Plainfield officials make InsiderNJ's African American Power List

Mural of Paul Robeson in the Robeson Room at
Raritan Valley Community College. (Image by Max Pizarro)

UPDATED. Congratulations to the Plainfield elected officials who were in included in InsiderNJ's 2020 African American Power List.

Assemblywoman Linda Carter (29), Mayor Adrian O. Mapp (#34) and Freeholder Rebecca Williams (#61) are in the main list, as well as North Plainfield council member Keiona Miller (98).

Included in the 'Honorable Mention' list are: Elton Armady, Steve Hockaday, Barry Goode, Ashley Davis, Charles McRae, Joylette Mills-Ransome, and former mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

Want to see the full list? Check it out here.

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Bernie wins big at Union Twp. Dems straw ballot

Candidate surrogates were (l. to r.): Sen. Dick Codey, Larry Hamm, Sue Altman,
Joe Signorello, Mike Muller, and Andrew Cohen. Moderator
Nadège Ricketts and host Sen. Joe Cryan are at far right.

Surrogate Joe Signorello makes his pitch to the crowd.

Nearly two hundred Union County Democrats crowded into the VFW hall in Union Monday evening as guests of the Union Township Democratic Club.

They were there as guests of the Union Democratic Club to conduct a mock presidential primary. After listening to surrogates for each of the candidates in the presidential race, attendees cast ballots for their choice.

The event was the brainchild of State Sen. Joe Cryan, whose home base is Union.

The event was moderated by Nadège Ricketts, president of the Union Democratic Club. After each of the surrogates made a pitch for his or her candidate, attendees balloted.

The surrogates were --

Candidate	Surrogate
[Biden]	Sen. Dick Codey
[Sanders]	Larry Hamm
[Warren]	Sue Altman
[Bloomberg]	Mike Muller
[Klobuchar]	Andrew Cohen
[Buttigieg]	Joe Signorello

Results of the straw ballot.

Bernie Sanders was the big winner of the evening, taking 60 votes or one third of those cast. Mike Bloomberg came in second with 33 votes (18.3%), and Joe Biden was third with 30 votes (16.7%).

Pete Buttigieg finished fourth with 27 votes (15%) and Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar trailed behind. Tom Steyer did not have a surrogate.

Though hardly scientific, the poll was still a valuable tool for Democratic party leadership to gauge the sentiment on the ground for various presidential candidates.

Next up is the South Carolina primary this Saturday (February 29). Tuesday March 3 is "Super Tuesday", when 13 states hold their primaries simultaneously, with one third of the total convention delegates at stake (1,344).

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Will Ms. Hembree take her seat on the Plainfield Board of Ed?

A never-before-heard-of group is protesting
the seating of Willie Pat Hembree as a Board member.

Willie Pat Hembree was elected to the Plainfield BOE last November. However, she was not sworn in in January because of an interpretation of a state rule. She is being required to wait until 180 days after her retirement, which was on September 1, 2019.

This would mean she should be sworn in and seated in March, perhaps at the March 3rd Work/Study meeting. (The District's website has no agendas at all for 2020 online. What has happened? The District website was always totally up-to-date.)

In any event, a group calling itself Citizens for an Ethical School Board is circulating complaints against Ms. Hembree, the District and the Board of Ed.

The group, which does not list any members or spokespersons, alleges that Ms. Hembree filed a claim against the BOE on 9/6/19. This would apparently violate the state's rule that incoming board members can have "no interest in any contract with, or claim against, the board."

The group further alleges that the Board's attorney Phil Stern apprised some Board members of the situation. It is further alleged that these Board members kept the matter secret "until it was discovered by others" (the Board members not notified?).

The group further states that it has filed a complaint with the Union County Prosecutor's Office, where the Special Prosecutions Unit oversees election violations.

Further, the group claims a violation of the IRS' "return to public employment" policy -- even though Ms. Hembree would be a volunteer as a Board member, not an employee.

The amount of detail in the allegations would lead one to suspect that the information came from a source within the Board of Ed itself.

However, after all the huffery and puffery I suspect that any violations -- if pursued by a competent authority -- would be deemed insignificant and Ms. Hembree will be seated.

