Developer to meet with merchants on South Avenue proposal

Proposed development would be near Plainwood Square Park.

 

A developer with plans for a Plainfield project on South Avenue is slated to meet with merchants on July 15 to discuss the proposed project.

In an announcement emailed to Plainwood Square merchants and Plainfield SID members on Tuesday, PWS president Donna Albanese urged members to attend the meeting with the unnamed developer, adding that Deputry City Administrator Carlos Sanchez would be present and Mayor Mapp is confirmed to attend.

The proposal involves eight properties located near Plainwood Square Park and if successful would bring a large upscale development to the area. The meeting provides an opportunity for the business community to review the developer's plans and have questions answered about the impact on the proposed development for the South Avenue business community.

The meeting is set to begin at 9:30 AM SHARP, Tuesday, July 15 at Freppe's (the former Freshwaters restaurant), 1442 South Avenue. Parking is available on site and in the C-Town lot across the street. RSVP to Donna at plainfielddq@comcast.net or by phone at (908) 755-5994.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Council praises Recreation for successful July 4 Parade

Mayor Mapp distributes flags to some of the younger parade-goers.

 

Plainfield City Council took time out from undermining the initiatives of the Mapp administration to praise the city's new Recreation Superintendent Veronica Taylor for a highly successful 91st annual July 4 Parade and fireworks celebration.

Called to the microphone, Taylor gave the credit to the teamwork shown by all the city's various divisions, directors and employees -- mentioning the police, fire, public works and economic development personnel in particular.

Taylor's enthusiastic acknowlegment of the cooperation of elected officials and city employees led to the only round of applause in the overlong and sometimes contentious Council meeting (of which more later).

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Clergy changes at historic Plainfield congregations

The bell tower of Grace Episcopal Church,
which houses the Pittis Carillon, was rebuilt several years ago.

Two historic Plainfield congregations -- Grace Episcopal and Crescent Avenue Presbyterian -- are marking clergy changes this summer.

The Wardens and Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church announced that the Ven. Dr. Gideon Arinzechukwu Uzomechina has been appointed priest-in-charge effective October 1.

Father Uzomechina will be taking the place of Rev. Carolyn Eklund, who was called to a parish in Maine last year. He is a native of Nigeria, where he earned a D. Min. degree and served several parishes in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. He currently serves as priest-in-charge of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in New Brunswick.

Father Uzomechina and his wife and three children will relocate to Plainfield in September. A priest-in-charge is appointed by the congregation's leadership body with the consent of the diocesan bishop for a stated period of time. At the end of the term, the bishop and congregation may consider a permanent appointment.

Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church has also had a recent change, with the installation of the Rev. Lynn Santulli on June 8 as the congregation's permanent pastor.

Lynn had served as interim pastor after the Rev. Rob Martin took a call to a congregation in Ohio. Recent changes in the governance of the United Presbyterian Church made it possible for the Crescent Avenue congregation to call its interim minister as its permanent pastor.

Lynn is an energetic and forward-looking leader for this historic Plainfield congregation, whose magnificent neo-Gothic building is host to so many Plainfield musical and cultural activities.

Lastly, it should be noted that St. Mark's Episcopal Church is also looking for a new rector following the retirement of the Very Rev. Canon Leroy Lyons. That congregation, which is the church home of Mayor Adrian Mapp and his family, is considering candidates to replace the much-loved Father Lyons.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Dirty politics and the Raritan Valley Coalition?

The Coalition advocates for transportation-related issues.

 

Are dirty politics at work in the Raritan Valley Coalition? The group, which advocates for a one-seat ride to New York and other improvements for NJT's Raritan Valley Line riders, is composed of representatives of communities serviced by the line -- including Plainfield -- and keeps up a website here.

I had been dimly aware that Plainfield was to host a meeting of the group, but had lost track of when it was supposed to be. Turns out it was recently.

But the meeting wasn't held in Plainfield. Why not?

Word in the street is that an unnamed elected official put pressure on RVC leadership to move the meeting site.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Independence Festival under way today

Yum!

