A City Council majority handed Mayor-elect Adrian Mapp his first setback Tuesday by rejecting key legislation for his new administration.
Mapp wanted a chief of staff in City Hall once his four-year term starts on Jan. 1, but William Reid, Vera Greaves, Tracey Brown and Council President Bridget Rivers voted "no" Tuesday to establishing the title. He also wants to increase the salary for chief financial officer, a statutory post for which the city has failed to attract applicants even with a prior increase from $114,000 to $125,000. The same four voted "no" on an increase to $155,000. After the vote, Mapp said he would put a statement on the record, to which Brown retorted, "So what?" Clarification: Rev. Tracey Brown says she said, "Me too."
Defeated in 2009 by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Mapp turned the tables on her in the June primary this year and went on to defeat three challengers in the November general election. He and his supporters took offense at the incumbent's recent promotion of seven sergeants to lieutenant, which Councilman Cory Storch called an "end-of-term lame duck favor" and "the most irregular move I have seen" in 10 years' service.
Storch made the comments Tuesday as the council was asked to approve budget transfers including $131,091 for the Police Division. After prolonged discussion and many twists and turns, the upshot was passage of just $39,000 for the Recreation Division and rejection of all else in the $1.1 million transfer request.
Among arguments against the promotions, Councilwoman Rebecca Williams said there was no certification of funds for the lieutenants from the city's part-time CFO, the list was never certified by the state Civil Service Commission and promotions were supposed to take place in the new administration.
Brown and Rivers objected to Mapp's characterization of their "no" votes as some sort of retribution.
Storch said he voted for Robinson-Briggs' cabinet nominees.
"I voted for every single one of them," Storch said. "Mayor Mapp deserves his team."
Mapp also said he had voted for Robinson-Briggs' cabinet choices after the 2009 defeat. Now, he said, he is saddened by pressure being put on him to have people he did not want in his cabinet
.
"The people have given me the mandate to rule, but I am getting a tremendous amount of pressure to do what others want me to do," he said.
As for those promoted to lieutenant, Corporation Counsel David Minchello said they cannot actually take the title until four people sign off on the promotions. The four are the city administrator, the police director, the personnel director who has to certify the title and the CFO, who must confirm that there are adequate funds.
The City Council has three meeting left in 2013, an agenda-fixing session on Dec. 2, a regular meeting on Dec. 9 and an agenda-fixing session on Dec. 16 for the 2014 reorganization at which Mapp must seek approval for his cabinet appointees. The date of the reorganization has not yet been announced, but it must be within the first 10 days of the New Year.
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Did Mapp really say he has a mandate to rule?
ReplyDeleteRULE = control of or dominion over an area or people
Great, just great, now we are to be ruled.
Just wait until January 2nd when Mapp is off the Council and his new pal Jerry Green picks his replacement. If Mayor Mapp thinks he can't "rule" now wait until the vote against him goes from 4 - 3 to 5 - 2.
DeleteI am sure Mapp didn't intend for his use of Rule to come off that way but he did make a deal with the devil to get the party line - now he gets to see how that deal works.
DeleteMandate to rule. His supporters voted down the line like Mapp told you to do. LOL.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to Mayor-elect Mapp, our city of 50,000 people doesn't need the extra hierarchical layer of Chief of Staff. In fact, there is no vast staff to be chief of, above and beyond the City Administrator. A well-qualified individual, and equally qualified and dedicated department heads, should be all that is necessary for the smooth operation of city government. There is a position of Deputy City Administrator available, and with a few tweaks to the job description, if even needed, would essentially provide the same functions as Chief of Staff. As for the CFO salary band, it's hard to say whether our lack of one had more to do with the money or the dysfunction of the current administration. But the four "NO" votes, who rise to the occasion only periodically and under duress (like with the basketball issue), ought to realize it is often they alone who have supported unaccountable, opaque government and a litany of wasteful or dubious spending. When it comes to acting without the proper information, forethought, or understanding, they are the ones who have taken the cake almost exclusively. Going forward, I do wish that Council President Rivers lives up to claims she made in her campaign literature, frequently less practiced than preached. Mr. Mapp, for his part, should understand he was given a mandate to govern, not rule. Like it or not, the days of 4-3 need to end and some real collaboration needs to begin.
ReplyDeleteActually well said. I think this city might actually be ready for a full time mayor - if we have to keep adding layers to manage then we probably should start with a mayor that is full time. Maybe the next charter commission will think of that in 2023. In the mean time the Deputy City Admin is a clever idea and some good outside the box thinking. May not work but would think that is worth kicking around a little to see.