Am I wrong? We shall soon see.

One jarring note: the group uses the City of Plainfield's seal as its letterhead. This is a no-no. The city seal as a letterhead can only properly be used on stationery of an official of the city.

The Board of Ed Work/Study meeting is Tuesday, March 3, at 8:00 PM in the PHS Conference Room.

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Union Twp. Dems host Presidential forum and balloting Monday

Union Twp. Dems are holding a forum
and mock primary Monday evening.

State Senator Joe Cryan and the Union Township Democratic Committee are hosting a Presidential candidate forum and mock ballot this Monday (February 24).

Representatives of all the presidential campaigns have been invited to attend.The forum is being moderated by Nadège Ricketts, president of the Union Township Democratic Club.
 
Participants will gather to hear from spokespersons for each of the presidential campaigns and then participate in a mock primary, with actual voting machines.

With all the turmoil in the race, this is a wonderful opportunity for grassroots Democrats to weigh in. Though the results will not be scientific, public sentiment can help guide the NJ Democratic party as the race unfolds.

The forum will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at VFW Post #2433, 2012 High Street in Union. Parking on the street.

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UPDATED: Chairman Mapp calls on Union County Dems to back Bloomberg. What do you think?

Plainfield Democratic chair Adrian Mapp is urging
Union County Democrats to back Mike Bloomberg.

UPDATED with link to online story. Adrian O. Mapp, chairman of the Plainfield Democratic City Committee has called on the Union County Democrats to back Mike Bloomberg in the June presidential primary.

Mapp made the pitch in an email circulated to the county party's trustees, who are the chairs of the county's 21 municipal committees. (Read more at InsiderNJ here.)

At this point, the state Democratic Party has taken no position on the candidates. While several individuals have backed Bloomberg (Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, and Paterson mayor Adre Sayegh), there are also those who are calling for an open primary -- Essex County (see here), Hudson County (see here), and Sen. Bob Menendez (see here). Morris County Democrats will wait until March 15 (after Super Tuesday) to make their choice (see here). Gov. Murphy recently told a town hall audience he was not ready to endorse (see here).

Although many Plainfielders I have spoken with (and seen comment on Facebook) haven't made up their minds yet, I have yet to hear one person backing Bloomberg. Most frequent comments are that he is trying to buy the presidency, and people point to baggage, including his stop-and-frisk policy, which led to racial profiling by the NYC police.

Bloomberg did not perform well at Wednesday's debate and was put on the spot about NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) signed by former women employees and whether he would release them from the obligation to remain silent. He ducked.

In what I think is a brilliant move, State Senator Joe Cryan of Union is said to be holding a mock primary -- complete with election machines -- this weekend. I have reached out for more details, and if I get them in time will post them here.

I would think the state party would have thought of doing these on a county-by-county basis. Why wouldn't you want to know how the grassroots folks are thinking?

I will post this on Facebook on my usual pages (my own, The Buzz, and others).

Feel free to comment away!

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Plainfield board with life-and-death power publishes public meeting schedule

Licenses are color coded as follows: GREEN = Restaurants serving alcohol,
BLUE = Bars, RED = Liquor Stores, YELLOW = Clubs.

In early 2017, Plainfield's City Council voted to give up its prerogative to sit as the local Alcoholic Beverage Control Board by passing an ordinance creating a standing ABC board.

Over time, a funny thing happened: We no longer heard of the ABC Board or actions it has taken. These used to be the subject of intense public scrutiny and comment when the Council had the responsibility.

A search on the City website returned no information on the ABC Board.

There is no entry on the City website though all boards and commissions are supposed to be listed. In addition, while the land use boards (Planning, Zoning, Historic Preservation, and Shade Tree) have their documents on the website, the ABC does not.

The ABC's meetings and hearings are subject both to the "Sunshine Law" (requiring adequate public notice) and the Open Public Meetings Act.

Not only that, the ABC Board has quasi-judicial powers: Rulings made as a result of hearings have the force of law and can go so far as to put a licensee out of business (as with Clinton Liquors a few years ago).

