Wenson Maier Out in Hoboken

This Hoboken Patch item confirms what Plaintalker heard about former Public Works and Urban Development Director Jennifer Wenson Maier: she has been replaced in the Hoboken directorship she took after leaving Plainfield.

Wenson Maier was a department head here for the entire first four years of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' tenure, but was not reappointed for the mayor's second term. Her successor in 2010, David Brown II, resigned after less than one year on the job. In January, Jacques Howard of the Office of Economic Development was named acting director, but his 90-day term ended in March. The DPW&UD post is currently vacant.

According to the Patch report, Tom Atkins is the interim director succeeding Wenson Maier. In discussing our own current acting city administrator, Plaintalker has noted the exceptional 25-year career Atkins had as town manager in Scotch Plains before joining Jersey Professional Management, the group from which David Kochel came to take charge of day-to-day operations here.

It was a pleasure and a relief to see Kochel in action Monday at the Plainfield City Council meeting. Having a knowledgeable administrator on the job makes a big difference to the flow of the meeting, as questions can be answered with authority.

In looking up past blog posts on the DPW&UD directorship, Plaintalker saw an April entry in which Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson was quoted as saying "eight or 10" applicants were being considered for the job and a decision was expected in a week or 10 days. Two months later, no director has been named.

Might SRB reconsider JWM, if she was interested?

--Bernice