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Title frame from Mayor Mapp's video. |
The 2014 Plainfield municipal budget was only a co-star at Tuesday's special Council meeting. It could even be argued that the budget was upstaged by several councilors' reactions to a video by Mayor Adrian Mapp about the need for progress in the city.
Several residents spoke during the public hearing, most to protest the Council majority's cuts to the budget -- specifically the elimination of funding for the Mayor's chief of staff and the public information officer. Only former mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and Jerry Green council candidate Charles Eke spoke in favor of the amended budget.
Councilor Storch addressed his colleagues before the vote was taken, saying that he was voting for the budget, but 'with a lot of reluctance'. He complained that as part of the Finance Committee (chaired by Councilor Reid, with Council Taylor as the third member), when they met to discuss amending the budget, 'everything seemed pre-determined'. It should be noted that Councilor Taylor took no part in the Council's public budget deliberations. Storch's comments jibe with rumors I have heard that several Councilors conducted a secret (illegal?) meeting to draw up the budget amendments.
All of this though was overshadowed by disapproval of a video by Mayor Mapp arguing Plainfield's need for a progressive agenda that appeared on PCTV, Plainfield's public access TV channel and was posted to YouTube.
Clucking like some sort of big bird, Councilor Taylor took several minutes to express her shock and dismay at such a turn of events -- all the while mugging for the PCTV cameras which were rolling to record the Council meeting. It was a performance to rival Claude Rain's famous 'I'm shocked, shocked' scene from the movie Casablanca.
Council President Bridget Rivers was so shocked she has called a special Council meeting for this Thursday to discuss the video, pass a resolution of disapproval and refer the video to the NJ Local Government Ethics Board.
That meeting will be held at 8:00 PM, May 29, in City Hall Library.
Was Mayor Mapp right to use the bully pulpit of his office to lobby for his position? You be the judge. Here's the video --
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6 comments:
As a politician from Linden this is not the kind of thing I would except from my Mayor either.
Yes this video do tread the lines. This is a close one.
This one is not good at all. Let's call a spade a spade here not good,
These jokers get scarier every day. I saw the video and it pales next to some of Sharon's games. With the election coming up, they are digging their graves and I hope the voters are noticing. Eke, pronounce, "EEK!" by me, for what he will do if elected, is a real piece of work. Taylor is not to be believed and I don't see any future vision from her, but a past vision. Too bad they really don't care about Plainfield, just themselves.
I agree with the Mayor we need more enterprises besides 99 cent stores.We need stores and industries in our city.
I recommend they also look into FDR's Fire Side Chats during World War II.
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