City pools are open; cooling centers, who knows?

Hannah Atkins and other city pools are waiting for you!

Thanks to a post on Plainfield Councilor Rebecca Williams' blog (see here), residents can find a schedule for the city's pools, which are open to all regardless of age or neighborhood.

The city pools are open Monday through Saturday from Noon to 7 PM and Sunday from Noon to 6 PM. Monday through Friday the pools are reserved from 10 AM to Noon for participants in the Recreation Division's summer camp.

Plainfield's three pools are --

Hannah Atkins
West 3rd Street and Plainfield Avenue

Rushmore Playground
West 3rd Street at Rushmore Avenue

Seidler Field
North Avenue at Netherwood Avenue

Meanwhile, though rain Saturday evening brought some relief from high temperatures and humidity, you still cannot find any word on the City's website (or anyplace else) about cooling centers.

Plainfield, like other communities in Union County belongs to the FirstAlert system by which residents can sign up for text message notifications.

Here is a sample of Fanwood's emergency heat notice sent to me by a reader --

From: user@ucfirstalert.org
Date: July 20, 2013, 9:16:52 AM EDT
To: roamalert_unj_pub@ucfirstalert.org
Subject: #E5A  Important message from UCFirstAlert

Heat advisory: Check on elderly neighbors, stay hydrated & go to Chelsea Cooling Station if needed. Chief Trigo

Sent by Pat Hoynes to Fanwood, Fanwood Live, Fanwood Work, Fanwood Administration, Fanwood DPW, Fanwood Employees, Fanwood FD, Fanwood OEM, Fanwood PD (e-mail accounts, pagers, Cell phones) through UC First Alert
... powered by Cooper Notification's Roam Secure Alert Network
--
You received this message because you registered on UC First Alert.  To change your alerting preferences go to http://www.ucfirstalert.org/mygroups.php

Tell a friend/co-worker about UC First Alert! Forward this message to them and have them register for this free service at http://www.ucfirstalert.org

I just don't understand what is so freaking hard about supplying information to the residents of Plainfield. It can't be any harder than making sure everyone knows when Mayor Sharon is making an appearance somewhere.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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du Cret students show at Swain's opens today

Some of the artists in this summer's show.

Twenty-nine award winning students from duCret School of Art will be honored at the opening today at Swain's of the annual juried awards art show.

The students will present works in a variety of media, including oils, watercolors, jewelry, stained glass, photography and multi-media. Among the winners are three students from Plainfield: Etelka McMillan, Cathleen Nardo and Ally Washington.

The opening reception is this afteroon from 5:00 - 7:00 PM and the exhibit runs through August 24 and can be seen any time during Swain Galleries regular hours.

Swain Galleries, celebrating 144 years of serving Plainfield's art, gift and framing needs, is at 703 Watchung Avenue at the corner of East 7th Street (across from Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church), with plenty of onsite parking.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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City's website a fount of non-information. Thanks, Sharon!

Screenshot from City of Plainfield website.

 
There was no mention of Plainfield in NJ Today's story yesterday on cooling centers in Union County and that led me to check the city's website.

While there are some tips about dealing with the heat, there is no mention of where to go or what to do if you don't have air conditioning.

Nor is there (yet) any mention that the city's swimming pools are open or what the schedule is since it appears there is a shortage of lifeguards -- still.

Meanwhile, notices about last night's Plainwood Square concert and car show seem to have been thrown up at the last possible minute.

The concert attendance was way down -- I would say half its usual attendance -- probably partly due to the weather (it was still 95° at 7 PM), but perhaps also due to the city's lack of publicity.

The car show appeared to have fewer than a dozen entries and no attendees when I went by. First of all, it was out of sight over behind the old Blockbuster store, and secondly the lot was totally barricaded so you would have had to park at C-Town and walk over.

With National Night Out due in just over two weeks (August 6), a check with the Clerk's office reveals that no paperwork has been filed as of today. This is a program in which Plainfield has participated for more than a quarter century.

Has Sharon lost all interest in Plainfield?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield double-header: Liquor license hearing, YOU vigil

Violations galore at West End liquor store.

Plainfielders had a double-header Wednesday evening with a special meeting of the City Council to hear a liquor license matter and a candlelight vigil sponsored by the youth group Y.O.U. Fortunately, both events took place at City Hall, so intrepid observers could shuttle between both.