 

Plainfield's 5th annual 'Fiesta de Independencia de E.U.' gets under way today through Sunday in Lots 8 and 8A between Somerset Street and Watchung Avenue. It runs from 11 AM to 11 PM.

The festival, begun by Faraon's nightclub owner Edison Garcia in 2009, was the first major Latino event to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Queen City.

Family friendly, the event's offers carnival rides and midway games as well as vendors with Mexican and Central American food specialties. Music is offered throughout the day and evening from a sound stage set up in a sequestered beer garden area.

Admission is free.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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The Pillars Bed and Breakfast is closing

The Pillars, Plainfield's only bed-and-breakfast inn.

Sad news comes that Plainfield is losing its only bed-and-breakfast inn, The Pillars.

The magnificent mansion, set on spacious and lovely grounds on Central Avenue in the Van Wycks Brooks Historic District, has been a refuge for business travelers and others for over two decades.

Originally founded by retired Presbyterian minister Chuck Hale and his partner Tom, the couple spent years remodeling the expansive house to provide bedroom-and-bath suites.

I remember being piqued in the mid-90s by Chuck's early adoption of an online presence for The Pillars (the website is here), which he said brought it a steady clientele of business travelers on temporary or short-term assignments to Fortune 500 companies in the area.

The gracious home, nestled in Plainfield's largest historic district, attracted visitors who were more adventurous and discerning than those who would settle for flopping at a motel.

Eventually, Chuck and Tom decided to 'retire' and sold the business to Lamont Blowe and Nancy Fiske, the current owners. (I put 'retire' in quotes, because the Hales continued to fill in for other inn owners when they needed a break or had to be away from their B&Bs.)

Lamont and Nancy quickly became community fixtures, participating in everything from the VWB Historic District to the Girl Scouts and the Plalinfield Chamber of Commerce.

'Plainfield had never been a destination in the usual sense,' Lamont recently said. The inn's clientele had continued to be drawn from business travelers, along with those who needed accommodation because of weddings or funerals in the area.

But in the age of the Internet, Skype and online conferencing resources, large corporations no longer make as much use of temporary assignments.

The death knell, Lamont says, was sounded by the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in 2008, drying up one of the more reliable sources of clients for the inn.

Lamont and Nancy will still be in Plainfield and active in community activities. (If you're a nature enthusiast, you may also bump into Nancy in her work for the Audubon Society.)

A contents sale is being planned -- I will try to keep everyone posted. Meanwhile, take a moment to drop by The Pillars at 922 Central Avenue or send them an email at info@pillars2.com to thank Lamont and Nancy for all they have meant for Plainfield.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Festival and July 4 Parade highlight holiday weekend

The July 4 Parade is always a hit with youngsters.

Plainfield has a full roster of activities for the July 4 holiday weekend, with the 91st annual Central Jersey July 4 Parade on Saturday morning and a fiesta in lots 8 and 8A celebrating American Independence.

The parade steps off at 10 AM on Saturday and proceeds down East Front Street from Johnston Avenue to Park Avenue. After years of delayed starts under the previous administration, indications are Mayor Adrian Mapp's team will run a more timely event. The celebration of the nation's Independence Day will conclude at dusk with fireworks at Cedar Brook Park.

A concert originally planned for the late afternoon was rescheduled after Council declined to approve the proposal.

Since 2009, Edison Garcia of Faraon's nightclub has sponsored a fiesta celebrating American Independence in public parking lots 8 and 8A between Somerset Street and Watchung Avenue.

The fiesta features food, vendors, entertainment and a sequestered beer garden as well as carnival rides for the whole family and runs from 11 AM to 11 PM. The Ferris wheel and other rides were already being set up in the public lots on Tuesday -- meaning the city has already started losing parking revenues for the event.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Futbol: US vs. Belgium on large screen at Library today

Team USA fans at World Cup 2014.

 

Plainfield futbol fans can watch today's World Cup match between the US and Belgium on the large screen at the Plainfield Public Library today at 4 PM.

Though it is the world's most popular sport, soccer (as it is known in the US) has never reached as large an audience here as have the homegrown sports of baseball, basketball and American football.