DeleteThe people in Plainfield didn't want change. You wanted the same old things. Line A all the way down. The laugh of Plainfield. Very disappointed that the people of Plainfield choose not to vote for someone that cares for the people in Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteThank You Rev. Brown for standing up to Mapp after he said he would put it on the record. SO WHAT
ReplyDeleteReally? Thank you to Rev Brown for standing up to Mapp with a pithy comment? How about thank you Rev Brown for voting to fund poorly handled police promotions that will cost the city more money in each coming year (not that the promotions may not have been deserved, they just weren't handled appropriately) or Thank You Rev Brown for playing games while the parks and rec department spends budgeted money on god knows what or Thank You Rev Brown for adding nothing to any proceedings that I have seen and topping it off with one of the worst attitudes and scowls this side of Watching mountain. She is a real rock star - the only difference between Rev Brown and Councilwoman Greaves is that she doesn't need to be constantly told to change her votes because she doesn't understand what she is being told to do.
DeleteShe is nothing but a mouth piece for the former lame duck Mayor. Can't you see the strings move on her puppet mouth. PATHETIC.
DeleteI did not say " SO WHAT", I said, "ME TOO", in reference to Mapp saying he would go on record later. Thanks, Rev. Tracey.
ReplyDeleteThank you for clarifying.
DeleteMapp said he had a mandate from the people to RULE. Watch out Plainfield here comes Sadam Hussein
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear this many people complain after Sharon's first disasterous four years. Turning Plainfield around after eight years of poor government will be hard and we do need to work together.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe Bill Read said, "Bring on the lawsuits," after the Corporate Council suggested tabling an ordenance that would open the city to numerous law suits. I hope he's willing to foot the bill for his and Vera's grandstanding last night.
Check to see who pays their property taxes on time. Might give you a clue as to why Reid and Vera could care less about a law suit.
DeleteReid and Greaves should both be embarrassed to have said that - to be so reckless with the publics money is really unprofessional. They have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the tax payers - thumping their chest without concern for the resulting cost is ridiculous.
Delete"So what?" Class act all the way. And I'm afraid the prediction of a 5 to 2 council split is all too plausible.
ReplyDeleteMapp is off to a blazing start -- why on earth do we need a Chief of Staff -- a well paid, competent City Administrator would go a long way in restoring the professionalism that has been lacking at City Hall for many years. I hope the "Chief of Staff" idea was not some veiled attempt at a payback -- but that is the rumor that is out there -- where there is smoke, there is fire.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats and Republicians serving on the City Council. Republicians portraying to be Democrats. Plainfield Look Out.
ReplyDeleteThey all need to be terminated, the complete LINE A ALL THE WAY DOWN. AND START WITH EDUCATED, EXPERIENCE PEOPLE. NONE OF THEM HAVEN'T A CLUE. And Mapp wanting to hire a Chief of Staff for payback. Sharon and Elect-Mapp should be fired. Neither one is good for the people of Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Mapp -- wish I hadn't after hearing he wanted to hire a Chief of Staff. As one of his first acts he tries to add another patronage job to the payroll. Watch out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about the chief of staff I thought it was a joke. Sorry to see here it's not. How sad.
ReplyDeleteErrrr .... maybe we could at least all agree to change the One-Way streets? That would be something !
ReplyDeleteso.... Koumbaya 0 / RDO's 1 ...
ReplyDeleteSchooled Mapp.. you got schooled Ole School style by the very buddies you've been holding hands with and skipping through fields of Edelweiss, patting on the back, screaming "we are family" and doing your Power Democrat walk all through Plainfield.
So now... hopefully.. lesson learned.. You lay down with dogs you get fleas.
Those 4 people don't give a damn about their constituents, WHAT MADE YOU THINK THEY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE CITY AS A WHOLE ? You never thought to go to Jerry and tell him to twitch the leash on them to bring them into line???
Laughable... 1st year rookie mistake from an experienced City Council member who's been forced to run circles around their self serving interests since you've been in office.
So, I'm assuming we won't be seeing the Unity Dance from you and your ilk going forward? Or are you going to continue to blindly march forward and pretend you haven't been played ?
I agree we don’t need another layer of hierarchy for the number of subordinates in city hall. The idea of having department heads should be sufficient and it’s cost effective. Our new Mayor elect should be looking for ways to trim the fat and certainly not ways to increase it by creating a more top heavy administration. On another note, Is anyone surprised that Mapp used the word “rule” or that he is already getting opposition from the Jerry Green controlled council. Not even January yet and already Green is showing us WHO RUNS THIS TOWN!
ReplyDeleteChief-of-Staff = Patronage all the way.
ReplyDeleteCouncil smarter than Mapp thought they were.