Sitting as the local Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, four members of the City Council (Council President Bridget Rivers and councilors Mapp, Reid and Williams) heard testimony from representatives of the Police Division on problems at the 1314 West Front Street location known as the Arlington Liquors/Clinton Deli.

Three officers presented detailed information on infractions at the liquor store or on its substantial property, including sales of drugs inside and outside the store, sales to minors, and employee consumption of alcohol while on duty.

Among other things, the owner's daughter, Williamah Naicken, was caught in a drug transaction inside the store and drugs were found in her purse; further, she was in defiance of a court order barring her from frequenting the premises.

The owner, Vadrajan Naicken, was not represented by counsel. When asked by hearing officer John Motta if he had any questions or statements in his own behalf, he replied 'No'.

This is not the first time Naicken has run afoul of the Council in the annual license renewal process. Evidence was also introduced that Naicken had not complied with previously agreed-to conditions place on his license renewal: surveillance cameras and dusk-to-closing security guards to patrol the large lot.

The police noted there had been 136 calls for service in the July 2012-June 2013 license year. That is an average of more than one call every three days. The cost to the Police Division has been a concern of the Council's at each license renewal period.

To my mind, Naicken's appearance without counsel indicates an attitude that even if the Council takes severe action by refusing to renew his license or placing even more restrictive conditions on it, he will win the day on appeal to Trenton.

Sadly, Plainfield's experience with trying to tighten up on liquor licenses has often been reversed on appeal to the state, and Naicken seems to believe his luck will hold in that regard.

The four councilors deliberated as the ABC behind closed doors. Naicken's license renewal will be up for a vote at the Council's next regular business meeting August 19.

This is how word reached me via FaceBook.

Y.O.U. CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

Meanwhile, about 150 young people and adults gathered on the steps of City Hall in a candlelight vigil organized by the Plainfield youth organization Y.O.U. (Youth Organization for Unity).

Coming in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin, the Plainfield vigil focused on remembering 'hundreds of unarmed youth killed without justice' (see the event's FaceBook page here). Emily Butler posted a story about the vigil on the Plainfield TAP page (see here).

Once again, it became clear to me that young people use social media in relation to events like the vigil in a way that us older folks just don't think of. I got the first word of the vigil yesterday morning on my FaceBook page, and subsequently received several Tweets on my cellphone as the message was tweeted and retweeted by supporters throughout the day. What remains is for the young people to find a way to bridge the communications gap to those who are not so hip. Suggestions?

ALEC DESERVES THE BLAME

To my mind, ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council, see here, which began life as the 'Conservative Caucus of State Legislators') bears the responsibility for Florida's 'stand your ground' law, under which this travesty of justice was orchestrated.

ALEC is an organization funded by conservative business leaders like the Koch brothers that invites legislators from all 50 states to join in supporting a variety of conservative goals on business and social policy issues through state legislatures.

ALEC is directly responsible for the 'stand your ground' law, which it crafted in partnership with the NRA, and which now is exposed as a license to kill Black men and other minorities.

Over the long haul, exposing and defeating the ALEC agenda is what is needed (including the repeal of the 'stand your ground' law in Florida and elsewhere) to turn back this tide of bigotry and hatred.

Here are some resources to help understand and combat ALEC:

• "ALEC Exposed" -- The comprehensive resource about ALEC.
• "Time to repeal ALEC/NRA Stand Your Ground laws" -- from Truthout.
• "ALEC" -- A Wikipedia article.
• "Tracking ALEC" | "The United State of ALEC" -- Investigative reporting by Bill Moyers & Company.
• "ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests" -- Report by People for the American Way.
• ALEC Membership:  "Corporate Members" | "Legislative Members"

ALEC is truly a hydra-headed monster and a threat to American democracy which must be defended against and dealt with.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Christie campaigning for Campbell in Plainfield?

Will Gov. Christie campaign for young John in Plainfield soon?

Wednesday got off with a bang in Plainfield with word that Gov. Chris Christie was to arrive via helicopter at 11:30 AM in the Queen City.

A further report from a Plainfielder who works out at the Scotch Plains/Fanwood YMCA said that Christie would be here to campaign for young John Campbell, the GOP Assembly candidate in the 22nd Legislative District.

To my knowledge, Christie failed to appear. But that does not mean he might not visit Plainfield soon to campaign for Campbell, who the GOP is trying to portray as challenging Assemblywoman Linda Stender (wink, wink).

Christie is a chutzpah kind of guy, and it would be quite in character for him to storm this Democratic bastion (as he did in 2009, when he campaigned in Plainfield -- see my post here).

