Christie's cuts for Plainfield schools

Plainfield and other urban districts will face challenging funding cuts as a result of Gov. Christie's proposed FY2011 budget.

The cuts will come in what is termed 'formula aid', the figure allotted to school district's based on enrollment.

Here is an estimate of the funding cut for Plainfield as calculated on the Ledger website by a widget accompanying the school budget story (see story and calculator here).

Calculation of Plainfield's funding per Ledger website.

The aid cut in any school district in the state may be found by selecting county and district and clicking 'SEARCH'.

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• Ledger: "Officials say cuts will force program, staff cuts"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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City Rec Division mugging Queen City Baseball League kids

Logo of the Queen City Baseball League.

Despite admonitions by Plainfield's City Council this past fall that the City Recreation Division, under its director Dave Wynn, play nice with the Queen City Baseball League (QCBL), Wynn evidently means to do them harm by 'reserving' all the ball fields in Plainfield for the Division's teams.

This appears to be just about being mean to kids who don't understand grownup ways and just want to play ball.

With more than two hundred children enrolled, and with well-motivate volunteer coaches, the Queen City Baseball League dwarfs the 60 or so players Wynn is fielding. Plus your tax dollars are being spent on coaches for the Rec Division's teams, so it should be a no-brainer for a cash-strapped Administration.

Now that the season is ready to get under way, it is crucial for this voluntary, community-wide sports program to get the fair treatment it deserves.

The Mayor, who supposedly represents ALL THE PEOPLE, should order Wynn to relent and share equitably.

If she will not, I think Councilor Mapp is on the right track by asking the City Council to formally support the QCBL with a $1-per-year arrangement (see his post here). My one quibble would be that this would best be done with a RESOLUTION rather than an ORDINANCE -- the difference being that an ordinance persists forever until it is changed, whereas a resolution binds the Council only for the current year (though a resolution can be renewed every year if necessary).

Queen City Baseball League supporters have a perfect opportunity to bring the matter once again before the Council and the whole city by showing up en masse at the Council's four Town Hall meetings scheduled over the next few weeks in each ward and making their case for Council intervention if the Mayor and Wynn won't be reasonable.

Here is the schedule of the town hall meetings, beginning with Ward 1 tomorrow --

• Ward 1 Town Hall · 7 PM · Thursday, March 18 · Emerson School
• Ward 2 Town Hall · 7 PM · Thursday, March 25 · Cook School
• Ward 3 Town Hall · 7 PM · WEDNESDAY, March 31 · Cedarbrook School
• Ward 4 Town Hall · 7 PM · Thursday, April 22 · Clinton School

Besides all this, the parents and supporters of the Queen City Baseball League can join the growing ranks of those who are fed up with a Mayor who refuses to represent ALL the residents and taxpayers of Plainfield.

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• Mapping It Out: "QCBL: Doing good by and for our children"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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The Mayor's Ball: Did you get your invite?

Dan received his invite.

Just to show that Plainfield's Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs harbors no ill-feelings toward her most loyal opposition, I must reveal that I have been invited to Her Honor's celebratory ball, slated for March 27, as you can see from the invite above.

A reader complained that this was hardly the time for the Mayor to throw a posh party, what with the economy being in the crapper and Her Honor just having laid off employees and demoted several police captains.

To be fair, I argued, Mayor Robinson-Briggs has a right to be as lavish as she likes as long as she doesn't spend any City money on her do.

Will her campaign account (to which the checks are to be made payable) raise any money after all the partying expenses are racked up?

If she has a good ad book and keeps the party expenses (hall rental, food, booze, decorations and tchotchkes) under control, she could end up banking $20,000 or so.

That is, if enough folks attend. Which may be problematic, at least among City employees -- and not just because of the $150/person ticket -- if you get my drift.

The ball is sponsored by the Mayor's campaign committee;
her secretary's phone number is given for more information.

Meanwhile, there is that certain inattentiveness to detail we have come to associate with anything Robinson-Briggs undertakes --

• The invitation (see detail above) comes without the ELEC 'paid for by' language --

All candidates and committees subject to the Act are required to label all political communications with a political identification statement (“paid for by” language).

• And the contact number given is that of Mayor Robinson-Briggs' secretary, presumably her cellphone number. However, taking calls and handling reservations and tickets for a private (non-City) event, sponsored by the mayor's campaign committee, DURING WORK HOURS would be ethically dubious if not outright illegal. Now, why would the Mayor put her secretary in such a bind?

Do you find yourself being irresistibly drawn to -- as the invitation puts it -- 'sharing the red carpet with the Queen of the Queen City'?

If you do, you'll have to find out where to send your check.

Unless you want to put Ms. Delgado in a pickle by giving her a call.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: $10 Plainfield banknote

A generous reader has purchased the banknote for the Library.

A generous reader purchased the 'hometown' $10 bill issued by Plainfield's First National Bank in 1929 offered on eBay and is donating it to the Plainfield Public Library (see original post here).

Anyone who feels badly about missing their opportunity to do the deed can still pitch in and help.

