A capacity crowd had turned out for the meeting, most in support of embattled Recreation Superintendent Dave Wynn. Over more than two hours, speakers praised Wynn or rehashed arguments going back to Fall 2009 about management of the division. See Plaintalker commentary here.
A Recreation Committee had been reconstituted last year to help sort out the problems, but after members reported a lack of cooperation from Wynn, the council proposed a Recreation Commission with powers to set policy and take charge of recreation programming. Instead of a superintendent, there would be a coordinator hired by the commission to manage operations. The ordinance creating the commission won final passage in February, but was immediately vetoed by the mayor.
On Monday, some Wynn supporters reviled council members by name and promised revenge at the polls. Applause broke out often as the lengthy public comment went on, broken up at one point to acknowledge numerous student athletes whose recent successes were tied to having been coached early on in Recreation.
As midnight approached, Council President Annie McWilliams suggested that the council could forego both the vote to override the veto and resolutions to allocate funds to Recreation in favor of further talks with Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, who has staunchly supported Wynn.
"I would love for us to have collaboration, but I am talked out," the mayor responded.
The vote to override the veto then failed, with council members Cory Storch, Rebecca Williams, Adrian Mapp and McWilliams voting "yes" and Vera Greaves, William Reid and Bridget Rivers voting "no."
As the audience realized there would be no Recreation Commission, many applauded, and the mayor said, "Thank you to the three council members."
Most of the crowd was gone by the time the council moved on to resolutions for funding that could ward off April 15 layoffs in the Recreation and Purchasing divisions. The council took the three resolutions in reverse order, starting with one for $58,000 that would allocate $25,000 for Recreation and $33,000 for Purchasing to keep staff on until the end of the fiscal year on June 30. That one failed, 4-3, with Greaves, Reid and Rivers voting "yes" and Storch, Williams, Mapp and McWilliams voting "no."
A series of votes and reconsiderations of votes followed. A resolution that would have furnished $33,000 for Purchasing and $10,000 for Recreation failed 5-2, with Storch and Rivers voting "yes" and Greaves, Reid, McWilliams, Mapp and Williams voting "no." (Correction: It failed 4-3, with Storch, Rivers and McWilliams voting "yes.") A move to reconsider the vote for $58,000 failed, leaving only the last option, just $33,000 for Purchasing. That vote then failed 4-3, with Rivers, Storch and McWilliams voting "yes" and Greaves, Reid, Williams and Mapp voting "no."
With all funding rejected, the mayor said, "What you have done is stifled the activities of youth in Plainfield."
The council reconsidered the resolution for $33,000 for Purchasing, but it failed again with the same 4-3 vote. The mayor said that meant the city's new chief finance officer, who objected to the layoffs it would cause, would most likely leave city employment. That would in turn put the city back where it was in November, when the state Division of Local Government Services ordered the city to hire a CFO by the end of the month or else the mayor and each council member would face daily $25 fines.
The mayor said if the CFO leaves, her fine should be levied against the council.
In addition, she said due to the layoffs, "Effective April 15, you have shut down the city."
When Recreation Committee Chairman Dwayne Wilkins got up to speak in a second public comment portion, the mayor offered thanks "on behalf of the city of Plainfield" to all who serve on the committee.
"Since we won't have Recreation staff on April 15, we won't have a committee, so we just want to say thank you now," she said.
--Bernice Paglia
blame...the only thing Sharon can manage to do efficiently every time...
ReplyDeleteGreaves...the newest memeber of the Sharon Shill Squad
The No vote from Reid and Rivers was expected as they are nothing more than puppets!
ReplyDeleteGreaves will not be re-elected!
I started writing a comment on how the mayor divides this city more than anyone else. But all I kept thinking is what a jerk (definition of jerk: a dull stupid fatuous (lacking intelligence) person.
ReplyDeleteDoes the mayor mean that Wynn will lose is job? If there is no Recreation Department - don't they need citizen volunteers now more than ever? What is she talking about?
ReplyDeleteThe mayor is such a vindictive person who if can't have her way whines. Well the city is a reflection of her administration and we are sinking quickly, and all she can think of is paying back political favors. I hope the city wake up and stop voting for friends and vote issues. Well I believe the people have grown weary and tired of the foolishness. Trust just because the 4 that really show interest in the city are not republicans they are democrats and what we should be about, concerned for the city. Keep up the good work and continue to take a stand councilors McWilliams, Mapp, Storch and Williams.
ReplyDeleteFour votes to override from Council members with their own blogs, but not a word appears on any of them making the case for a Rec Commission as an alternative to a Rec Division. When it counts, all seven drop the ball. The joke's on all of us. It's as funny as Family Feud and moves Plainfield forward about as much as the TV show did.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have great respect for our council, I do agree wholeheartedly with 1:19pm. When decisions are to be made, the council should make their thoughts known to the citizens.
ReplyDeleteThe people who were at the meeting were bullies who reflect the attitude and lifestyle of the mayor. Luckily, there are not too many of them. But, they are vocal and they vote.
Where are the rest of us, and where is the council in reaching out to the city? Vera's phone was on voicemail and she doesn't even have an email address.
Anon 1:19--you are absolutely right. It's great to posture in public with hardly anybody watching, but where were their blogs urging citizens to support them and show up at the council meeting? Talk about talking the talk but not walking the walk. Shame on those four!
ReplyDeleteMore of the same from Plainfield's so-called leadership. More of the same. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the mayor dismissed the Recreation Committee is because wynn wouldn't work with them anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened last night was totally avoidable. The two factions could have reached a compromise that linked the funding of the 58,000 that the mayor wanted with the approval of a recreation commission supported by the simple majority. The carrot and the stick. Instead we waste time bickering over 58,000 while an almost 4,000,000 dollar budget gap sits unaddressed. This is not good.
ReplyDelete