So it is a pleasant surprise for the current chairperson, David Graves, to release a schedule for the year ahead --

• Wednesday, February 19
  
• Wednesday, April 15
• Wednesday, June 24
• Wednesday, July 15
• Wednesday, September 16
• Wednesday, December 16

All meetings are at 7:00 PM in City Hall Library, except for the December meeting, which is in the 2nd Floor Conference Room.

Liquor licenses are renewed annually in June (though the process can drag on because of lateness in getting paperwork in order, financial considerations, and appeals to the state).

The ABC Board works with the Municipal Clerk, who oversees the administrative aspects of license renewal, and the Police Division, which generates reports and recommendations for penalties for licenses. Among the reasons a licensee may be penalized are --

• sales to minors,
• not having employee documentation in order,
• after-hour sales,
• fights or other disturbances on the premises, and
• sales or use of drugs on the premises.

In the case of proposed penalties, licensees have the right to an evidentiary hearing, representation by counsel, and appeal to the state, which may uphold, modify or overrule the local ABC Board's decision.

The next meeting, open to the public, is this Wednesday (February 19) at 7:00 PM in City Hall Library.

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Olddoc (Dr. Harold Yood) celebrates his 100th birthday

Dr. Yood with Gerri Agurs and Martin Cox
at the 2016 PHS Hall of Fame inductions.

Plainfield's beloved Olddoc -- aka Harold Yood, MD -- is celebrating his 100th birthday.

His actual birthday is Februar 23rd, but family and friends will be gathering this Saturday for a party.

I first met Dr. Yood more than 20 years ago, when I started attending City Council meetings on a regular basis.

He was there at practically every session, asking the kind of probing questions that elected officials need, making them aware citizens were watching.

Dr. Yood grew up in the house at West 4th and Grant where his father practiced for many years and the family lived.

Except for his military service during World War II, Dr. Yood practiced his entire career in Plainfield and eventually became the chief of the medical staff at Muhlenberg Hospital.

I have always respected his take on Plainfield politics -- even in the worst of times, he has always been hopeful about the Queen City's future.

A lifelong Republican, he changed his party registration to Democrat a number of years ago in order to have some say in this heavily Democratic town.

He is a Plainfielder through and through and I hope you will join me in wishing him a happy 100th birthday!

I am honored to be an invited guest.

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Illegal dumper caught in the act

Illegal dumper caught mid-afternoon Tuesday.
The man is standing next to the rear tire,
holding a pallet which he pitched behind the dumpster.

Like many other Plainfield drivers, I find the ban on left-hand turns from eastbound Front Street onto Somerset Street an inconvenience.

Also like many other Plainfield drivers, I sometimes shortcut through the Horizons at Plainfield driveway to the alleyway behind which comes out at the Halal market, where one can turn left onto Somerset Street and head into North Plainfield.

Doing so mid-afternoon on Tuesday, I encountered a truck blocking access to the alleyway.

Its driver was throwing wooden pallets on the ground next to one of the building's dumpsters. My photo manages to catch only his legs (by the rear wheel). He is holding one pallet and has pitched several on the ground behind the dumpster.

Who is the offender? Soriano Plumbing & Heating of Newark. License 12815. Phone: (973) 583-6473. See their website here.

Before I could get closer, the driver got in the van and left, driving through the "Do Not Enter" sign in the Horizons driveway.

I didn't see any PMUA markings on the dumpsters and guess they may be from a commercial hauler.

In any event, since dumping is a problem, wouldn't you think someone would mount a cam (especially since they are now so small) to monitor the dumpsters?

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City Council business meeting Monday -- and yes, a tax increase is on the agenda

Detail from Ordinance 2020-08. Underlined text
indicates a tax increase will be coming.

Plainfield City Council's business meeting is Monday (February 10) at 7:00 PM.

The agenda is identical with last week's agenda-setting session, with the exception of the addition of a resolution memorializing the late Mayor Frank (Pete) Blatz, who served from 1968 to 1973 and recently passed away.

And yes, Ordinance MC 2020-08 will be introduced on first reading. This ordinance will establish a cap bank for 2020, and specifically says the 2020 City of Plainfield budget will be increased up to 3.5% over 2019's final appropriations (see image above).