You will note in CLIPS online links today a story by Courier beat reporter Mark Spivey detailing some of the cuts the city has made to Library funding (see here).

Donations in support of the Plainfield Public Library and its programs are always welcome -- whether you wish to make a contribution by check, or to remember the Library in your estate planning.

Call the Library's administrative offices at (908) 757-2305 for more information.

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• Plainfield Today: "Could Plainfield use this $10?"
  
• Courier: "Budget cuts force library to slash hours, staffing"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: Storm damage in Plainfield

The storm also brought down several trees.

Reports continue to come in of damage from the Plainfield's weekend storm. Pictured above is a large fallen street tree on Central Avenue, in front of the home of former Ward 3 Councilor Malcolm R. Dunn, in which you can see the wrought iron fence fronting the street has been damaged.

You can also see power lines that have been dragged down (in the upper left corner of the picture). Neighbor Cheri B., who took the photo, tells me that a driver attempted to move the downed lines -- despite the road having been blockaded by police -- in order to drive through. She dissuaded him, but how stupid is that!

Perhaps only slightly more stupid than the North Plainfield woman driving north on Netherwood Avenue who drove around the barricades in the middle of the block, telling Public Works Superintendent John Louise that she didn't want to take the time to drive around to Mountain Avenue (in North Plainfield) and come in to her destination that way.

She drove on, past the barricades, and promptly conked out in the deeply flooded street. Perhaps she thought about how much time she had saved as she waited -- and then paid for -- the tow truck.

There was also a comment posted (see here) on yesterday's flood update that St. Mary's Avenue had several floating cars. Those who have ever seen a topographical map will know that the Cedar Brook originates near the corner of East Second and Johnston Avenue, behind the former meat market, and meanders toward Berckman Street past the former Maddalonese Society buildings, St. Mary's Cemetery, and the Stone Square Lodge.

All that is now carried away by an underground tunnel system which runs under Berckman, then behind Carnegie Avenue, crossing Prospect where the pavement humps, and running under the Evergreen School playground, thence under Evergreen and Park Avenues and the high school to exit behind the Stelle Avenue parking lot to flow through Cedar Brook Park.

That accounts for most of the blue flood zone in the city map.

Approximate Plainfield flood zones from 2006 DPW mailer.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: Storm floods homes in Plainfield

Flooding along Netherwood Avenue (approximate).

Plainfield's flooding by the Green Brook crested about 2:00 AM Sunday morning, I was told by reader Liz D'Aversa, meaning my comment from Saturday afternoon's photo survey missed the mark somewhat (see here).

When I drove by the East End on Saturday afternoon, the brook had risen, but there was no indication it was going to overflow the way the D'Aversas reported it did on Netherwood Avenue.

Liz and Frank, Democratic city committee members for their First Ward neighborhood, live adjacent to the bridge over the Green Brook on Netherwood Avenue.

While they had mild water seepage into their basement ('I used a sponge mop to squeegee it into the sump hole', Liz said), other neighbors did not fare as well and several suffered flooded basements.

Liz reported one neighbor was told when they called the Fire Division that the Division no longer pumps out flooded basements. (I was told this had been past practice.)

Backed up by debris on the upstream side of the bridge, the Green Brook flooded across the D'Aversas front yard, down their driveway and up Netherwood Avenue about half way to East Front Street, according to Liz.

Although residents along the block have experience with the Brook and mostly moved their cars to higher ground, Liz reports that the use of orange traffic cones on the bridge, rather than sawhorse barricades, may have misled drivers about the seriousness of the flooding. At least nine cars which attempted to navigate their way southward on Netherwood Avenue from the North Plainfield side had to be towed when they stalled out in the deep water.

Public Safety Director Hellwig is quoted in today's Courier (see here) as saying that while there were reports of basement flooding and sanitary sewer backups, most flooding was contained to streets affected by the Cedar Brook and some parking lots.

He may not have been aware of the issues on Netherwood Avenue.

Meanwhile, the D'Aversas shed more light on the perpetual discussion of flood insurance (which they have).

According to Liz, the flood insurance policies only cover damage in the basements of the area homes. To keep their annual policy premium relatively reasonable, Liz and Frank took a higher deductible. It's a catch-22 situation, since the threshold means that almost anything except loss of the furnace and hot water heater plus structural damage would have to be covered out of pocket.

Hopefully, the Council will pick this matter up once more and see if the question of reducing flood insurance premiums citywide cannot be advanced.

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• Plainfield Today: "Don't put those Plainfield flood maps away just yet"
• Courier: "Plainfield stormwaters contained mostly to streets, parking lots"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Could Plainfield use this $10?

A 1929 $10 bill issued by Plainfield's First National Bank.

From 1869 to 1935, nationally chartered banks could issue their own banknotes, as Plainfield's First National Bank did.

These notes, sometimes called 'hometown bank notes' were secured by bonds place by the local bank with the Federal government. They looked like U.S. government issued currency, except that they bore the name of the issuing bank (hence the 'hometown' monicker) and the signatures of the bank's President and Cashier.

The note pictured above is on sale on eBay (see here) for $95.

Would it make a nice addition to the Plainfield Public Library's collection of Plainfieldiana?

