Rec Commission Plan Stirs Dissent

Despite objections from the mayor, two council members and outspoken supporters of Recreation Superintendent Dave Wynn, an ordinance to establish a Recreation Commission will be on the agenda Jan. 18.

The proposed seven-member commission would be responsible for recreation programming and would set a budget to pay for it. Commissioners would appoint a “recreation coordinator” and recommend his or her salary to the mayor and council. Other recreation staff as needed could also be appointed by the commission. At present, the city has a Recreation Advisory Committee that would become the initial members of the commission, if the legislation passes.

Councilman William Reid blasted the plan as creating a new bureaucracy and said there had been “no complaints” about the Recreation Division. He also objected to having a group of residents given the powers outlined in the ordinance.

“It does look like we are picking on the Recreation Department,” Councilwoman Bridget Rivers said.

When new Councilwoman Rebecca Williams spoke in favor of the commission and said only “a paltry number of children” were being served by the city’s recreation programs, Reid repeatedly said she was giving “”false numbers.”

Councilman Cory Storch said he supported formation of the commission, “especially because of all the concerns you heard over last year.”

“I know we could serve a lot more kids,” he said.

As Plaintalker has reported, the Queen City Baseball League began complaining about treatment of its volunteer program in 2009 and the ensuing wrangle between the league and supporters of Wynn continued throughout 2010. The Recreation Advisory Committee was reactivated in part to sort out and possibly resolve the issues. Comments Monday reflected a continuance of widely opposing views on how well the Recreation Division is functioning.

Acting City Administrator Dan Williamson, who served as corporation counsel until City Administrator Bibi Taylor recently went out on maternity leave, said Monday, “The history of the administration’s objections (to a commission) is pretty clear,” though he said he recognized that the council had the votes to pass it. He said the proposal takes away authority from the mayor.

“I don’t know what the answer is, but we believe the answer is not to take away the mayor’s authority and stock the commission with the committee,” he said.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs then voiced a number of objections, starting with the council’s budget amendment that shifted funds from Wynn’s salary line and put it in expenses for seasonal workers.

“Who’s going to run the programs?” she asked. “Volunteers can’t do that for the city of Plainfield. We do not need another layer of bureaucracy.”

Robinson-Briggs said if the legislation passed, she would “like to veto it.”

Council President Annie McWilliams said the ordinance would take two months to pass and the mayor could veto it, the council could override the veto.

Acting Corporation Counsel James Ventantonio questioned whether the proposal was not just “change for change’s sake,” uprooting the committee to make way for the commission. But Councilman Adrian Mapp defended the proposal as “giving structure” to recreation operations. He said the council had no desire to take authority away form the mayor, but was seeking to “ensure there is continuity” in running programs.

Williamson called on the council to allow the Recreation Division to operate, but McWilliams said, “It is my understanding that Recreation is unable to operate – what is it, it can or cannot?”

When McWilliams said she heard the mayor say Recreation could not operate, the mayor snapped back the she did not say that. Mapp then prodded the mayor on what she said , but the mayor responded that the “resolution” was not in compliance with the city’s special charter.

“You should be asking yourselves why you want to go to a commission rather than a committee,” she said, and told Mapp, “It is illegal – it is not in line with the charter.”

The mayor and Mapp, who were rivals in the June 2009 mayoral primary, then had an exchange in which she told Mapp, “Stop campaigning on the taxpayer’s dime.”

McWilliams reminded all parties that they have to see each other around the city, in church and elsewhere and called for respect. Mapp said he was just trying to get the mayor to bring the discussion to a close, and also held out the need for civility.

When McWilliams asked for a consensus on putting the ordinance on the Jan. 18 agenda for a vote on first reading, Reid and Rivers said no, but Storch, Mapp, Williams and McWilliams agreed to put it on.

In the public comment portion of the meeting, two supporters of Wynn lashed out at the council members and at Recreation Committee Chairman Dwayne Wilkins, who was in the audience.

Resident Dan Morgan, who is on the Recreation Advisory Committee, said a commission is unneeded and Wynn has a lot of support. He accused Storch of “trying to be slick” in commenting on the budget amendments and told Mapp, “You can smirk all you want.”

“Cory, I’m surprised at you,” Morgan said. “I thought you was on the up-and-up.”

Morgan alluded to “Sleepy Hollow” and the Second Ward that Storch represents and said, “It’s a vendetta against the other part of town.”

As McWilliams tried to invoke the rules for public comment, Morgan said, “You make it up as you go along,” and the mayor laughed.

Roland Muhammad, another Wynn supporter, said he missed the annual reorganization where he heard there was talk of unity, “But I don’t see it.”

“I see a divided city,” he said. “New Dems, old Dems. I live in the Fourth Ward. I represent the poor. This is our city,” he said, shaking a fist at Storch. “Look what happened in Washington. You act like Republicans to me.”

“You’re a joke,” Muhammad said to Storch, continuing his remarks and growing louder.

Finally McWilliams cautioned him, “Don’t yell,” but Muhammad said, “That’s my voice.

Again turning to Wilkins, he said, “I’m not afraid of the Fourth Ward, but I’m a little afraid of the Second.”

To Queen City Baseball League leader Karen Glencamp Daniel, he said, “My war is not with you.”

Muhammad went on to describe his 40-year friendship with Wynn and added, “I say things the mayor can’t say.”

“You’re a public servant,” he said in a final shot at Storch.

As the meeting adjourned at 12:25 a.m., the mayor thanked Muhammad.

--Bernice Paglia