Blogging for Ill

A note from Plaintalker in December 2008 after Jerry Green labeled (and libeled) me a Republican operative because I interviewed John Campbell:

"Tossing out smears against people has become a recurring theme on Green's blog. Because most of his charges are vague and lack factual substantiation, or as in the above case cross lines of confidentiality, they boil down to misguided mudslinging that adds nothing to the public discourse. Having an elected official who behaves this way leads to feelings of disenfranchisement and lack of legitimate representation in the halls of government. Conversely, Green seems blind to the shortcomings of the current administration and therefore cannot address objectively such things as the churn of finance directors since 2006 and the lack of movement on capital projects."

Now Green presents letters from a disgruntled employee as proof that Cory Storch should not serve in the Second Ward. These letters indicate the employee's gripes with fellow workers. A day after writing to Storch in March, the employee writes to Green to condemn the agency as a whole. Green does nothing until a second letter arrives in July and instead of responding to the individual, he publishes his letters on his blog, "Jerry Green's Page."

There is no way Storch can deal with this issue in a simlar fashion on his blog, as it would not be professional.

This attempt at political knee-capping is typical of Green's M.O. He alleges that people in the Second Ward are "too afraid to voice their concerns with Cory because of his close relationships with some of the police officers." What is he saying here? That some Plainfield police officers might intimidate citizens over politics? Such a notion impugns the dignity of local law enforcement.

The filing date for next year's election will not even happen until April, and even if Storch runs but loses the primary and general election, at this point he still has another whole year in office.He must be a mighty big thorn in the Assemblyman's side for such early mudslinging.

Like any other elected official, Storch will be judged by the voters on items such as constituent service and his record as a legislator. It is seldom that a person's work or profession is brought into the mix. Voters might be hard put even to name the employment of sitting council members. But for the record, here is what Storch does for a living.

The legal outcome of any employee/employer dispute might actually be harmed by exposition such as the Assemblyman has made on his blog. In a recent case in the school district, an employee who was poised to tell all against her boss backed off on legal advice. In his haste to make political hay of the dispute, the Assemblyman may have done the employee a disservice.

Time will tell who got played in this episode.

--Bernice Paglia