I think so.

Is there some generous reader who would purchase it as a gift to the Library?

That would be really nice.

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• eBay: "1929 $10 National Note, Plainfield, NJ"
• Wikipedia: "National bank notes"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Don't put those Plainfield flood maps away just yet

The Cedar Brook emerges from its tunnel under PHS on Saturday.

Back in December, Plainfield's City Council raked then-DPWUD Director Jennifer Wenson-Maier over the coals about flood insurance (see my post here).

I rose (slightly) to her defense because the Council's questioning seemed rather unfocused -- was the issue paying flood insurance AT ALL (Burney's point) or the RAPID RISE in policy premiums (Reid's point)?

Wenson-Maier is now gone, and the issue has not been brought back to the table, but Saturday's rain -- with its subsequent flooding -- brought it once again to mind.

I drove around taking pictures of some of the conditions throughout the afternoon.

It did not seem anyone was being flooded out; in fact, the major area of flooding -- from the East End diagonally down through Cedar Brook Park -- seems to have been well-serviced by the flood-prevention efforts undertaken many years ago, which forced Cedar Brook to exit its tunnel under Plainfield High School with tremendous force, flooding the low-lying Cedar Brook Park, resulting in the closing of Randolph Road and Pemberton Avenue.

Along the Green Brook, most of the potential for flooding looked to be on the North Plainfield side, with the roadway through Green Brook Park acting as a sort of levee on the Plainfield side.

Things got so threatening that the Tri-County Red Cross set up a shelter at the Vermeule Community Center on Green Brook Road for area residents who may have been flooded out (see here).

While the rain abated overnight, we are expected to have intermittent spell throughout the day today. Depending on the persistence and severity of the rainfall, water levels may rise further.

But with actual flooding of homes barely an issue, the question arises: Will the Council continue to pursue the efforts to get an overall reduction of flood insurance rates for Plainfield property owners?

BACKGROUND: Flood insurance was taken up in the very first year of Mayor Robinson-Briggs' administration (see here; and here), where the Planning Board memorialized new FEMA flood maps for Plainfield. Turned out at the time that the confusion created over the issue may have come from the Mayor's office failing to forward the correspondence it received from FEMA about the new maps to Wenson-Maier. On the other hand, Wenson-Maier was president of the Rahway City Council at the time (a town renowned for its flooding issues) and seems unlikely to have been unaware of the importance of the new flood maps -- both to residents and potential developers.

Plainfield's flood zones unofficially shown in a 2006 DPW mailer.




The Cedar Brook floods the soccer fields between Stelle Avenue and Randolph Road.




The Cricket Pitch in Cedar Brook Park is under water.




The Green Brook totally floods the soccer fields east of West End Avenue.




The drive in Green Brook Park acts as a levee,
as here at the Revolutionary Fort monument (through my windshield).




Near Clinton Avenue, the Green Brook flooding submerges picnic tables and barbecue grilles.

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• Plainfield Today --
• 12/08/2009: "Flood insurance presentation: Not exactly flooded with useful info"
• 09/21/2006: "Administration: The dog ate my homework"
• 09/22/2006: "Flood of questions continues"
  
• Courier: "Red Cross opens shelter in North Plainfield"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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How much is Plainfield losing on broken parking meters?

Little quarters add up big time.

For months now, there has been a non-functioning meter alongside the YMCA across from Plainfield City Hall.

There is another outside the YWCA that has displayed a 'FAIL' message for months, which yesterday had disappeared altogether (because its battery finally failed?), leaving a blank window in its place.

Out of order meters do nothing for the bottom line.

Further down the block, in front of the Supremo supermarket, I encountered the 'OUT OF ORDER' message above in yet another meter on Thursday.

The Council might be well-advised to ask the Administration for a report on the percentage of broken meters and why it takes so long to correct the conditions. Who knows how much money the City is losing.

While we're talking about money -- is it time to revisit the parking revenue rationale?

Plainfield's electronic meters, which were installed about ten years ago, are set to give 30 minutes for 25¢ -- or $1.00 for the maximum parking period of 2 hours.

Should that be updated to perhaps 20 minutes for 25¢, which would yield $1.50 for the maximum period?

These little piggy banks generate considerable income, but thinking about parking strategically often escapes notice. What are other towns doing?

Also, there are more up-to-date metering equipment solutions.

Two that come to mind are 1) the multi-space meters (each meter handles four parking spaces) near the Newark Museum, which reduce the numbers of collection points for traffic personnel, and 2) the metering in the lot adjacent to Trader Joe's in Westfield, which monitors an even large number of spaces, plus giving the customer a printed receipt for their space in case of a dispute over a ticket.

Perhaps the Council's Finance Committee should take a close look at parking as a revenue stream and see what could be done to improve it.

I'm even willing to contribute the occasional 25¢.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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New South Avenue businesses a focus of lively Plainwood Square meeting

Cake celebrating Plainwood Square Park
and South Avenue Streetscape, 2001.

It is always instructive to watch Plainwood Square Merchants Association president Donna Albanese conduct a meeting, but never more so than when there is good news.

