Dottie Gutenkauf passes

Dottie Gutenkauf (seated) with Councilor Rebecca Williams
and Mother Carolyn Eklund at 2015 Muhlenberg closing commemoration.

Plainfield political icon Dottie Gutenkauf passed away this morning, I learned in a text message from her son John shortly after 9:30 AM.
 
She will be greatly missed. I will post a personal appreciation of Dottie later and keep everyone informed about memorial plans.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Will tonight's Council meeting be baloney roll-ups?

As food, baloney roll-ups are tasty. In governance, it is another matter.
Shown above are Lebanon Bologna and cream
cheese roll-ups. Lebanon Bologna, a Pennsylvania
Dutch delicacy, is available locally at Aldi's on Park Avenue.

As Plainfield City Council's 2015 meetings draw (thankfully!) to a close, residents have a special treat: a roll-up session combining the December agenda-setting and business sessions and the agenda-setting session for the first meeting of 2016.

The business agenda -- which both Olddoc and Bernice have discussed is pretty straightforward. But this being Plainfield, there are always possibilities that things will go off the rails and that baloney will prevail.

"Discussion items", which is where the monkey business usually starts, contains only one innocent-sounding item: Demolished properties (referring to the North Avenue demolition).

Following the business meeting, the Council will set the agenda for the first session of the new year. This practice always puzzles me a little.

I understand wanting to have an orderly transition to the new year. But each Council year (as with each session of Congress) is considered a unit in and of itself. That is why the first meeting is a "reorganization," with officers being elected, chairs appointed, a schedule of meetings adopted and other roll-over business.

However, one year's Council cannot carry business over into the next year -- hence the push to get ordinances adopted before the end of the year. So, with one Council member not being returned for 2016, and a newly-elected member not yet sworn in and able to participate, how is it that an agenda-setting session for the next year is legit?

Another Plainfield mystery?

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Feedback on Youth Summit, Ward 3 meetings

The Ward 3 meeting was held at Hubbard School.

 

 
This past Thursday night was hopping in Plainfield with three public meetings (and a performance at Cedar Brook School that got lost in the shuffle).

I took in parts of the Youth Summit and Ward 3 meetings. Resident and former Board of Ed member Terri Slaughter-Cabbell also did,  and wrote up her thoughts on Facebook, which I am posting below.

YOUTH SUMMIT LISTENING SESSION

This was the third of three planned "listening session' to get input from young people and other residents to help shape the upcoming citywide Youth Summit (set for mid-January).

I got there shortly after it got under way and found about 35 people drawn into a discussion facilitated by the group organizing the Youth Summit. There were a good numer of young peole there and they took an active part in the discussion.

I will post more about this important event as the time draws nearer.

WARD 3 "COMMUNITY MEETING"

While the City Council scheduled four Town Hall meetings near the end of 2015, all went without a hitch except for the Ward 3 meeting, which was twice rescheduled. As presented, Councilor Gloria Taylor stood the concept on its head to turn the meeting into "The Gloria Show."

Town Hall meetings are an opportunity for elected officials to listen to concerns and questions from residents, and that's how the other three were run. Not so this one.

The meeting Taylor constructed was taken up with presentations (on worthwhile topics, but more than enough for a two-hour meeting) and left no time for questions. One attendee told me that only one participant got to ask a question before time ran out.

Members of the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District were miffed to find Taylor billing the District as a "sponsor" of the event, which they say definitely was NOT the case.

Some people have said they heard there were a hundred people in attendance. I counted 37 before I left at 7:30 PM and some who stayed told me that very few people came later and some left, so that was probably it on balance.

Here is how Terri Slaughter-Cabbell saw the meeting (you can see her Facebook post here) --

Plainfield has a habit of scheduling multiple meetings on the same night and tonight was one of those nights.

There was the meeting on the Teen Summit that started at 6 and the 3rd ward meeting at 7. Now, being me, I'm going to try to make them both. So I went to the teen summit meeting at the library at 6 which was very interesting (I should have stayed). I was impressed by the number of youth there and how vocal they were.

