Actually, in a November story Mark quoted Watson as saying he was "very near" retiring and possibly moving back to his native Delaware.
At the City Council meeting Monday night, copies of a "press statement" from PMUA were set out for public distribution. The statement deplored the "relentless negative criticism" that the "hardworking dedicated workers" of PMUA had to endure, and listed eight initiatives for improvement. The statement goes on to trace the careers of Watson, Perry and Ervin and their plans to retire.
"The dynamic trio will be sorely missed," the statement adds, along with an expression of appreciation and word of an impending search for candidates for the posts of executive director and deputy director.
Council members also received a letter from PMUA Board of Commissioners Chairman Harold Mitchell which Councilman Adrian Mapp called "very insulting" to the governing body. Council President Annie McWilliams said Monday she had invited PMUA officials to come before the council this month, but the response from Mitchell was that the commissioners were not going to do so.
There is a lot that can be said about this new turn of events, but perhaps the most concerning thought is that the board of commissioners will likely be the deciders on the successors to the three. The board is not at full strength and, given the impasse on appointments, it may be that a very few will be involved in naming the next leaders. The collegiality the council claims to be seeking with the authority and also with city administration remains elusive. While all have their distinct roles, one would hope for more consistency of outlook than what is evident now.
And what is the role of citizen ratepayer activists in all this? The press statement cites "unprecedented negative criticism," but PMUA has changed its ways to align more with the vision of these activists for operations marked by economy, transparency, communication and service that recognizes a diversity of consumer needs. Indeed, the eight new initiatives themselves reflect aspects of the activists' vision, as do innovations over the past year or so.
So change is in the air, but from here we don't know what the PMUA will look like in years to come. The first thing needed is apparently some common ground for dialogue without rancor or recriminations. Can it be found?
--Bernice
Perhaps retirement looms because the writing is on the wall. Get out now while th going is good?
ReplyDeleteYesterday Damon was challanged to post his partner's voting record on the PMUA. We suspect since McWwilliams was in charge & Watson and the PMUA were supporting the New Dems back then Nat was a "yes" man for the PMUA.
ReplyDeleteIn fact one of the worst Commissioners has been Carol Brokow and Brokow was a New Dem appointment. She has done nothing and in fact vehimently defended status quo and Watson and his cronies. Doesn't she know that times had changed?
Records will show that for Dan Damon's partner Singleton, his votes were a straight rubberstamp "yes". No different then the current commissioners.
The question that now begs an answer - is who gets to appoint the new leadership at the PMUA? What role does or should the Mayor and Council have in this process? What new tranparency and oversight can be placed there?
And the one that is on most people's mind: When will the Council abolish the PMUA?
HASTA LA VISTA BABY!
ReplyDeleteWatson is 52 years old, and he is retiring? WOW, good for him, I think.
I guess when you have an annual package of 200k plus plus plus and you have lined the pockets of all your friends, plus plus plus, you have the means to retire so young. Hmm, good for him. I think.
I hope Mr. Watson leaves graciously. Similar to Mikhail Gorbachev's departure from the Presidency of the Soviet Union or when F.W. de Klerk's stepped down as the President of apartheid South Africia.
Both of these man, and hopefully Watson too, saw the writing on the walls and left without incident. Their chivalrous departures ensured successful transitions in these nations.
Unfortunately Mr. Watson's rule has been more along the lines of a Mubarak or a Gaddafi. Let's just hope is departure isn't.
Ega Brag
Of course Watson is leaving for Delaware. He can't afford to pay the PMUA rates he put in place!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm all three leaving at the same time ? ? ?
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
Let's remember what happened to former Newark Mayor Sharpe James or what's happening now with Middlesex County's longstanding Sheriff Joseph Spicuzzo, and so many others like them; who professed to be doing everything in the publics' interest until it's all unraveled to show that they're doing everything in their personal interest and those of their friends.
Unfortunately, their won't be munch change in the PMUA until every last one of those self-interested commissioners are removed and replaced with residents and citizens who will work for those they serve.
In the meantime, this is a good start.
Buh-bye Fellas! and don't let the door. . . well, you know.
You gotta love how they blame the relentless criticism of activists for causing so much stress on the employees of the PMUA. From what I have seen the "activists" are merely using the PMUA's own records to ask questions. HOW STRESSFUL!
ReplyDeleteIf they were doing right by property owners, there would be no reason to ask questions. The changes they have made are a direct result of those activists. They hadn't changed anything for over 10 years except for increasing the rates and lowering the level of service. Now there is so much change. Are we supposed to believe it came out of some epiphany they had at one of their business lunches or conferences.
I suspect that someone, somewhere has started asking questions other than the "activists" and the PMUA leadership mistakenly believes that we will all stop asking and looking if these three are gone. BOY are they wrong. After all the very people who allowed all the waste to occur will now hire the next leaders. They must stop thinking the Plainfield residents are stupid.
All that is hidden will be exposed. I eagerly await the indictments, investigations, subpoenas, or whatever else is headed their way!
The only problem with three of them going means that we Plainfielders have 3 retirement / resignation parties to pay for. Well hopefully these will be the last hoorah of the "employee events" on the taxpayers dime.
ReplyDeleteIf there is any investigation by the state it will be well-warranted!
I don't think it's any coincidence that these men are all leaving at the same time.
ReplyDeleteYou can be certain that they are trying to make a quiet exit before the Attorney General and the Governor's office begin investigating them; similar to what's been happening with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, whose questionable practices are similar in nature to that of the PMUA's.
I think this is just the calm before the storm.
I hope that the residents of Plainfield realize that this outcome has a great deal of value and indicates that if we speak loud, long and hard, we will eventually be heard.
They're not leaving because they feel unappreciated or misunderstood; they're leaving because they know that we're on to them and WE KNOW they're up to no good!
Surely Watson and Ervin will get paid for the next 8-12 months. Mitchell is a pompous arrogant man and the council and taxpayers see right through him. No one should ever question him. Why when he ran the city... It was so great! Now he runs the PMUA and it's so great! Come on Christie go get 'em
ReplyDeleteSo do these 3 retirees get a pension from the city?
ReplyDeleteFrom Nat Singleton:
ReplyDeleteThese comments were, also, sent to Old Doc's blog and Dan's :
'To my knowledge there is only one person on the current board who could be consider a McWilliams appointee and that person may have been reappointed by the current mayor.
I was the first appointee during the McWilliams administration and that was as an alternate. The other members were appointed by the prior administration.
As to any perks that I may have received, the easiest way to resolve that is to publish the benefits received by all the commissioners during their term of service to include stipends, medical, trips, meals and whatever other cost were incurred. I have no problem with this being made public and think the citizens of Plainfield have a right to know how their dollars were spent. I have pointed out that recently boss Green showed up at my house and asked me if I was interested in being reappointed to the PMUA board. I turned him down. See my blog post click here ‘Assemblyman Jerry Green, closeted Anti-Semite in sheep's clothing’, 11/24/10.
Just in case: http://d-damerica.blogspot.com/2010/11/assemblyman-jerry-green-closeted-anti.html
The Attorney General must be a knock'in!
ReplyDelete