No way around it folks, that sounds like a tax increase is coming.

City Council meets for its business session at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

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Did Chairman Mapp let a cat out of the bag?

Developer Frank Cretella owns the former main office
of United National Bank at 2nd and Park.

Besides dealing with selecting Primary election candidates, Chairman Mapp took time at Saturday's Plainfield Democratic City Committee meeting to review some of the many projects currently under way or soon to come to the Queen City.

One in particular caught my ear.

Chairman Mapp reminded those present about the fine new restaurant coming to Park Avenue. In the process, he associated it with the Stone House in Warren, Liberty House at Liberty State Park, and the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station.

Now those are all Landmark Hospitality properties, one of the companies of developer Frank Cretella.

According to reports in the press, the new DJBK restaurant on Park Avenue will be in the old Courier News building at 220 Park Avenue. It is a partnership between Cretella's Landmark and chef David Felton.

What Chairman Mapp said next is what caught my attention: "...it will be in the old bank building and will have a banquet hall seating 300."

First of all, the Courier News building has never been a bank. Ever. Secondly, the only descriptions of the DJBK restaurant say that it will have seating for 120 plus a 40-seat event space. Nothing that sounds like a 300-seat banquet hall. So, is Chairman Mapp talking about the restaurant in the Courier News building?

There is another possibility, and that is the old United National Bank (now PNC) building at Park Avenue and West 2nd Street.

The large parking lot Cretella says will be available for DJBK customers actually is part of the UNB parcel.

Ted's Appliances was located in between and was suddenly demolished last October and appears to be about to be incorporated into the already-existing parking lot (see story here).

And a lot of people have noticed demolition work quietly going on in the UNB building for months, with dumpsters being parked in the driveup window lanes to the rear of the building.

Add to this the fact that Cretella developed an old bank building in Ridgewood into a spectacular dining space, and you have enough of a hint to perk up one's ears.

Felina, the Ridgewood restaurant, features a rooftop bar (more here) and tables in the old bank's vault (see here).
 

The bank in Ridgewood that Cretella converted
into Felina's restaurant.

Even the vault was turned into a unique dining space.

Cretella once (10 years ago) talked of a rooftop bar on the United National Bank building (see my story about that here).

So, adding together all these intriguing morsels, did Chairman Mapp let the cat out of the bag on another Cretella Plainfield project?

Only time will tell, but it looks like a jigsaw puzzle may be coming together.

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UPDATED: Hockaday, McRae get nod from Plainfield Dems, presidential primary looms in background

Plainfield Democrats met Saturday.

 
UPDATED with the Booker-Hamm race. -- Dan. At Saturday's Plainfield Democratic City Committee meeting, the line for citywide at-large was given to Steve Hockaday, currently Ward 4 councilor. Ward 3 incumbent Charles McRae got the nod for another run.


Both were unanimous recommendations of the screening committee Chairman Adrian O. Mapp had previously appointed.



Ward 1 committee member Robert Graham and Plainfield activist also screened for the at-large seat. McRae was the only person screened for Ward 3.

The Union County team (l to r): Rajoppi, Corvelli,
Hudak, Garretson, Leon, chair Nick Scutari.

Chairman Mapp also noted the Union County slate: Joanne Rajoppi for County Clerk, Peter Corvelli for Sheriff, and Angela Garretson, Chris Hudak and Lourdes Leon (replacing retiring Angel Estrada) for Freeholder.

Our Congressional representative, the very popular Bonnie Watson Coleman will also be on the ballot this year.



Sen. Cory Booker is also running for reelection, now that he has bowed out of the presidential race. With only $73K in his warchest, he is faced with a challenge by longtime Newark activist Larry Hamm, who has aligned himself with the Progressive faction of Bernie Sanders.

Discussing the presidential primary -- which is the same day as the county primary -- Chairman Mapp said that the Union County committee had taken no stand on any candidate yet.


He is personally in favor of Mike Bloomberg at this point, but said he will support the County committee's choice. Union County will decide at its convention in March.

It seemed to me a good opportunity while the discussion was being had to conduct a straw poll of the members present (there were about 23 from what I could tell) as to where their thinking was at this moment. However, it was not to be.