That, however, is changing. According to Forbes magazine, the US-Portugal match got the highest ever viewership of a futbol event on ESPN. Estimates are that today's game could pull between 13 and 16 million US viewers. Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, those who have been paying attention have noticed that World Cup fever has made a real difference in Plainfield the past couple of weeks.

Depending on what countries are playing, shopping at stores and businesses and downtown traffic have been practically non-existent at times. Particularly impacted it seems, were the SID's 6th Annual Block Pary on Saturday and a Health Fair on Sunday (for which piles of garbage remained unremoved as of Monday afternoon -- who is in charge here?).

The Plainfield Public Library is at Park Avenue and West 8th Street and is an accessible facility. Parking is available in the 8th and 9th Street lots.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Former superintendent Steve Gallon in the news again. Uh oh.

Former Plainfield schools superintendent Steve Gallon
is in the news again -- this time it's charter schools in Florida.

Former Plainfield schools superintendent Steve Gallon III is in the news again. This time it's an exposé by the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on fiscal and other improprieties at three Florida charter schools for which Gallon's firm Tri-Star had management contracts (see the complete story here).

Among allegations made in the story are Gallon's executing contracts without the approval of the schools' boards, improper salary adjustments, and creating a conflict of interest by engaging in a sideline business venture with a board member.

Additionally, reviews showed that the three schools (located in three separate counties) had major academic issues under Gallon's operation -- including lack of reading, ESL and disabilities programs; lack of study guides and textbooks; and a neglect of math and science. Two of the three schools have since gone under.

It may come as no surprise to Plainfield readers to learn that Gallon's harem (including Lalelei Kelly and Angela Kemp, accused of defrauding the South Plainfield schools by fraudulently using Gallon's home address to enroll their children in that district while living in Perth Amboy) were given jobs by him with these Florida charter schools.

One previously unknown Plainfield connection has surfaced in relation to the Florida charter school story.

One Lenee Clarke, who is said to have been a 'compensation administrator' for the Plainfield school district, was brought on by Gallon's firm for 'support services' at $40,000 annually.

Interestingly enough, Clarke's residence is given as Lithonia, Georgia -- hardly in commuting distance of the Florida schools -- in a house registered in Gallon's name. A source in the Plainfield district says Clarke was employed by the district prior to Gallon's arrival, was promoted during his tenure and quit shortly after Gallon departed.

Same old movie, different background scenery.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Help Plainfield Public Library get more state aid

NJ public libraries like Plainfield's receive per capita aid each year.

 

New Jersey's public libraries -- including Plainfield's -- receive annual support from the state of New Jersey (per capita aid). In recent years, this amount has flatlined, but this year's budget proposal by the Legislature includes a $3 million total increase in the amount for distribution.

The Legislature's budget, passed Thursday, is now headed to Gov. Christie's desk, where the governor is expected to use his line item veto powers to amend it.

The governor can leave the increased library aid in the budget or stirke it.

You can help ensure libraries get this much-needed additional support by emailng the governor through the NJ Library Association's online advocacy link here.

The link takes you to a pre-written appeal to the governor. You may use the letter as it is, or edit (or rewrite it entirely) to suit your points.

Your immediate action is urgently needed as the governor must take action by midnight June 30 to avoid a government shutdown.

Please take a moment now to offer your support for all the state's public libraries.

And thanks!

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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6th Annual SID Block Party this Saturday

Crowds throng the annual SID Block Party.

 

Plainfield's Special Improvement District (SID) hosts its 6th annual block party this Saturday from Noon to 4 PM on Front Street between Park and Watchung Avenues.

There is a full lineup of musical groups throughout the event, with the Plainfield High School Marching Band and Dancers kicking off with the National Anthem at noon.

Other groups include Marley-Mar Band, Bollywood Dancers, Son Bacanos, DFO, and Maribella y sus Bellas. Ronald McDonald will make a guest appearance.

The block party offers entertainment for the kiddies, a car-truck-bike show, and local vendors. Nonprofits and other community organizations will also have informational booths.

The rain date is Saturday, July 12.

To learn more about the SID, visit their website at www.positivelyplainfield.org/.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Alex Toliver: Dirty old man, Ungrateful wretch, or Dangerous stalker?