And in these challenging economic times, there was some good news indeed with fresh prospects for the tight-knit South Avenue business district. Announcements included a new 7-Eleven slated for the former gas station at the corner of South Avenue and Terrill Road; the planned relocation of the Central Jersey Arts Charter School from downtown to the former ARC building next to G.O. Keller's; work is under way on a new C-Town in the former Drug Fair location; and the opening of Jersey Landscape and Garden Supply at the former D. Altman site next to Dairy Queen.

My table mate turned out to be Jennifer Hartman, who with her husband is opening the new garden supply business. With an April 1 opening date slated, they are busy at the moment with the final touches to the building, and then will start stocking up the spacious lot with landscaping materials and garden supplies. Mark your calendars, this is going to be a 'keeper'.

The 7-Eleven is a longer-term project, with remediation and construction slated to take about four months, according to Albanese, with a further four months for 7-Eleven to complete the outfitting of the store. (CORRECTION: One month to outfit store, so it should open late summer. -- DD)

With about 30 merchants and guests gathered, each business present was asked to make a brief presentation updating the group on their latest news.

There was lighthearted bantering among the 'burger kings-and-queen' owners representing the busy McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's outlets. Jeff Lichtman, whose South Avenue store was his father's first, let it slip that they now have 52 stores. Burgers weren't the only food champs, though, with KFC's Percy Fennell also getting to do a star turn.

Guests who gave presentations included --

• Harvest Radio (1070 AM, www.enjoyharvest.com/) whose marketing rep outlined free business promotion opportunities with the Plainfield-based station, which is broadening its community programming;
  
  
• UCEDC (formerly the Union County Economic Development Corporation), a certified statewide small business development nonprofit that is getting a lot of press attention recently for its 'microloan' program -- which makes possible small loans from $500 to $35,000 for qualifying small businesses; and
  
  
• LAURIE WOOG, ESQ., an immigration attorney who specializes in employment-related immigration matters and is based in Westfield and Scotch Plains.

The long-running Thursday evening summer concerts and car shows at Plainwood Square Park will be featured again this year, on an every-two-week cycle from May through August, all under the nimble leadership of Plainfield's favorite event planner, Pat Fields. (I'll have more on that as time approaches.)

Keeping an eye on the clock -- and her promise to keep the meeting to one hour -- Donna gently moved along those who took a little too long with their presentations, leaving time at the end for some remarks and a good-natured give-and-take with Council President Annie McWilliams.

A topic of concern addressed to the Council President was the proposed health inspection fee changes. (Health Officer Mark Colicchio had been expected at the February meeting -- postponed on account of weather -- and was re-invited to this meeting, but was a no-show.)

Councilor McWilliams took pains to assure the merchants that the Council was aware of their concerns, both as to the size of any proposed increases and how to phase them in.

Saying there were questions about whether some of the municipal comparisons made by Colicchio were apt, McWilliams reassured business owners that the Council was looking at a phased introduction of the new inspection fees.

However, she was firm in pointing out that they have not been revised for many years (Colicchio has said fifteen years), while the cost of performing the inspections has gone up. She noted that the fees (by state law) are not allowed to be set as 'money raisers', but are supposed to reflect the true costs of maintaining the public health aspect of food-handling businesses, which requires both time spent in inspecting businesses and administrative overhead for record-keeping mandated by the state.

After some short, sharp repartée over whether merchants receive any benefits or services for the taxes they pay (thank you, Joe Albanese, 'mayor of South Avenue'!), which McWilliams handled with aplomb, Donna adjourned the meeting at 10:05 AM, an hour after its start.

Maybe the Council could offer her a consultancy in meeting management?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Shooting Thursday morning (corrected)

CORRECTION: The shooting happend Thursday morning (see Courier story here).

Received word of a Plainfield shooting Thursday evening, about 8:00 PM.

Male victim said to have been shot in leg; transported to RWJ.

Medevac not involved, so may not be life-threatening. Police investigation continues.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield's Census 2010 Road Show: Did it happen?

Mockup of a Census2010 tour bus.

Plainfield's date with the Census2010 road show was supposed to be Tuesday.

But did it actually happen?

I didn't see any sign of the Census2010 Road Show tour bus.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs made the announcement that the Road Show was coming to Plainfield during her 'State of the City' address at the City Council reorg meeting on January 1st.

The bus, one of a dozen over-the-road tour buses outfitted to promote Census2010 and dispersed throughout the country, was said to be coming in January.

Piv, writing in his blog at the time, wondered 'will it be a show, or will it actually accomplish something?' (see here).

Nothing further was heard.

Until last Thursday, March 4, when I found a notice for the Road Show on the front page of the city's website -- announcing that it would be in Plainfield on March 9. I duly put the following notice on the CLIPS calendar --

• Tuesday - March 9. CENSUS 2010 Road Tour. This is the event originally set for January. For further information on times and locations, check the city website www.plainfield.com/.

