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Monday, June 25, 2007

Planning & Development: A Tale of Two Cities



Today's Courier carried an interesting story on how North Plainfield's leadership is planning to involve residents in the process.

I immediately thought of those 'compare-and-contrast' questions we all so hated in high school. Except this time, it is a truly enlightening exercise -- comparing the approaches of Plainfield and North Plainfield.

Like twins joined at the hip, the two communities share a boundary -- the Green Brook -- and function pretty much as an economic entity, far as I can tell.

But the way the two towns are approaching their futures strikes me as markedly different.

In the Courier piece, North Plainfield officials --
  • Paint an overview of what's going on;
  • Solicit public participation -- and 'court new people';
  • Involve the business community.
By contrast, in Plainfield --
  • Who knows there is a development forum scheduled for Wednesday evening unless they read the blogs?
  • The working style is top-down and command-oriented; public participation is not really sought out;
  • The business community? One reason for Wednesday's meeting is that the light manufacturing businesses -- an important element -- were left out completely in the Mayor's transit-obsessed development plans.
Will Wednesday's meeting truly be a forum where business people -- especially those who showed up at last month's Council meeting -- will get a chance to air their concerns and get some straight answers to their questions?

Or will it be another highly-scripted, Rove-ish production number, all meringue and no substance?

You might want to check it out.



Community Forum on Economic Development/Redevelopment

Wednesday, June 27
7 PM

Hosted by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs

Washington Community School
427 Darrow Avenue

Parking in Spooner Avenue lot and on street


-- Dan Damon

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