Image of a message from Toliver posted on
Councilor Williams blog. (Click to enlarge.)

 
The question of the day for Plainfielders concerns Alex Toliver. Is the former PMUA commissioner a dirty old man, an ungrateful wretch, or a dangerous stalker? Or perhaps all three.

In a rambling and incoherent post on his Facebook page late Sunday or early Monday, the well-known gadfly seems to suggest violence (beheading?) against Councilor Rebecca Williams.

Williams responded to the post, calling Toliver out, and wrote up the incident on her council blog (see here) -- where  she posted his complete text, screen captures of the post, and additional images of private messages Toliver had sent her in the past.

Is he a leering, lecherous old man?

Is he an ungrateful wretch (Councilor Williams, after all, offered a resolution honoring his contributions as a veteran after he was snubbed by then-mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs)?

Is he an obsessive and dangerous stalker?

Or perhaps just a midnight drunk musing at the keyboard?

Several people have said to me they think Rebecca may be in danger. It would no doubt be wise to make the authorities aware of Toliver's behavior.

Lastly, what should Mrs. Toliver, looking at being elected a Councilor herself in November, do about Mr. Toliver's obsession with a younger woman?

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Here is the complete text of Alex Toliver's Facebook post (as he typed it in ALL CAPS) --

I WAS JUST WHAT IS WRING WITH ME [ALL IS WELL] I THINK THIS U SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BUT THAT OK IF YOU DONT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME IS [YOU] HAVE USED MY WIFE NAME IN ALL OF YOUR WRITTEN AND SPOKEN UN PROVEN LIE YOU USE HER NAME WITH A LASH OUT WHEN SHE CANE UP TO SPEAK AT THE COUNCIL MEETINF I/E ATTACKING THE MAYOR IN YOUR OTHER RGARDING THE PMUA BUT WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW I HAD RESIGNED!! YOUR OTHER PROPANGANDA USEING MY WIFE DAME I/E ALERS TOLIVER WITH THE CAUSE OS A LAYOFF OF MEN FROM THE PMUA DUE TO YOUR WRONGS FACTS THAT WE SOMEHOW GOT A KICK BACK. NEXT YOU WENT SROM 1 MILLON TO 1.2 MILLION TO 1.5OO MILLION THIS YOUR FACTS BUR GUESS WHAT THE TWO EXC THAT FOUNDED PMUA GOT LESS THEN 800.000 BUT YOU HAVE USE MY WIFE GOOD NAME TO THR AN RUIN HER A PERSON I AN VERY SURE[SHE NOR YOU KNOW VERRY LITTLE ABOUT!!!!] AND YOU HAVE USED HER NAME OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN EHAST EVER AD YOU AND YOUR COHORTS [WSM] HAVE USE WRITTEN AND SPOKED ABOUT MYSELF AND DIANE TOLIVER ARE AS YOU HAVE PPLACE IT DIANE AND THE TOLIVERS I/E PMUA MY WIFE HAVE NEVER ATTEND A PMUA METTING AS SHE WOULD ASK ME WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR SO VERY LITTLE MONEY IT ONLY MAKE OUR TAXES GO UP HIGHER!! THAT IS WHY REBECCA WILLIAMS I HAD RETIRED WELL BEFORE THE NEW MAYOT HAD BEED SEATED!!! BUT YOU DIDNT KNOW THAT DID YOU MY WIFE ONLY STATEMENT AT THE [LASH] OUT AT THE COUMCIL MEETING WAS THAT WE THE REGULAR WORH SO VERY HARD TO GER HIM ELECTER AND NOW HE CHANGE WITHIN 3WEEKS TO BE COME A NEW DEM WHERE DID OUR MONEY GO TO GET HIM ELECTED NO REBECCA WILLIAQLM YOUR HAVE MANY VETERANS AND THE PUBLIC TO ANSWER TO AND IT NOT JUST YOUR FAITH IF YO FEARSE THIS WOULD GET IN THE WAS [WHY DID YOU RUN???] MY WIFE NAME IS DIANE AND BY CHOICE SHE IS CALL TOLIVER MY NAME IA ALEX TOLIVER I HAD NO CHIOCE AND PLEASE GET YOU TWO EXC AFTER 16YRS PAY OUT RIGHT AN LET THE PUBLIC KNOE IT ALEX TOLIVER .PS. IF YOU CARE FOR THE COUNTRY THEN AT LEAST MAKE BIBLE PLEDGE IF YOU ARE RESEATED AGAIN+++++

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Drake House commemorates Washington's visit Wednesday evening

Special open house commemorates Washington's 1777 visit.