Today, the Ledger carries a story of the big hoopla yesterday in Perth Amboy surrounding the Census2010 (see here). How big a hoopla can be guessed from the heavyweights who were present --

...[t]he mayor was joined by William G. Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities; U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-13th Dist.); state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex); assemblymen John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex); Middlesex County freeholders Mildred Scott, Blanquita Valenti, James Polos and Christopher Rafano, and Sayreville Councilman Nicholas Perrette...

Thinking there would perhaps be an updated press release on the city website, I checked back early Wednesday morning -- only to find that the notice of the Census2010 Road Tour had VANISHED. Gone. Completely. Not a trace.

And checking the blog for the Census2010 area tour bus (see here; we are part of the Philadelphia area), there is no information at all about a Plainfield event.

Maybe it's time to revise Piv's question.

Was there even a show?

PS: City Hall staffers tell me there was a small gathering at City Hall Library mid-day. Nothing outdoors. No tour bus.

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• Ledger: "Perth Amboy mayors urges residents to be counted"
• Census Blogs: "Constitution - Philadelphia Regional Vehicle"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield Councilor Carter gets nod for Freeholder line

Linda Carter, Ward 1/4 representative on Plainfield's City Council, got the unanimous support of Union County's 21 municipal committee chairs for a Freeholder slot in the June Democratic primary, according to an email sent by Councilor Adrian Mapp Wednesday evening.

Why Jerry Green should be thankful for Plainfield's New Dems

Mapp, McWilliams, Carter, Storch and Van Blake in 2004.

Jerry Green should be thankful for Plainfield's New Dems.

Every day.

Had it not been for the New Democrats for Plainfield, it is doubtful when, if ever, able and talented newcomers ever would have had a chance at public service. Or whether the Council would have the fortitude necessary to face the challenges daunting Plainfield today.

Just look at the record of New Democratic candidates elected to the Plainfield City Council --

• Rayland Van Blake (Ward 1)
• Linda Carter (Wards 1/4)
• Cory Storch (Ward 2)
• Rashid Burney (Wards 2/3)
• Adrian Mapp (Ward 3)
• Ray Blanco (At-large)
• Annie McWilliams (At-large)

Both Van Blake and Mapp had subsequent turns as Union County Freeholders.

Both Van Blake and Mapp were passed up on a chance for a second term as Freeholder.

Mapp was deemed not acceptable to UC Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo (a badge of honor in some quarters) and subsequently reclaimed a seat on the City Council.

Van Blake -- personally selected by Assemblyman Green for his first Freeholder slot, despite knowing of Van Blake's commitment to an acting career -- is being cashiered by DeFilippo and Green this time around.

Besides probably halving the average age of the Council, New Dems have brought a new level of openness in government, willingness to innovate and commitment to a long-term perspective on improving Plainfield.

What's not to be thankful for?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Freeholder seat: Robinson-Briggs or Carter?

Union County Dem chair DeFilippo
will screen Freeholder candidates tomorrow.

With Plainfield's Freeholder seat up in the air and the Union County Dems set to screen candidates Wendesday evening (tomorrow), the rumor mills are churning.

Two names mentioned as replacements from Plainfield for Van Blake are Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and Councilor Linda Carter, who represents Wards 1 and 4 at-large.

My guess is that though this might appear to be a logical step up the ladder if she has ambitions for the Assemblyman's seat, Mayor Robinson-Briggs will pass on the opportunity to become just one among nine Freeholders.

Councilor Carter, on the other hand, might find the job of interest as it plays to her strengths as both a keen participant in legislative matters and a robust presence throughout the community, with a record as a volunteer and activist both prior to and during her time in public office.

If there is one good thing I can say for Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo, it is that she has consistently favored broadening the chances for women to participate at the County level and beyond.

Carter would become the first African American female Freeholder from Plainfield.

That would be a good thing indeed.

---

• PolitickerNJ --
• "DeFilippo: Van Blake disappointed as freeholder"
• "Scutari: New candidate will be from Plainfield or Linden - probably Plainfield"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Put budget blame where it belongs: Squarely on Robinson-Briggs

Mayor Robinson-Briggs has shirked real leadership.

Plainfield's City Council passed Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' second layoff plan by a 4-3 vote last night after wrenching public comments by those facing layoffs and their supporters from the taxpaying public.

Videographer Laurence Rice, one of those being pink-slipped, tried to place the blame on the Council, saying he felt he was being penalized for being a staunch supporter of Mayor Robinson-Briggs. (It was sad to see that he didn't even understand it was THE MAYOR, who selected the positions being eliminated in this second go-round, who was throwing him under the bus.)

Let's be perfectly clear: the blame for this whole sorry budget mess rests squarely on the shoulders of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

If she had delivered a budget in a timely fashion, instead of waiting until after the November election, greater savings could have been made, with the loss of no (or at least fewer) jobs.

If she had sat the unions down together earlier and hammered out some concessions (whether pay freezes, furloughs, or some other combination), she could have avoided this crisis.

If she had exercised real executive leadership, she could have come out looking like jsut that: a real leader. Instead, she looks like the cowardly lion.

Make no mistake, the pain everyone is experiencing is directly traceable to Mayor Robinson-Briggs' avoidance of the difficult choices.