But I left to go to the 3rd ward meeting (being that I live in the 3rd ward) which was billed as a "Community Meeting", but was anything but. Each of the other 3 ward meeting have been good. They Welcome you to the meeting, then we dialogue. The COMMUNITY member asks questions, states concerns and any other comment they may have, there is conversation. I was soooooo disappointed (although not surprised) that my Councilwoman went completely left field.

She scheduled speakers and if you had a question on their presentation, you asked questions pertaining to THEIR presentation. A gentleman from SIDS (I forget his name) who represents the businesses on South Ave and downtown (who by the way does not live in NJ, let alone Plainfield) spoke of what they have done here, the family day downtown, the Christmas trolley on South Ave and Front St, (what does that have to do with the 3rd Ward) and the Christmas decorations.

The next speaker was the Supt of Schools, okay that is important not only to the 3rd ward but to everyone in Plainfield, but that is what we have monthly BOE meeting for.

The next speaker had just started which was Sgt. Brown, and Lt. Ken Reid who were speaking about the police uniform cameras and the system that lets them know when shots are fired. OK we heard that at the 4th Ward meeting.

This is when I left. It was 8:15, they were just getting started, we only have the school until 9 and there was to be another speaker on Historic Neighborhood Revitilization to come after that.

WHEN WOULD THE COMMUNITY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS FOR THE 3RD WARD????

I'm not even going to speak on how long Councilwoman Taylor went on her tangents (just attend a council meeting and you know how she can go on) or her co-host Robinson-Briggs. This is just another example (to me) on how out of touch Mrs. Taylor is with her constituents. I know this was long and I apologize but I had to get if off my chest.

Well put, Terri!

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Did the Campbells really think BOE election switch through?

Julius Caesar has a message for Wilma Campbell.

You have to ask yourself if Plainfield Board of Ed president Wilma Campbell and her husband John (also a BOE member) thought through the switch from November to April elections before making it.

By leading the Board of Ed to make the decision at a Work-Study session, public notice and discussion of the switch were effectively sidestepped.

This secretiveness -- was it an outright attempt to make the decision out of the public eye? -- explains why folks have not been able to find a notice of the proposed change or any record of the resolution to do so.

Not only that, it leads to suspicions that the Board's motives are not as "progressive" as Davud Rutherford asserts in his defense of the switch on his blog (see here).

According to Assemblyman Lou Greenwald's office (he sponsored the bill to allow the move from April to November in the first place), Plainfield is the ONLY school district in New Jersey to move its election back to April.

As Councilor Williams pointed out on her blog (see here), the cost to Plainfield taxpayers will be on the order of $115,000, based on estimates provided by Municipal Clerk "AJ" Jalloh. That is for ONE YEAR.

Since Plainfield is the only district in Union County to hold an April election, all of the cost must be borne by Plainfield taxpayers. That means over the next ten years, we will have spent well over $1 million for the "privilege." Rinse and repeat ad infinitum.

If this is "progressive", we need to hear the Board of Ed's explanation.

Then there is the impact on turnout, which will be to significantly narrow voter participation. April school board elections in Plainfield hardly ever exceeded 1,000 total.

In 2016, it would be reasonable to expect a minimum turnout of 30% of registered voters for the November election -- in the range of 6,500 to 7,500 votes. So, in the face of such numbers, how would a reduced voter turnout of 1,000 or fewer be more "progressive"?

My suspicion in this whole matter is that this "progressive" talk is a smokescreen for the real motive, which I would describe as "numerophobia" -- a fear of numbers.

As I see it, what scares the bejeezus out of Wilma Campbell (who must run in 2016) and her slate is the prospect of seeking votes in a presidential election year when it seems likely Hillary Clinton will be on the ballot in Plainfield.

In such a heavily Democratic town, that is likely to sweep all across the board -- notwithstanding that the Board of Ed seats are "nonpartisan" and cordoned off on the actual ballot. If Wilma has saved her neck from the possibility of being obliterated by a Clinton landslide, she has stuck it in another noose.