Plainfield's Drake House Museum will be open Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 to commemorate General George Washington's 1777 visit to the farmstead to consult with his officers during the Battle of Short Hills.

Here is the press release from the Historical Society of Plainfield --

In the Footsteps of General George Washington

The Drake House Museum will be open for special evening hours on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, from 6:30PM until 8:30PM to commemorate General George Washington’s visit to the Drake family farmhouse on June 25, 1777.
General George Washington consulted with his officers at the Drake House during the Battle of Short Hills, which was fought over the entire Plainfield area on June 25-27, 1777. Nathaniel Drake, his wife, Dorothy, and daughters Sarah and Phebe, were all patriots. The sons of the family, Abraham, Cornelius and Isaac, and son-in-law Benjamin Manning served in the Essex and Somerset Counties militia, and their freed slave, Caesar, was a wagoner with the Continental forces under Captain William Davison.

On exhibit will be a copy of a Hessian map from June 1777, showing the positions of Lord Stirling, Lord Cornwallis, and  Major General William Howe obtained from the US Library of Congress digital collection.  Copies of Caesar’s Revolutionary War service record obtained from the David Library of the American Revolution and New Jersey State Archives will also be on display.  Digital copies of orders and correspondence written by General Washington during June 1777, obtained from “The Papers of George Washington” online at The University of Virginia, will be available for review.

All are welcome to walk in the footsteps of General George Washington, to look up at the ceiling in the period dining room and view the wooden beams that General Washington saw when he visited the Drake House 237 years ago.

The Drake House Museum at 602 West Front Street (at the foot of Plainfield Avenue) is open to the public Sunday afternoons from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, and at other times by appointment. For more information, call (908) 755-5831 or visit the website at www.drakehouseplainfieldnj.org/.

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Queen City Revival

First Atlantic (formerly Queen City Savings)
project is under way.

 

Partners Mario Camino and Daniel Rivera of The Arkad Group are hard at work on two projects in the downtown TOD area: 107 Park Avenue and 130 North Avenue.

Check out their websites at Arkad Group and Queen City Revival or find them on Facebook.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Historical Society annual meeting Sunday at Drake House

The Historical Society of Plainfield maintains and operates
the city's Drake House Museuam.

 

The annual meeting of the Historical Society of Plainfield, which manages the city's Drake House Museum, will take place at the Drake House Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

The Society, formed in the early 1920s to save the historic farmstead from being demolished, operates the Drake House Museum, which is owned by the city. In addition to maintaining the house museum, whose rooms recreate period settings from the 18th and 19th centuries, the Society presents a number of special exhibits and programs of interest throughout the year.

The museum and its activities are maintained by volunteers from the community. A fifteen-member Board sets policy and administers the property.

In a presentation to the Planning Board on the museum's capital projects needs Thursday evening, trustee Nancy Piwowar pointed out the rise in 'genealogical tourism', which is bringing more and more visitors to the Drake House -- including a recent bus tour from Manhattan.

The Society offers a variety of membership levels -- from the standard individual membership at $25 to Seniors/Students at $15 (see more here).

In addition to election of officers and its reorganization, refreshments will be served. Interested persons may join by paying their dues at the meeting.

The Drake House Museum at 602 West Front Street (at the foot of Plainfield Avenue) is open to the public Sunday afternoons from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, and at other times by appointment. For more information, call (908) 755-5831 or visit the website at www.drakehouseplainfieldnj.org/.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Festivals: Is proposed ordinance best way to deal with them?

Growth of festivals since 2009 has brought crowds, costs  and contention to Queen City.

 
Something is missing in the current attempt by City Council and the Mapp administration to address the question of multi-day festivals that call for street and sidewalk encroachments.