Now that there is nothing more to do about this year's budget, the question arises: Is there something that can be done about Robinson-Briggs?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Van Blake dumped. Will Green put up with loss of Black Freeholder seat?

Freeholder Van Blake is being dumped.

Plainfield's Freeholder Rayland Van Blake is being dumped by the Union County Dems in favor of a white candidate from Linden; at least that's the likely scenario in an early story on PolitickerNJ (see here).

Assemblyman Jerry Green and Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFillippo gave Van Blake the news Monday morning, according to the story. SEE POLITICKERNJ UPDATES AT END OF STORY.

The story originally broke on Plainfield Today last Friday (see here), where I pegged the issue being the question of a Freeholder slot for Linden, with Van Blake being vulnerable on account of his low public profile as a Freeholder, where public appearances and activities are a major part of the duties.

The issue comes up not just because Van Blake's seat is up this year, but also owing to the fact that Freeholder Nancy Ward has moved from Linden to Westfield. Evidently no consideration is being given to forcing Ward to resign so that her seat can be kept for Linden.

With no likelihood that DeFilippo will find an African American candidate from Linden (or that the Linden party organization would accept one), Assemblyman Jerry Green is put squarely on the hot seat.

The notion of 'switching years', with Plainfield being given a seat next year is pure fantasy.

Plainfield has experience of DeFilippo and the keeping of her word (just think about the Park-Madison ripoff -- after five years, terms of the deal still not met, PILOT payments still not set).

There is no question of trusting Charlotte; you just can't afford to gamble on it.

The only real question here is: Will Assemblyman Green put up with the loss of a seat at the table for an African American from Plainfield?

PolitickerNJ UPDATES --

• 4:39 PM, Monday: "DeFilippo: Van Blake disappointed as freeholder"
• 9:19 AM, Tuesday: "Scutari: New candidate will be from Plainfield or Linden - probably Plainfield"
  
  

---

• PolitickerNJ: "Dems dump Van Blake in Union County"
• Plainfield Today: "County Dems dumping Van Blake from Freeholder slot?"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield artist Janet Sobel: Mother of Abstract Expressionism

'Autumn', by Janet Sobel, 1943.

Today is International Women's Day, and it put me in mind of Plainfield artist Janet Sobel, credited as being the 'mother of Abstract Expressionism' for having inspired Jackson Pollock with her so-called 'drip paintings', exhibited at Peggy Guggenheim's Art Of This Century gallery in New York in 1944.

I doubt I would even know of this pioneering, Ukrainian-born, 'outsider' woman artist if it had not been for a chance encounter with her son, Sol.

About fifteen years ago, when I was active in real estate, I had the privilege of helping Sol and Leah Sobel in the sale of their home in the 1300-block of Martine Avenue. It is one of my favorite Plainfield Tudors, with a distinctive, gently curving bay window facing the street.

Looking to downsize, Sol and Leah were packing up a lifetime of memories, including hundreds of his own canvases as well as a number of those of his mother, who had passed away in 1968 and whose name meant nothing to me.

I found the works fascinating, but there was no inkling that Janet Sobel had been such an influence on the American 20th century art scene. Art historian Libby Seaberg in her profile of the artist reveals that Janet Sobel was in a group show, A Painting Prophecy, 1950, which included, in addition to Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Stuart Davis, Mark Rothko and Louise Bourgeois.

Not too shabby for a Plainfield hausfrau!

Mark Rothko wrote Janet Sobel in 1947, seeking biographical info.

What Sol told me about mostly was the family's business connections in Plainfield -- they owned a Front Street jewelry store. Seaberg, however, cites the family's ownership of a factory in Perth Amboy employing two hundred in jewelry manufacture, and that they had moved to Plainfield in 1948 to be closer to the business.

According to Sol, the family had a residential compound atop a hillside on Woodland Avenue, just across from the Randolph Road intersection. By the time I had met him, the houses were in some disrepair, and I believe there had even been a fire in one of them. The compound has since been replaced by the Hovnanian development put up a number of years ago.

The Sobel compound was on the hilltop across Woodland from Hub-Stine Field.

Seaberg does a great deal of sleuthing to ferret out the history of both Sobel's exhibits and her peregrinations in probing the reasons for her later obscurity. (And she gives credit to the Plainfield Public Library's indefatigable Jessica Myers and Jane Thoner for their help in her research.)

It is fascinating to learn that she had a solo show at Swain Galleries in March, 1962, and was profiled in a January 6, 1962 interview by Waylande Gregory in the Plainfield Courier-News.

But even more startling to me, was that Seaberg credits Janet's entree into the art world to son Sol's relentless promotion of his mother's work. It was he who introduced her to Marc Chagall and the American philosopher and educator John Dewey, as well as to Max Ernst, who showed Sobel's works to his then-wife Peggy Guggenheim, hence her inclusion in the 1944 show.

Reading Seaberg gave me one of those six-degrees of separation moments: this Sol, this real estate client, had known Marc Chagall AND John Dewey? And his mother had been so influential?

Janet Sobel (shown in background photograph) was a subject
in a 2009 'outsider art' exhibit at Gary Snyder's Project Space.