Wilma's problem is that the downside of the April school board election for her is that if there is a slate to oppose her, there will be no competition for attention or resources by a competing partisan electoral campaign.

This means those who want to reform the school board will be undistracted and can rally the public much more effectively to clean house at the Board of Ed.

As Caesar said, "alea iacta est" -- the dice have been rolled; the Rubicon has been crossed.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Steve Gallon in the news...again

Wilma Campbell's old buddy is back in the news.

 

Former Plainfield schools superintendent Steve Gallon III is in the news again.

A story Wednesday in The Miami Times notes that Gallon is running for a seat on the Miami-Dade Public Schools Board (see story here).

Gallon, a personal pick of current Plainfield Board of Ed president Wilma Campbell, is running against a two-term Miami district incumbent.

Gallon says he was persuaded by others to run and that he has decided to "step back in the public realm in education."

He has the backing of a nonprofit concerned with urban education.

His misadventures in Plainfield are not mentioned.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Busy holiday weekend: Drake House Party, Rec Division Craft Fair, SID's Santa Trolley Ride, Crescent Concerts Yuletide by Candlelight, Swain's Miniatures Show

A busy weekend, full of holiday opportunities.

 

Plainfielders have many opportunities to enjoy the holiday season. Here is a roundup of local holiday activities this weekend --

Drake House Tree Lighting & Santa's Visit
Friday, December 11, 6:30 PM

The Historical Society of Plainfield hosts its annual Christmas party for the community at 6:30 PM Friday evening.

In addition to the tree lighting ceremony, there will be holiday carols, prizes and refreshments. Santa will make a special visit and distribute small toyr to the youngsters. There will be a total of four decorated trees, including in the museum's period rooms.

The Drake House Museum at 602 West Front Street (at the foot of Plainfield Avenue) is open to the public Sunday afternoons and at other times by appointment.

Division of Recreation Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, December 12, 10 AM - 6 PM

The Division of Recreation is sponsoring a Holiday Craft Fair at duCret School of Art this Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM..

Handcrafted items, with or without a holiday theme, as well as items suitable for holiday gifts will be available, including jewelry, ceramics and pottery, quilts, knit goods of all sorts, hats, scarves and hair accessories, homemade jams and jellies and holiday baked goods.

The Holiday Craft Fair will run from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The event will be in the auditorium at the rear of the school, entrance off the rear parking lot. duCret School of Art is at 1030 Central Avenue, Plainfield.

Plainfield SID Santa Trolley Ride
Saturday, December 12, times as noted

Continuing its holiday tradition, the Plainfield SID will this year host trolley rides with Santa in two locations this Saturday afternoon.

From Noon to 1:30 PM, Santa's trolley will give visitors a ride through downtown, leaving from the pocket park near McDonald's.

From 2:00 to 3:30 PM, the trolley will give rides on South Avenue, beginning at Plainwood Square Park on South Avenue.

Trolly trips are 15-minutes roundtrip from each staging area. The trolle is enclosed and heated and can accommodate 30 riders at a time. Families are encouraged to bring their own cameras to get snapshots of the youngsters with Santa.

Santa will give out candy canes to the kiddies on each trolley ride. Entries will be available at both staging areas for a drawing for a giant toy-filled stocking. The drawing will take place at 3:50 PM at Plainwood Square Park and the winner must be present to collect the stocking.

Crescent Concerts: Yuletide by Candlelight
Sunday, December 13, 5 PM

Crescent Concerts annual holiday gift to the community is this year titled 'There Is No Rose of Such Virtue'. The concert is free and begins at 5:00 PM this Sunday.

The concert features music of the season from Renaissance to modern times, plus carols and hymns joined in by the audience. This is always a joyful and uplifting occasion.

At Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, East 7th Street at Watchung Avenue. Parking available in the church lot on First Place and in Swain Galleries lot on Watchung.

Christmas Miniatures at Swain's
Show runs through December 31, see hours below

Small paintings as holiday gifts in an exhibit and sale, offered by Swain Galleries, which is celebrating its 147th year of service to Plainfielders. The annual miniatures show and sale is in its 25th year. See more about this year's show at the Courier article here.

Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 - 5; Saturday, 9:30 - 4; and Sundays in December, Noon - 4.

Swain Galleries is at East 7th and Watchung Avenue. Parking in the lot on Watchung Avenue.

Besides these holiday events, many organizations and houses of worship are gathering contributions of toys, clothing, food donations and other items for our fellow Plainfielders. Please be generous with your gifts.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

(Corrected) Two meetings Thursday: Youth Summit listening session, Planning Board

A chance for input on the upcoming Youth Summit
on Jobs and Education.

 

CORRECTION: Though the Cedar Brook Park matter is listed on the Planning Board agenda for this evening, it will be heard next Thursday, December 17, and NOT tonight. 

Two events of interest to Plainfielders are set for Thursday evening --

Youth Summit Listening Session. A second 'listening session' for the upcoming Youth Summit is slated for 6:00 PM (note the time!) in the Anne Louise Davis Meeting Room of the Plainfield Public Library.

This follows up on a session led last Saturday morning by Mayor Adrian Mapp. Plainfield young people and those who care about their futures are invited to contribute ideas and suggestions for topics for the Youth Summit.

The meeting will be facilitated by the GrassROOTS Community Foundation, who will also be leading the Youth Summit when it takes place.

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.

Planning Board: Review of Cedar Brook Park plans. The Planning Board meets at 7:30 PM in City Hall Library.

On the agenda are a capital plan review of the proposals by Union County for improvements at Cedar Brook Park, including artificial turf fields as well as drainage, lighting and spectator improvements.

This is another opportunity to see and hear what the County has in mind for this popular and heavily used park.

Parking and entry in the rear of City Hall, Watchung Avenue and East 6th Street.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Dust Bunnies: NJ Transit, Cathcart and basketball, City fined

Gavett Place was reopened to traffic on Monday . . .

. . . as crews secured a restored historic end cap
on the Park Avenue overpass.

 

A few bits of Plainfield news, too small for a full post, but interesting none the less.

NJ Transit overpasses. Work continues apace on the replacement of the Park and Watchung Avenue overpasses. Gavett Place was reopened Monday to the relief of NJ Transit bus drivers and the taxis which use it (though it can use a good sweeping, which I hope has been included in the deal between the city and NJT for its use).

At the same time, I noticed the end cap on the south side of the Park Avenue overpass has been put in place. The originals are being restored and will ultimately frame both overpasses. While the newly constructed inner bays will actually carry the trains, the outer bays, which will be faced with the restored end caps, appear to be non-weight bearing.

This has been a huge project -- and a large investment in Plainfield by NJT -- and it will benefit the city for years to come.

Upcoming work will include Roosevelt and Leland Avenues and Berckman Street overpasses. Plainfield has more overpasses than any other community on the Raritan Valley Line.

Cathcart and basketball. The on-again, off-again status of longtime basketball maven Lenny Cathcart took another twist on Monday.

After announcing last year that he would not return to the Recreation Division's basketball program this year, Cathcart then changed his mind and stirred a fuss to get back on board, embarrassing a sitting Council member in the process.

After Mayor Mapp graciously accommodated him, Cathcart abruptly resigned yesterday in a one-sentence email, without giving any reason.

Hopefully the drama is over.

City fined. Turns out Plainfield homeowners aren't the only ones who can face penalties when their taxes or sewer charges aren't paid on time.

While the city does not pay taxes, it is responsible for collecting the county's tax assessment from Plainfield taxpayers and forwarding same to the county on a regular basis, as are all other municipalities in Union County.

Hillside got some attention from the Ledger recently (see here) when it was fined more than $12,000 for being late on its payment.

Buried in the article was a mention that Roselle and Plainfield had also been penalized with light fines for being a day late in last August's payments.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Dottie Gutenkauf back at Hartwyck at Cedarbrook

Dottie Gutenkauf (seated), listens as Councilor Rebecca Williams
and Mother Carolyn Eklund speak at 2013 commemoration of
Muhlenberg Hospital's closing.