Ever since Faraones owner Edison Garcia sponsored the first event in 2009 and then Rodney Maree of Chez Maree piled on, the events have mushroomed, bringing huge crowds to Plainfield as well as traffic congestion and contention over noise and public consumption of alcohol.

After considerable wrangling last year, with the Council voicing the concerns and complaints of residents, it seemed that we might get off on a new foot with a new administration bringing all the stakeholders -- including downtown merchants who say they are negatively impacted -- together to try and work out a mutually agreeable solution.

However, it seems no one has even tried to do so; and the Council proposed that SID representatives be invited to come before it to express their views on the Administration's proposed ordinance (MC 2014-11) at this past Monday's meeting. No one showed, and it seems possible that the Administration did not even invite them.

Quite a discussion ensued among Council members over the Mapp administration's highly restrictive proposal of a single festival per applicant per year. Finally, the proposed ordinance was amended -- after Council President Bridget Rivers and Councilor Vera Greaves protested -- to allow two per year per applicant.

I think both the Council and the Mapp administration could handle this matter much better.

Everyone knows that the last place on earth that meaningful discussion can take place is DURING a Council meeting. Failure to include all the stakeholders in the preliminary discussions and to attempt to cover all the bases and iron out the wrinkles in advance of proposing the ordinance to the Council is shortsighted.

Who are the stakeholders? Well, certainly those who propose to hold these annual events. But also representatives of the merchants who say they are negatively impacted (SID members), as well as representatives from the City Council and leading personnel from the Mapp administration (specifically economic development, public safety and public works).

Such a group, ably chaired, could have a thorough discussion of the positives and negatives of the events, investigate options for making them beneficial for all downtown businesses, tackle the question of expenses and/or loss of revenue by the city and how to recoup them, and consider blocking out a tentative annual calendar which would satisfy all.

All this would take some time and effort, but it would go a long way to building a stronger and more united partnership between city government and the Plainfield business community -- something that is a stated goal of the administration and key to the success of both.

Isn't that what 'One Plainfield, One Future' means?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Shade tree workshop could help stop unwanted sex in your front yard

Unwanted outcome of tree sex.

A free workshop on Saturday could help stop the unwanted outcome of tree sex on your front lawn.

The Plainfield Shade Tree Commission is hosting the workshop on the selection, care and planting of young trees at the Plainfield Public Library's Anne Louise Davis Meeting Room from 10:00 AM to Noon.

The presenter will be Pam Zipse, trainer for the NJ Shade Tree Foundation. Her presentation will be followed by a Q&A for your questions about tree issues.

Plainfield's Shade Tree Commission has worked to oversee the care and replacement of city-owned 'street trees' throughout the city.

Shade trees, which beautify our neighborhoods and help to cool us during the summer months perform many other important chores, including removing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, as well as removing carbon from the atmosphere.

The unwanted outcome of tree sex on your front lawn?

I had in mind ginkgo trees, which are common and useful in Plainfield as attractive, hardy, disease resistant and pollution-immune.

However, the ginkgo is a 'sexed' tree -- with separate male and female plants. You do NOT want them having sex in your front yard.

The male is unobjectionable, but the lovely plum-like fruits borne by the fertilized female are obnoxious. Thousands of the ripened fruits will drop from a female tree and fill the air with an overwhelming and unrelenting smell of dog poop if allowed to rot on the ground.

The seeds, however, are edible and considered a delicacy in many Asian cuisines. If you're interested, read more at the Serious Eats blog here.

If you want to check out a couple of local examples, see the specimens on Central Avenue near bend at the corner of West 9th Street, and on Radcliffe Place or Lansdowne Terrace (I can't remember exactly which).

The workshop is free and open to the public. The Plainfield Public Library is at Park Avenue and West 8th Street and is an accessible facility. Parking is available in the 8th and 9th Street lots.

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6 months in, Council and Mapp administration still dealing with Robinson-Briggs manure in the roadway

Robinson-Briggs administration, the gift that keeps on giving.

Six months into Mayor Adrian Mapp's term, both Council and administration are still picking up the manure dropped in the roadway by the Robinson-Briggs administration.