On the other hand, campaigning for young John Campbell could tarnish Christie's own campaign since Campbell's mother is under scrutiny in another matter.

Wilma Campbell, young John's mother, is the center of a controversy involving the Board of Education selection of the law firm of Pickett and Craig, which has been caught red-handed overbilling the school district.

Worse than that, Wilma Campbell, who is president of the Board of Education, has admitted publicly that she and her husband have business connections with the firm (Mrs. Campbell is an agent in her husband's real estate office).

Some Plainfielders, myself among them, think that the acting Union County Prosecutor should look into the matter of how legal contracts were awarded by Mrs. Campell & crew at the Board of Ed, and whether she and/or the Board conspired to overlook the overbilling by the law firm and other matters.

Ah, politics! Never as simple as it first appears.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Valarie Adams and The Dimensions in free concert Thursday

Valarie Adams and The Dimensions appear Thursday at Plainwood Square Park.

Plainfield's ever-popular outdoor summer concerts continue Thursday evening at 6 PM when Valarie Adams and The Dimensions will entertain residents at the Plainwood Square Park on South Avenue.

Originally begun by the South Avenue Merchants Association and now sponsored by the Plainfield SID (Special Improvement District), the outdoor summer concert series has been immensely popular since its beginning.

Valarie and the Dimensions never disappoint with their renditions of Motown, Funk and R&B classics.

Bring along your own lawn chair and join the crowd.

Parking available in the C-Town parking lot across from the park. Drinks are always available on the patio at Café Vivace, from which the concert can also be enjoyed.

NOTE: PLAINFIELD IDOL TRYOUTS. Auditions for the annual Plainfield Idol contest will be held Tuesday, July 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the SID office at 320 Park Avenue. Call Pat Fields for an appointment, at (908) 369-1152. The Plainfield Idol Concert will take place Wednesday, August 21 at Plainwood Square Park. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Homicide overnight Monday

Sources tell me that Plainfield police discovered the body of an Hispanic male in his early 30s early this morning in the area of Waynewood Place and West Front Street (near the Auto Zone store).

He had evidently been shot in the head overnight and was not discovered until about 6:30 AM.

More as details emerge.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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mmm

Council on police certification, UEZ funds, Lampkin House

Sometimes we get a pretty close approximation of 'just and capable'.

 
Mowing through a dense agenda Monday evening, Plainfield City Council took time to look more deeply into three items: stabilizing the historic Lampkin House on Terrill Road, sequestering the remaining Urban Enterprise Zone funds, and the matter of certifying the Police Division.

THE LAMPKIN HOUSE

Spearheaded by local historic preservation activists, a second plan of action for the Revolutionary-era Lampkin House on Terrill Road was agreed to by Plainfield's City Council Monday evening. Without great enthusiasm, I might add.

The chief concerns of the Council centered around whether the project's proponents could pull it off financially and fears that the City would be on the hook for even more money as the project moves along.

With one of the sticking points being the formation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to own, restore and operate the property, I am a little leery that no one has yet even begun the paperwork for such an organization.

Secondly, though there appears to be enthusiasm for the project, no one has committed any money and all are waiting for the city to chip in the $63,750 match for the Open Space and Historic Preservation grant necessary to get the ball rolling.

The association of Erick Torain with the project brought to my mind Plainfield's previous experiences with his projects.

The African-American Fund's preschool at Grant Avenue and West 6th Street caused concerns when it was originally funded and the Freeholders allowed as how the City of Plainfield was probably going to be left holding the bag if the bonds were ever defaulted.

The Central Jersey Arts Charter School was an even messier project. Before Mr. Torain became involved, a $5.5 million bond was proposed; after his involvement, the CJACS board was replaced by a new non-profit 'Friend of CJAC' board hand-picked by Torain, the bond amount was increased to $7 million, and the architect who had worked on the project from its inception was sidelined (after testifying as an expert witness on the school's behalf at Planning Board hearings) and snookered out of fees owed.

[Correction: The bonding amounts refer to the Grant Avenue preschool project, not the Central Jersey Arts Charter School. -- Dan]

The Council's support was cautious, tempered by the diaphonous planning and hedged by their concern that no further approaches for funds be made to the city -- on which Councilor Greaves actually conditioned her assent.
Councilor Storch was more skeptical. 'Let's face it,' he said, 'the city will be asked for more [money], it's just a question of when'.

The Resolution, R284-13, passed unanimously.