 

Dottie Gutenkauf is back at JFK's Hartwyck at Cedarbrook Rehab Center in Plainfield.

I spent a pleasant hour visiting with Dottie Sunday afternoon and delivering a birthday gift (some cigarettes, what else!) that had been delayed by her recent stay at RWJ Somerset Hospital.

Feisty as ever, the first thing she wanted to know was what has been happening on the political front in Plainfield while she has been out of commission.

I told her about last week's Town Hall meeting, and the city's newly refurbished website (see here).

"That's it?" she asked.

"Well, says I, the Board of Ed has moved the school board elections back to April."

"What!" she said, "Was there public discussion of the move?"

On hearing there was none, she wanted to know what the justification was.

The board has given no explanation, says I.

Hrumph! says she.

Dottie, as most folks know, has been struggling for several years with a rare cancer (ocular melanoma).

Among its effects has been the development of glaucoma in the affected eye and reduced acuity in the other -- to the extent that she some time ago gave up her driver's license.

Her balance has also been affected, and Hartwyck rules require her to use a wheelchair when she goes outside for a puff.

I called her during her previous stay there on the afternoon of the election to say I would stop by after dropping in to Democratic headquarters for a few minutes.

"Hurry," she said, "I need a babysitter."

She explained that house rules would not let her go out to the smoking booth unaccompanied, so she needed someone to push her wheelchair. I went right over. Her smoke break stretched for four or five ciagrettes before we went inside because of the chill.

It's one of the few pleasures remaining.

At the end of yesterday's visit, Dottie asked that I send her love to all -- which this post is conveying.

She welcomes phone calls and brief visits (always call first!), and can get emails once her laptop is set up today (her email is: dottiegutenkauf@gmail.com). Hartwyck at Cedarbook is on Park Avenue at the entrance to Cedar Brook Park. Visitor parking is in the Park Avenue lot.

Send well wishes to one of Plainfield's treasures!

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Town Hall on development brings PILOT, jobs, other questions

Mayor Mapp and members of his economic development team
gave an overview and answered questions at the Town Hall.

Mayor Mapp's Town Hall on economic development in Plainfield brought many questions from attendees, focused mainly on the use of PILOTs, the question of jobs and the likelihood of gentrification.

The meeting last Thursday at the Plainfield Senior Center was well-attended by senior staff and cabinet members. (Folks joshed good-naturedly with DPW Superintendent John Louise, who was in full business suit and tie; he also got the most applause when staff was introduced.)

Council members Diane Toliver, Cory Storch and Bridget Rivers were in attendance. (Councilor Williams teaches on Thursday evenings at Essex County College.)

Mayor Mapp spent the first portion of the meeting introducing the city's new smartphone application, the Mapp App (available for download for iPhone here, and Android here). It is also available through links on the city's freshly redesigned website here.

The  Mapp App gives residents, visitors and prospective businesses and developers complete access to the city's website and digital services through their smartphones. While the app may appeal at first to the young and the geeky, this the way information will be delivered more readily as time goes by and desktop computers fade in importance as a platform.

The bulk of the evening was given over to presentations by the administration's economic development team, with Deputy City Administrator for Economic Development Carlos Sanchez taking the lead.

The overview of development, redevelopment and rehab activities showed the city to be busy indeed. Sanchez noted that last year there were 35 projects on the books and as of October this yearm, 66 projects were in the works (either in the planning approval stages, permitting, or construction).

These will lead to more than 1,000 new one- and two-bedroom apartments and 270,000 square feet of commercial space when completed. Sanchez estimates the total investment to be in the neighborhood of $140 million. All this is welcome news for those who have been waiting for years for things to start happening.

However, the good news did not come without some serious questions from the audience.

While planners and officials insist that the apartments coming on line -- one and two bedroom units -- will not be attractive for families, many residents are skeptical of these claims. As one put it, "they move in and then, before you know it, [the woman] gets pregnant." Staff insisted that as children come into the picture, couples will move on to other arrangements -- like buying a home.