Plainfield, I suspect, has more such surprising stories.

So, remember Janet Sobel on International Women's Day, the homey, plump Jewish grandmother who designed jewelry for the family business and turned to self-expression through painting in her middle age.

And take some satisfaction.

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• Gary Snyder Project Space: "Janet Sobel Exhibit" -- A recent show.
• Bob Duggan on BigThink: "Mother of Invention"
• Libby Seaberg: "Will the real Jane Sobel please stand up?" -- Available in PDF.
• Paul Laster: "A night at New York's Outsider Art Fair"
  
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Sex at the Vatican: Fun with Google Translate

Google 'translates' a story from a leading Italian newspaper.

Plainfield Today readers may or may not be intrigued by the uses of Google's online translation service, but it came to mind after Olddoc recently posted a translation of a Russian spam email he had received. Though clunky, the translation managed to get the point across.

Listening to the news on the car radio a couple of days ago, there was a brief report that a high Vatican lay official had been arrested in a gay prostitution ring involving a Nigerian singer in a choir from St. Peter's Basilica acting as the man's pimp.

Googling when I got back home, it turns out the story is much more complicated -- though not necessarily less salacious -- than the radio brief made it sound.

Turns out the official, one Angelo Balducci, was chiefly a high-ranking national Italian public works official who was busted after an intense corruption investigation by the Carabinieri into the ballooning costs of construction related to a G8 summit, which more than doubled from €290 million to €600 million.

Balducci was also 'a Gentleman of His Holiness', an elite lay position at the Vatican that involves acting as an usher to heads of state and other dignitaries being granted audiences with the Pope, and ceremonial duties when the Pope participates in ceremonies at St. Peter's Basilica.

The gay sex ring angle was a sidebar, uncovered in the thousands of hours of phone taps. But, the Italian press being the Italilan press (or is it the American press being the American press?), the side story soon got front page headlines of its own.

The thread on the Google search ran like this --

The top result was a story on the Huffington Post ("Vatican hit by gay sex scandal"), which linked to a story in the Irish Times ("Papal aide linked to Vatican gay prostitution ring").

The second link was to the staid old 'grey lady', the New York Times ("Vatican enmeshed in gay sex allegations"). The Times mentioned, with a link to, a report in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica ("Balducci, nuova ipotesi di reato spunta l'ombra della prostituzione gay").

Having very little facility with Italian, I took a page from Olddoc and turned to Google Translate (see the service here).

It's a very simple setup. You cut and paste whatever text you want translated into a little box, then select the 'from' and 'to' language chooices and hit 'translate'. Google's 'translation' appears in another box below the original, and is available for you to cut and paste for use as you wish.

I put 'translation' in quote marks, because it is a very literal word-for-word rendering, but you can get the gist.

As for the Vatican sex story, the translation struck me as unintentionally hilarious -- partly due no doubt to Google, but also partly due to what Italian journalists find of interest to include in a story.

I am reproducing the Italian article and the translation below. (WARNING: THIS IS ADULT CONTENT.)

From La Repubblica --

Su Balducci l' ombra della prostituzione gay
Repubblica — 03 marzo 2010 pagina 10 sezione: CRONACA

ROMA - La catastrofe senza fine di Angelo Balducci, ex presidente del Consiglio nazionale dei lavori pubblici, perno e anima della "cricca", detenuto dal 10 febbraio, conosce un ennesimo passaggio istruttorio che adombra una nuova e diversa ipotesi di reato: favoreggiamento e sfruttamento della prostituzione maschile. E che porta in Vaticano, lì dove documenta traffici di giovani ragazzi presentati, talvolta, come seminaristi e identifica un "religioso" nigeriano del "coro di san Pietro" il cui solo mestiere sembra essere recuperare, pronta consegna, la merce per l'ingegnere "Gentiluomo di sua Santità", classificandola per altezza, peso, colore della pelle e misure anatomiche.

É una storia raccolta in 72 pagine di intercettazioni (da ieri depositate a Perugia a disposizione delle difese), che un'informativa della sezione Anticrimine di Firenze del Ros dei carabinieri datata 5 febbraio 2010 riassume, nel suo incipit, in poche burocratiche righe, abbozzando un'ipotesi di reato per la quale la Procura di Perugia, al momento, non ha ancora deciso se procedere con un'indagine stralcio. "Nell'ambito del procedimento penale in oggetto - si legge - è emerso che l'ingegner Balducci Angelo, per organizzare incontri occasionali di tipo sessuale, si avvale dell'intermediazione di due soggetti, che si ritiene possano far parte di una rete organizzata, operante soprattutto nella capitale, di sfruttatori o comunque favoreggiatori della prostituzione maschile"

I due uomini hanno un'identità. Un tipo che si fa chiamare "Mike", ma di nome fa Chinedu Thomas Ehiem, 40 anni, nigeriano, residente a Roma e "indicato all'anagrafe come "religioso"". E tale Lorenzo Renzi, veneto di Feltre, che di anni ne ha 33. Dall'aprile del 2008 al gennaio scorso, il contenuto delle loro conversazioni con Balducci viene annotato e trascritto perché, rapidamente, quella che all'inizio appare la libera e insindacabile inclinazione sessuale di un uomo (come tale oggetto di inviolabile privacy), si trasforma rapidamente in una coazione a ripetere di appuntamenti che svelano una rete di prostituzione maschile e di potenziale ricatto.