URBAN ENTERPRISE ZONE FUNDS

Whether the Robinson-Briggs administration had inadvertently or purposefully included the Urban Enterprise Zone funds in R270-13, the Council was having none of it.

The item was the subject of a lengthy discussion at last week's agenda-setting session, where Councilors Mapp and Storch led resistance to including the UEZ funds as 'special items of revenue'.

Their argument is that these are not in fact grant funds, but the funds remaining from the UEZ program which the state has essentially disbanded, and that the funds should not be considered a revenue item but a fund to be dedicated by rider to specific uses.

The sticking point for both Mapp and Storch was that those funds had been used to cover administrative costs (for a director and an administrative assistant) while the UEZ was in existence and the funds were being replenished annually from the city's portion of sales tax receipts. Both hold that that situation no longer exists and that the Robinson-Briggs administration should fund the positions out of the general budget -- which it chose not to do in its 2013 budget proposal.

Pleas of the Robinson-Briggs administration that it had no funds to underwrite the salaries were rebuffed by arguments that the City's auditor had ruled the use of UEZ funds for administrative costs would be improper at this point.

If the Robinson-Briggs administration cannot find the funding to maintain the positions, a layoff plan will have to be put in place.

The resolution, R270-13, passed 5-0-1, with no 'nay' votes and Councilor Greaves abstaining.

CERTIFYING THE POLICE DIVISION

The Robinson-Briggs administration has considered 'certifying' the Police Division in an on-again, off-again fashion over the past year.

The argument is that the complete revamping of the Division's policies and procedures and training in the updated versions would reduce premiums the City must pay into the Joint Insurance Fund.

While the concept is endorsed by the Council, the rub comes in both the cost and the timing of the proposal.

Councilor Reid is skeptical of how the costs will be recovered through the lower premiums and the Robinson-Briggs administration has not been exactly forthcoming on that question.

Councilor Storch proposed on Monday that since the matter was not one of that much urgency and a new administration would be taking office come January 1, the City would be well-advised to hold off on the matter for a few months.

(No one pointed out the cruel irony that such certification would be provided by the NJ Police Chiefs Association, the same organization which came to the defense of Plainfield Police Chief Ed Santiago when Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig acted as Mayor Robinson-Briggs' hatchet-man in her move to rid herself of the troublesome chief. Hellwig would have to make nice to the very organization of chiefs whom he denigrated in one of his most notorious instances of service to Robinson-Briggs' whims.)

The resolution, R273-13, was tabled 5-1, with Councilor Greaves casting the lone 'nay' vote.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Special Hearing on Arlington Liquors/Clinton Deli Wednesday

 

Many of the complaints center on activity in the store's large parking lot.

Plainfield City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to conduct a hearing on the renewal of the liquor license for retail sales of the Arlington Liquors/Clinton Deli located on West Front Street, just west of Clinton Avenue.

This liquor store has been the source of many complaints over the years, including sales to minors and drug dealing on the premises. The most recent bone of contention was over the Council's desire to impose the hiring of outdoor security personnel for evening hours. The owners complained it would be too expensive. Police continue to have concerns about conditions at this location.

The liquor license once was situated with a liquor store at Arlington Avenue and Randolph Road, now long gone. That site also was a constant headache to the police. When the license was transferred to the West Front Street location, all the problems seem to have gone along with it.

City Council, sitting as the local Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, has wide latitude in imposing conditions on the license renewal up to and including denial of a renewal. The owner has the ability to appeal any decision at the local level to the state, which has the final say.

The hearing gets under way at 7:00 PM Wednesday, July 17, at City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Avenue. Parking and entrance in the rear of City Hall.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Forbidden Pleasures: Blonde jokes

 

Courtesy of Sodahead, where you can buy this tee and many others.

Today, some blonde jokes shared by a Plainfield Today reader, who forwarded them from a classmate at Music & Art High School (class of 1950).

Some people's hidden pleasure is eating a quart of chocolate ice cream in one sitting, for others it's a giant bag of Doritos.

For me, it's something totally politically incorrect, blonde jokes.

Enjoy.

DISNEYLAND

Two blondes were going to Disneyland .  They were driving on the Interstate when they saw the sign that said Disneyland LEFT.  They started crying and turned around and went home.

FLORIDA OR MOON

Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking, and one blonde says to the other, 'Which do you think is farther away... Florida or the moon?'  The other blonde turns and says 'Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida ?????'

CAR
TROUBLE

A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the
mechanic it died.  After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.