Though some counties have moved to a more participatory form of decision-making, Union County still follows the old-timey pattern of top-down machine politics.


Today (Sunday), the Hunterdon County Dems will meet in convention and decide on a candidate. As the first county convention in the primary season, Hunterdon is often referred to as "the Iowa of New Jersey."


The presidential primary has another significance for Plainfield as the local challengers (David Rutherford for citywide at-large and Emily Morgan for Ward 3) have aligned themselves with the Bernie Sanders campaign. Sanders' followers -- heavily weighted to younger voters -- are intensely loyal. We shall see what that amounts to in June.


After Chairman Mapp invited the candidates to say a few words, he took the time to review some of the many projects currently under way or soon to come to the Queen City -- including a large residential project across from Seidler Field, The Station at Grant, $2M+ in upgrades (including an artificial turf field) at Rushmore Playground, and construction to begin this spring on the townhomes to replace now-demolished Elmwood Gardens.




Chairman Mapp also advised the County is looking for poll workers and interested parties should reach out to him. The requirements and an application form are on the County's website. Poll workers are paid $200 for election day (twice a year) -- but it is a looooong day, from before 6:00 AM to after 8:00 PM.


Petitions were circulated, and will be circulated in the community over the next few weeks (they are due April 1 -- no joke).

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Three musical celebrations of Black History Month for Plainfield

Illustration from the concert at Shiloh Baptist Church,
one of three musical offerings for Plainfielders.

 

Plainfielders have three wonderful musical opportunities celebrating Black History Month --

***Sunday, February 9, 5:00 PM
Rise Up Chorus in Concert at Shiloh Baptist Church


A concert celebrating the wealth and variety of music by African American composers. Rise Up Chorus, based in Metuchen is "New Jersey's Community Chorus".
Tickets: $20/adult, $12/seniors and children, may be purchased at the door.


Shiloh Baptist Church is at 515 West 4th Street (corner of Liberty Street).


***Sunday, February 23, 4:00 PM
Spirituals in Concert at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church


A concert featuring African American spirituals with soloists Melanie Campbell, Augustine Mercante and Madison Washington, along with the Cab Calloway Chamber Singers and the Crescent Avenue Chancel Choir.
Tickets: $20/adults, $15/seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased at the door.


Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church is at the corner of East 7th Street and Watchung Avenue.


***Sunday, February 23, 5:00 PM
Black History Month Evensong at Grace Episcopal Church


Including spirituals and music by contemporary African American composers, this is an evening service of scripture and music as celebrated in the Anglican tradition for more than 450 years.  A dinner featuring foods from the African Diaspora will be served following the service. The service and the dinner are free to the community.


Grace Episcopal Church is at the corner of East 7th Street and Cleveland Avenue. Parking in the public lot across from the church.

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In surprise move, Elton Armady declines to run for citywide council seat

Citywide at-large Councilor Elton Armady in a photo
with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In an email to Democratic City Committee members on Wednesday, PDCC Chairman Adrian O. Mapp advised that Citywide Councilor at-large Elton Armady has decided not to run in the June Primary election.

Armady was appointed to fill the vacancy created when citywide at-large Councilor Rebecca Williams moved up to become a Union County Freeholder after Linda Carter went to the Assembly upon the passing of Assemblyman Jerry Green. This would have been a run for a full four year term in his own name.

Armady's withdrawal means that the screening committee (of which I wrote here) will present the chairman with another recommendation for the citywide at-large spot.

The Plainfield Democratic City Committee will meet Saturday (February 8) to confirm the selection of candidates for citywide at-large and Ward 3 for the June Democratic primary.

The meeting gets under way at 11:00 AM at Plainfield Democratic Headquarters at 31 Watchung Avenue (next to Antojito's Restaurant).

It is a longstanding custom of the PDCC to welcome guests as observers at its meetings.

Parking is available on the street on in the public lot adjacent to headquarters.

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UPDATED WITH OBITS: Former Plainfield mayor Frank (Pete) Blatz dies

Frank (Pete) Blatz was Plainfield's
mayor from 1969-73.