Ehiem e Renzi sono espliciti nei dettagli con cui ragguagliano il cliente su tipo di prestazione e qualità dei ragazzi da portare agli incontri. "Angelo... Io non ti dico altro. É alto 2 metri, per 97 chili, 33 anni, completamente attivo", spiega il "religioso" a Balducci in un format che si ripete e che varia solo nelle misure. E poi e ancora, ogni due, tre giorni: "Ho una situazione di Napoli". "Ho una situazione cubana". "Ho un tedesco appena arrivato dalla Germania". "Ho due neri". "Ho il calciatore". "Ho uno dell'Abruzzo". "Ho il ballerino Rai".

L'ingegnere alle proposte dei due non sembra resistere. Sia che lo raggiungano mentre è in riunione a palazzo Chigi. Sia che lo sorprendano mentre è in udienza privata con un cardinale. I ragazzi, per quel che si comprende, spesso frequentano i seminari o i collegi ecclesiastici di Roma ("Lui poi a che ora deve ritornare in Seminario?", chiede Balducci a Ehiem). Altre volte appaiono extracomunitari in cerca di permesso di soggiorno (Balducci, in un caso, promette di attivarsi con il Ministero dell'Interno). Ragazzi a cui, il 6 dicembre scorso, Renzi spiega così il lavoro: "Te li pigli pure 2000 euro. Non rompere il cazzo!! Ti servono i soldi... metti un po' di musica, tiri fuori la (...)... ti cali il Viagra lì. E via!".

And the Google 'translation' --

At Balducci 's shadow of gay prostitution

Repubblica - 03 March 2010 page 10 section: CHRONICLE

ROME - The endless disaster of Angelo Balducci, a former president of the National Council of Public Works, pivot and soul of the "clique", held from February 10, knows a complete rewrite of investigations that foreshadows a new and different idea of crime: aiding and exploitation male prostitution. And that leads to the Vatican, where there documented trafficking of young boys have, at times, such as seminars and identifies a "religious" Nigerian "choir of St. Peter," whose only job seems to be recovering, prompt delivery, the goods for the engineer "Gentleman of His Holiness", classified by height, weight, skin color and anatomical measures.

It is a story collected in 72 pages of interceptions (since yesterday filed in Perugia at the disposal of defense), that disclosure of the anti-crime section of Florence carabinieri del Ros dated February 5, 2010 summarizes in his opening words, in a few bureaucratic lines, sketching assumption of an offense for which the prosecutor of Perugia, at the time, has not yet decided whether to proceed with an investigation excerpt. "As part of the criminal proceedings in question - the law - showed that the engineer Angelo Balducci, for organizing casual encounters of a sexual nature, makes use of two intermediary entities, which are thought to be part of an organized network, operates mainly in the capital, or otherwise facilitators of exploiters of prostitution masculine

The two men have an identity. A guy who calls himself "Mike", but the name is Ehiem Chinedu Thomas, 40, Nigerian, resident in Rome and "born indicated as" religious ". And that Lorenzo Renzi, Veneto Feltre, who has 33 years. From April 2008 to January, the contents of their conversations with Balducci is recorded and transcribed so, rapidly, that at first seems unquestionable sexual orientation and freedom of a man (as the subject of inviolable privacy), is transformed quickly in a repetition compulsion of events which reveal a network of male prostitution and blackmail potential.

Ehiem and Renzi are explicit in the details which will inform the customer about the type of performance and quality of the boys to take to meetings. "Angel ... I will not tell you more. 2 meters tall, for 97 pounds, 33 years, fully active," explains the "religious" in Balducci's in a format that repeats and varies only in the measures. And then again, every two or three days: "I have a situation in Naples." "I have a Cuban situation." "I have a German recently arrived from Germany." "I have two blacks." "I have the player." "I have one of Abruzzo. "I am a dancer Rai.

The engineer of the proposals of the two does not seem to resist. Whether you join them while in a meeting at Palazzo Chigi. Whether you surprised him while in a private audience with Cardinal. The boys, for what we understand, often attend seminars or ecclesiastical colleges of Rome ( "He then who must now return to the seminary?" Asked Balducci to Ehiem). Other times they appear in search of non-residence permit (Balducci, in one case, promises of employment with the Ministry of Interior). Boys who, on 6 December, Renzi explains the work: "I'll Take, therefore € 2000. Do not break his cock! You need the money ... put a little 'music, you take out the (... ) ... you drop the Viagra there. And so on.

By today, all this was of course old news and a Google search of 'vatican+sex' turned up an entirely new selection of news stories -- now highlighting a sex scandal involving abuse of choristers in Germany's Regensburg Cathedral, where the Pope's brother was the longtime choral director.

What's wrong with this picture?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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