She says, 'What's the story?'

He replies, 'Just crap in the carburetor'

She asks, 'How often do I have to do that?'

SPEEDING TICKET

A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if he could see her license.

She replied in a huff, 'I wish you guys would get your act together.
Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to show it to you!'

RIVER WALK

There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees another blonde on the opposite bank 'Yoo-hoo!' she shouts, 'How can I get to the other side?'

The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and shouts back, 'You ARE on the other side.'

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.

'Impossible!' says the doctor.. 'Show me.'

The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.

The doctor said, 'You're not really a redhead, are you?

'Well, no' she said, 'I'm actually a blonde.'

'I thought so,' the doctor said, 'Your finger is broken.'

KNITTING

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!

Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, 'PULL OVER!'

'NO!' the blonde yelled back, 'IT'S A SCARF!'

BLONDE ON THE SUN

A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day.

The Russian said, 'We were the first in space!'

The American said, 'We were the first on the moon!'

The Blonde said, 'So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!'  The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads.

'You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!' said the Russian.

To which the Blonde replied, 'We're not stupid, you know. We're going at night!'

IN A VACUUM

A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night... It was her turn. She rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her question was, 'If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?' She thought for a time and then asked, 'Is it on or off?'

FINALLY,
THE BLONDE JOKE TO END ALL BLONDE JOKES!

A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex. Her friend said, 'Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?'  'HELLLOOOOOOO......,' answered the blonde. 'They're watch dogs'

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Grace Church yard sale today

Grace Church's landmark tower, which houses the Pittis Carillon,
was rebuilt a number of years ago.

Plainfield's Grace Episcopal Church will hold its annual yard sale today from 9 AM to 2 PM.

Inveterate yard sale and flea market types will find a feast of stuff: toys, china and stemware, small appliances, furniture, clothing (sometimes with vintage surprises), bric-a-brac, books and more.

The sale will be held in the Ackerman Garden adjacent to the church at East 7th Street and Cleveland Avenue. Parking is available in the public lot across 7th Street.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Dunn residence is on the market

'TreeLawn' one of Plainfield's most gracious estates, is on Central Avenue
between the duCret School of Art and 'Questover'.

 
Former Plainfield Ward 3 councilor Malcolm R. Dunn and his wife, Flora, have put their Central Avenue home on the market recently.

The listing is with Darlene McWilliams of Sleepy Hollow Realtors. McWilliams is the widow of former mayor Al McWilliams and the mother of former At-large councilor Annie McWilliams.

Dunn currently serves as a commissioner of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority (PMUA).

The image below is a screenshot of the listing and will print out on letter-size paper if you set the orientation to 'horizontal'. Just click on the image and print.

Screenshot of listing will print on letter-size paper
if set to 'horizontal'. Just click on image to enlarge and print.

One of Plainfield's truly gracious homes, the 16-room house has 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths and 2 half-baths, as well as an in-ground pool with cabaña and many other amenities.

The Dunns named the estate 'Treelawn' and it includes a buildable lot between the house and its neighbor 'Questover'.

Point of clarification: though the listing notes the second lot (Block 744, Lot 3.01) is included, for a combined property of more than two acres, the taxes shown on the listing are for the main lot only.

Taxes for the year 2013 are $16,375.78 on the lot with house and $4,458.25 on the buildable lot, for a total of $20,834.03.

For more information, contact Sleepy Hollow Realtors at (908) 822-0550 or visit their website here.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Suspicious fire destroys warehouse

Smoke billowed from West Front Street warehouse fire
as police directed traffic.

 
A vacant Plainfield warehouse on West Front Street was destroyed in a suspicious fired Thursday afternoon.

I had just left City Hall and was turning onto Front Street when I noticed an enormous plume of black smoke seemingly coming from near the Auto Zone store.

I was able to make it as far as the gas station at the corner of Plainfield Avenue, where police had blocked Front Street and were directing all traffic south onto Plainfield Avenue.

The time stamp on my first photo shows it was taken at 3:24 PM.

My suspicions about the fire were roused first by the rapidity with which the cloud of smoke mushroomed, and secondly on learning that it was the vacant warehouse behind the White Star diner; the same building had been the scene of another fire a few months ago.

The Courier's Mark Spivey has the best coverage (see here), but television news helicopters also hovered overhead for an hour or so (see ABC coverage here).

According to Spivey's report, Chief Tidwell indicates the Union County Arson Task Force will be making a determination about the fire's origins.