UPDATED with links to obituaries --

• Ledger -- see here.
• NJ Globe -- see here. -- A thorough political obituary.
• Higgins funeral home -- see here.

Thanks to Kate Rogers, Bill Havlena, Jack O'Malley, and Nancy Piwowar for helping track down the information. -- Dan

Former Plainfield mayor Frank Blatz died on February 1st.

Blatz was the first mayor to serve under Plainfield's (formerly) newly revised charter (from 1969-73). He was a Republican, the next to last of that party to serve as mayor (Paul O'Keeff was the last, from 1974-81).

Under Blatz, the city professionalized its leadership positions. He also increased citizen participation in local government through the Model Cities program.

Blatz's leadership was considered an important part of the city's recovery after the disastrous period of George Hetfield as mayor (who called in the National Guard after rebellion broke out in the Fourth Ward).

I am told services will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Westfield this Wednesday (February 5) at 10:00 AM. I will update this post as soon as I learn more or an obituary becomes available.

St. Paul's Church is at 414 East Broad Street, across from the Westfield Town Hall.

As of now, this leaves three living former Plainfield mayors: Harold Mitchell (1990-93), Mark Fury (1994-97), and Sharon Robinson-Briggs (2006-13).

I am indebted to Plainfield resident Larry Bashe, deputy city administrator under Mayor Blatz (and city administrator under Mayor O'Keeff) for much of the information in this post.

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Tax increase for 2020 among items on Council's agenda-setting session Monday

A PILOT tax abatement is  being proposed for the
residential project (highlighted) to be built
across from Seidler Field and next to Netherwood Station.

  Plainfield City Council meets for its agenda-setting session Monday, February 3. There are a number of items of interest --

CITIZENS BUDGET ADVISORY COMMITTEE: An item is listed under 'unfinished business'. Each Councilor gets to name a member to the committee that reviews the annual proposed budget and makes suggestions.


COUNCILMANIC RESOLUTIONS: There are four resolutions celebrating and honoring several individuals and organizations. The Clerk's office needs to tighten up: Councilor Ashley Davis, who is in her second year on the Council, has her first name misspelled on three resolutions. C'mon gang.

INSURANCE PLANS: If you recall, the City was going to return to the state's health insurance plan. Seems that did not work out, so there are resolutions to cancel the Delta Dental contract, and to renew a contract with Aetna for $15M, which includes a dental component.
 

POLICE ACCREDITATION: Plainfield's Police Department is preparing to be reaccredited. The cost of $46,000 is picked up by the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Accreditation makes possible a reduction in the JIF (Joint Insurance Fund) premium -- from which many settlements are made throughout the year.

CONTRACT SAVINGS: Director Dabney brings pleasant news: three of the contracts for various projects (including Rushmore Park) are coming in under the contract price -- for a savings to the City of nearly $!6,000. Good job! That is offset by the purchase of a new street sweeper -- cost $224,000. These things are not cheap.


PROPERTY CLEANUPS: Eight properties cleaned up for a total of $4,687 -- the surprise being seeing a Denmark Road property on the list.

CISCO TRAINING: The Communications Director proposes two items concerning the Cisco Certification Training program. One is for a contract with an individual to provide training for $28,500. The other is for Union County College to also provide training for $32,750. I believe this is the third year for this program. The original affiliation with Al Sharpton's NAN seems to have fallen by the wayside. This seems to me to be the first mention of the city paying UCC for offering the program. Also, after two full years, the public has yet to hear how many persons have been certified after completing the program. Wouldn't that be good to know?


TAX ABATEMENT: The Council is being asked to grant a tax abatement for the residential project to be built on North Avenue near the Netherwood Station and across the street from Seidler Field. The 30-year PILOT is expected to generate $306,000/year when the project is up (as opposed to $22,409 the City now receives). 150 construction jobs are expected, but permanent full- and part-time jobs are quite modest at 1-8.

TAX INCREASE COMING: There is a proposed ordinance (MC 2020-08) to establish a cap bank (once again). The City says in the ordinance that it expects to raise taxes by 3.5% again this year. (The cap bank allows the city to exceed the state-mandated ceiling of 2.5% per year.)

City Council meets in an agenda-setting session at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

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