey Steel Rhythms of South Orange, who have been delighting New Jersey audiences for years with the irresistible beat of calypso and the brilliance of steel band playing.

Food with a Caribbean flavor will be provided by Plainfield's own Clarke Catering.

Come along, have some great food and beverages, enjoy the music and mix and mingle with new friends and old in support of Councilor Adrian Mapp for Mayor.

The Jazz Fest is this Saturday, May 18, from 4:00 to 9:00 PM at St. George Manor, 535 West 8th Street. Tickets are $75/person and may be reserved by calling Joylette at (908) 872-0808 or by email to joymarc@comcast.net; donations will also be accepted for those who cannot attend. Make checks payable to 'Mapp for Mayor'.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Mapp takes the high(er) road

A close view of the Mapp for Mayor billboard...

 

... and a long view from across the corner.

 
While driving down Plainfield's East Second Street Tuesday afternoon, what should I come upon but the billboard shown above, hovering over two iconic Plainfield businesses -- Pete's Fish Market and the Plainfield Donut Shop.

The billboard promotes the candidacy of Councilor Adrian Mapp in the June 4 Democratic Mayoral Primary.

Now, that's what I call taking the high(er) road.

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Steve Gallon uses his Plainfield experience in self-promotion

Dr. Gallon was quite a media sensation while in Plainfield.

 
Former Plainfield Public Schools superintendent Steve Gallon III is making use of his Plainfield experience in his self-promotion on his website here. A few days ago, I came across a review of new iMacs from Apple by -- of all people -- Steve Gallon (see that story here).

That led me to check out his website, where I find that he includes a section on his tenure in Plainfield and improvements he says he made to the District. (Readers who may be more familiar with Edspeak than I am may be able to explain to fellow readers what some of these claims actually mean -- I welcome your help by posting comments.)

Never overburdened to my knowledge by a sense of undue modesty, Dr. Gallon also posts what he calls 'Glowing Recommendations', among which are several from Plainfield personalities, including Bridget Rivers (now City Council President), Martin P. Cox (former BOE member), and Gloria Williams (retired school principal). Gallon does not make it clear when these words of praise were delivered and whether those who wrote them have approved their use here.

Without mentioning the circumstances of his tenure here, or surrounding his departure, Gallon concludes this section on his website with these thoughts --

...Steve Gallon describes himself as a workaholic and devotes all of his energies to helping struggling urban schools and youth.  His dedication is obvious to anyone he has ever come in contact with.  He will continue to work for the betterment of the public school system, utilizing his leadership skills and vision.  Steve Gallon is truly an asset to any school he comes in contact with.

---

• Website:  "Steve Gallon: Innovative Educator"
• Inter Packet News:  "Apple unveils line of iMacs for schools"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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