Last night, it was Resolution 243-13. On its face, it is intended to contractualize the relationship with a vendor the Mapp administration says has been videotaping City Council meetings for 'at least a year'.

Everyone seemed to weigh in --

• Lamar Mackson asserted it was an attempt to replace his son Lamar with a contracted provider;
  
  
• Former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs used the resolution as the 'hook' for her comments on the firing of Lamar Mackson, saying if he was fired as an 'at will' employee, there should be an explanation;
  
  
• Council President Bridget Rivers demanded to know the reason for the resolution but did not comment when informed the Mapp administration wished to formalize the relationship begun under Robinson-Briggs;
  
  
• Councilor Taylor said of the resolution, 'I don't like that way of doing business...this is not right...I don't like doing business like this'.

Administration & Finance Director Ron West was summoned to the mike twice to explain the resolution. Seeming to try and keep his annoyance under control, West tartly told the Council that the resolution was meant to correct a situation inherited from the prior administration.

West explained that the young woman doing the taping had been a city employee and was let go in 2013. However, under Lamar Mackson's direction she was then paid at an hourly rate to videotape the Council meetings. No explanation of the set-up was ever made by Mackson or Robinson-Briggs and casual observers were probably unaware.

After this little kerfuffle, when the item finally came up in the order of business it was passed unanimously by voice vote without further comment.

Well, lookee here...

This is just one more example of horse manure left in the roadway by the Robinson-Briggs administration. Last month, in adopting the budget, the Council discreetly added a line item to cover over $3,000 in eats and treats from Leon's Catering in North Plainfield for which Robinson-Briggs had never submitted purchase orders during her term. Seems the Council is quite willing to overlook her sloppiness while holding Mayor Mapp to a different standard. Where is Councilor Taylor's statement of shock at 'that way of doing business'?

THE MAPP TRANSITION REPORT

Lamar Mackson, speaking once again about his son Lamar's firing, used Resolution 243-14 as a way in. But his main focus was on criticizing the Communications section of the Mapp Transition Team report. (See the full online report here; the relevant sections are the executive summary with nine recommendation on pages 12-13; and the full committee report on pages 45-50, which notes findings gleaned from interviews -- including with Lamar Mackson -- and includes 11 immediate action steps and six 6-month projects).

The elder Mackson points out that the [now ex-] Public Information Officer served on that committee and suggested her subsequent hiring by the Mapp administration was 'set up', and insisted the report was 'completely negative' and included no mention of the positive things [Lamar] had done.

As the chair of that committee, I think the report stands on its own two feet and invite everyone interested in the Mackson matter to read it in full.

Lamar Mackson cooperated completely with the committee in examining the role of PCTV in the overall communications structure of the City. The point of the whole transition investigation and report was to give incoming Mayor Adrian Mapp an overview of the situation on the ground with various areas of city government and to highlight concerns and issues that needed immediate addressing as well as longer-range planning.

I stand by the committee's findings, its report and its recommendations (which made no mention of the tenure of any employee -- including Mackson).

If Robinson-Briggs had cared so much for Mackson's job security, why didn't she do more to ensure his civil service status? For that matter, why didn't Mackson himself do more?

Is it time to move on?

And to hope there is no more Robinson-Briggs horse manure in the road ahead?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Artist who grew up in Plainfield is a rising star

A painting by former Plainfielder Kyle Bartlett.

Kyle Bartlett, who grew up in Plainfield, is making a big impression as a rising artist.

Kyle was featured in The Boston Globe this weekend as an up-and-coming artist (see the online story here).

Bartlett and his siblings lived in Plainfield on Loraine Avenue near Osborne and later on Charlotte Road. His parents, Phil and Karen Bartlett, were neighbors of and good friends with Councilor Cory Storch and his wife Lois Mattson.

Kyle is a graduate of Holy Cross College, where he launched his career as an artist with a successful senior show. His focus has been on oceanscapes, landscapes and portraiture, but he has also been commissioned for commercial pieces. You can see a sampling of Kyle's portfolio online here.

Congrats to Kyle and to Phil and Karen, who were in town for a recent visit.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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