Some of this appears to be wishful thinking from my point of view. Consider the paradox of the "walking wallets" (to use one developer's metaphor) that everyone is salivating over. If the desirability of having high-spending Millienials move into these new units, paying higher rents (that will produce upward pressure on other rent rates in the city), and spending their cash in new stores, restaurants and other businesses, how will they save the money necessary to buy a house?

Also, no marketing studies have been introduced to show the level of demand for new apartments. So, are we in a "if we build it, they will come" state of mind that can lead to over-speculation?

There were also questions about job development.

While planners and officials have taken great care to point out the range of construction jobs that will be generated, and setting up conditions to maximize opportunities for local labor, these jobs eventually go away once the project is completed.

So, it seems fair and reasonable to ask how many permanent jobs for locals will be the result of the development efforts. Numbers there are more modest, almost to the vanishing point.

Traditionally, economic development has been thought of as helping the residential portion of the tax base by bringing in new commercial operations (and thereby more jobs) and/or new manufacturing opportunities (and also thereby new jobs). Residential-only development does not do this (as is the case with the South Avenue Gateway project).

I think there is an opportunity in the manufacturing sector that Plainfield should pay attention to, and Papp Iron Works on South Second Street is a prime example of what could be done. In this case, an existing manufacturing company was enticed to Plainfield because of an appropriately sized location, with good access to transportation networks.

PILOTs, the perennial development tool, also got their share of attention from attendees.

It seems quite clear to me that planners and officials have more ground to cover here. In nearly twenty years of listening to these discussions, one has to ask why residents come with the same questions (are they fair? what about the schools? why do we have to use them?), and are given the same answers (yes, the schools are not cheated, and 'because').

Is there an opportunity here to use the newly spiffed up website to provide handy -- and permanent -- answers to the issues around PILOTs? I think so.

There were other suggestions and concerns (can the Mapp App be used to promoted Plainfield's cultural richness? what about 'those people' gathering on Front Street? are police paying attention to truck and traffic issues around the old Mack plant?).

Attendance was lighter than usual, with perhaps only two thirds of the room filled as opposed to standing room only at the last Town Hall held there. Could it be because the topics were of less general concern? Or because we are in the holiday shopping season? Or both?

In any event, these Town Halls are a proven method for reaching out to the community. Let's have more!

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

St. Mark's Tricky Tray Saturday

St. Mark's Church holds its Holiday Tricky Tray Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 8 PM at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School. $25 admission gets 25 tickets. More info  and tickets at (908) 447-3789.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Tree Lighting tonight; Listening session on Youth Summit Saturday

DPW crew strings lights on annual holiday tree Thursday.
Photo courtesy Plainfield Recreation Division.

Two important events for Plainfield today and tomorrow --

ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING

Kids of all ages eagerly await this annual event, set for this evening at 6:00 PM on the steps of City Hall.

As usual, there will be caroling, hot chocolate and giveaways for the youngsters. Santa's visit is set for 6:45 PM, when by custom he will arrive on a fire truck with lights and sirens.

This year, there will also be a special treat -- an opportunity for a family photo inside a giant snow globe. Families are invited to come to City Hall Library beginning at 4:00 PM to pose inside a giant snowglobe for a complimentary holiday photo. (One photo per family, while supplies last.)

The festivities are being organized by the Recreation Division.

MAYOR'S LISTENING SESSION ON THE YOUTH SUMMIT

Saturday morning, Mayor Mapp will host an important "Community Listening Session" concerning the upcoming citywide Youth Summit.

Residents -- especially young people -- are encouraged to come out and share their thoughts on important topics for this upcoming event.

Originally scheduled as a daylong event at Plainfield High School in cooperation with the Plainfield public schools, the district unilaterally notified Mayor Mapp just days before that it would not make the high school building or students available for the long-planned event.

The mayor may also expect to hear from residents about their reaction to the news that the Board of Ed is moving its election back to April -- the only school district in the state to do so.

The meeting gets under way at 10:00 AM in the Anne Louise Davis Meeting Room of the Plainfield Public Library. Light refreshments will be served.

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 and on College Place.

---

  -- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.