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• Courier:  "Plainfield warehouse gutted by fire" | "Ledger"
  
• ABC:  "Massive fire burns through Plainfield warehouse"
  


-- Dan Damon [follow]




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Green to Christie after Supreme Court smackdown: Learn to compromise

Plainfield's Assemblyman Jerry Green had a few choice words for Gov. Christie after the New Jersey Supreme Court administered a smackdown to the governor yesterday over his attempt to dismantle the state's affordable housing program.

What did Green say?

In a release issued by Green, the Speaker Pro Tem of the Assembly, and posted on his blog (see here), he says --

...[t]oday’s court ruling is one more example of the governor’s failure to lead on important issues such as affordable housing.

Everyone agrees the Council on Affordable Housing has been an ineffective agency that has failed to accomplish its goal. That’s why the Legislature voted in January 2011 to abolish COAH, only to have Gov. Christie inexplicably veto it.

Our bill was backed by a broad range of businesses, housing advocates, legal experts and local officials who understood it was the best way to provide housing for working class residents, create jobs and spark the economy.

The governor, sadly, wanted a court fight. That accomplished nothing.

If Gov. Christie is truly interested in affordable housing reform, he should take another look at the Democratic bill to abolish COAH and truly work to find a compromise that will benefit everyone...

Christie's attempt to dismantle the Council on Affordable Housing was blocked by Wednesday's 5-2 Supreme Court ruling that he does not have the power to do so without the consent of the Legislature (see coverage by NJ Spotlight, PolitickerNJ, the Courier, and the Bergen Record).
 
The ruling is important not only with regard to the affordable housing question, but because Christie has shown an interest in politicizing all independent agencies by giving himself the ability to appoint their directors.

Not a good idea in general and certainly not with a proven bully like Gov. Christie.

Green is right: Christie should learn to compromise; but we'll see how that goes. I am not particularly hopeful.

---

• Jerry Green's Page:  "Christie should have signed bill, now he must learn to compromise"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]




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Plainfield Health Center wins grant to enroll residents in Obamacare

The Plainfield Health Center is operated by
Neighborhood Health Services Corporation.

Plainfield's Neighborhood Health Services Corporation (NHSC), which operates the Plainfield Health Center on Myrtle Avenue as well as outpost locations elsewhere, will receive $223,571 in funds to enroll residents in Obamacare, according to a report in the Star-Ledger (see here).

The money will be used to hire workers to help guide uninsured residents through the maze of choices they will have to make to purchase insurance through the new online insurance exchanges.

Uninsured residents not eligible for Medicaid will have to purchase insurance through the exchanges or face a fine. Subsidies will help those at the lower end of the income scale.

New Jersey's online exchange is set to launch on October 1.

The funds being directed to New Jersey will allow for fewer than 70 new hires for 20 health centers. This suggests that perhaps two hires will be made by the NHSC, meaning enormous workloads if they are to service all NHSC communities.

For more information, contact the Neighborhood Health Services Corporation at (908) 753-6401 or visit their website here.

---

• Ledger:  "NJ gets $3.4M to help people enroll in Obamacare"


-- Dan Damon [follow]




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Charter Study's public hearing set for Thursday

The quest for 'just and capable' government continues.

 
Plainfield's Charter Study Commission will hold its public hearing tomorrow evening (Thursday), beginning at 7:30 PM.

A PowerPoint presentation will be offered showing the work the Commission has done since it began work in December, 2012.

The Commission has heard from many past and present elected officials and employees on the matter of Plainfield's special charter, its strengths and weaknesses, and opinions on whether or not it should be changed to more accurately reflect current state law and practice.

The public has been welcome at every meeting and offered opportunities to participate and ask questions. A public hearing is required by law and will offer an opportunity for any resident to express opinions on the charter or to have questions answered.

The hearing will take place in the first hour of the Commission's meeting in the City Hall Library, after which members will continue the process of review.

The Charter Study Commission's report is due in early August, and its options include recommending no changes at all, modifying the current special charter (which would require the approval of the Legislature and the signature of the Governor), or adopting one of the Faulkner Act options (which would go immediately to a referendum by the voters).

You can follow the Commission's progress by checking its meeting agendas and reading its minutes on the Commission's blog here.

We are in debt to these dedicated citizens for the time and thought they have put into this process as members of the Commission: Mary Burgwinkle, Jeanette Criscione, Marie Davis, Rick Smiley and John Stewart Jr.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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