Next week back in Plainfield, local issues may be taken up, as the Nov. 12 City Council meeting revealed a bit more dissension than one would expect after Mapp's stunning victory at the polls. According to The Needler in the Haystack, Mapp will soon be relinquishing his Third Ward council seat in advance of taking the office of mayor on Jan. 1. The Democratic City Committee must offer three names to the council, which will choose one as an appointee until the next general election.
The appointee will be able to vote on many important issues in coming weeks and months. With a split in evidence on Nov. 12 between Democrat factions, Mapp could avoid an embarrassing rejection of his cabinet choices at the annual reorganization by naming them directly to 90-day acting terms, but by the end of March they would have to be appointed by advice and consent.
In 2014, the governing body would also have to take action if charter change is desired. The Charter Study Commission issued its report in August and recommended petitioning the state legislature for certain changes, but Plaintalker does not recall any action taken by the council.
Mapp's first budget will have to be formulated for council approval, which will bring up unresolved issues such as whether to spin off social services, accountability for recreation programs, how to manage public safety overtime costs and more.
After eight years of one style of governance, Mapp has an opportunity, if the council concurs, to establish a new way forward. Will the governing body "get on the bus" for innovation?
--Bernice
Will we finally be able to have State Highway 28 given to the State Road Department?
ReplyDeletePlainfielders of all stripes, including the City Council, should respond positively to well-considered initiatives and programs that are offered up by the next administration, if they are talked through and the reasoning is effectively communicated to stakeholders throughout the city. One such proposal I have offered up is the re-establishment of Plainfield Action Services, the city's mandated community action agency that administers the Community Services Block Grant, as an independent non-profit under an actively involved Tri-partite board of directors. I see this as the best means for collaboration among various community groups, with the aim of reaching more individuals and families, greater funding possibilities for developing community resources, and more effective programs geared to fighting poverty and providing greater empowerment. As with many CAAs throughout the country, the new PAS would be the contractor for the local WIC program.
ReplyDeleteIn many regards this is back to the future. As an outgrowth of the 1960's Great Society legislation, PAS, then known as CAP- Community Action Plainfield, stood apart from the city before controversy and financial irregularities led to a loss of funding and a city takeover in the late-70s, where it has since slowly died on the vine. It doesn't have to be this way. Many CAAs have prominent roles in their area of operation, such as Action for Boston Community Development, or ABCD (bostonabcd.org), networking and coordinating with other organizations to provide a wide range of neighborhood oriented services. Taking PAS out from under the confines of City Hall Annex would open up many new horizons and opportunities for community involvement. In addition to its core mandate of fighting poverty, a more open organization could through various sub-councils provide better overall management and reach for the city's senior services and Senior Center, and Recreation programs. Taken a step further, a new PAS could operate Plainfield's Community Access TV station, making for a deep pool of willing volunteers and better, more varied programming. In the early days of video and before the advent of Big Cable, the original CAP actually ran a Plainfield Communication Center where residents could learn and participate in the new technology, improving their talents and giving them a greater voice. I would definitely like to see the new administration take an active look in this direction.
On a separate note, Westfield's CFO earns about $109,000 annually (http://www.nj.com/suburbannews/index.ssf/2013/06/salaries_increases_approved_fo.html). I haven't made a comprehensive survey, but I really do believe the proposed salary in Plainfield was excessive, and our lack of a CFO had more to do with the poor quality and issues endemic to the current administration. If the new administration takes strides to streamline City Hall by establishing and utilizing more community-based services, such as outlined above (and I would add Bi-Lingual Daycare to the mix), it would be a net positive. If it is willing and able to rein in PMUA, have the city pay its fair share of common costs, it would provide millions in annual savings to the community at large. This actually can and should be done immediately come January. Under such circumstances I would be much more inclined to support the idea of a Chief of Staff. However, business as usual and the typical power skirmishing without any defined objectives that we witness twice each month will only lead to more wasted time, money, and lost opportunities. It is exactly what we cannot afford to let happen.
Westfield is smaller than Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteThat shouldn't make a difference. It takes the same effort and skills to determine if there is $8 available to fund an appropriation, or $15, or if the transaction complies with law. Besides which, I believe Westfield's CFO is also its Qualified Purchasing Manager so you get two mints in one, or more bang for the buck, depending how you look at it. I see also that this will be revisited at a special meeting scheduled for next Tuesday.
DeleteAddendum- In Woodbridge, with nearly twice Plainfield's population, their CFO earned just shy of $121.000 last year.
DeleteDoes anyone know which 50 people rode that bus, and who paid for it?
ReplyDelete