Winning with 70 percent of the vote may look like a mandate, but as Mayor-elect Adrian Mapp found out on Nov. 12, the real contest in Plainfield is being able to count to four. By now many have seen the televised council meeting where a majority voted down two key resolutions for his incoming administration.
Mapp wanted to increase the salary line for chief financial officer and also sought creation of the position of chief of staff. Denied the first, he saw its rejection as a reaction to his failure to support a budget transfer for police promotions recently made by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.
"Because I didn't vote for that transfer, because it's a bad piece of legislation, my colleagues decide they are going to do to Plainfield what has been done for many years," he said.
But his remark only angered colleagues who then voted down the second resolution.
Before the vote on chief of staff, Councilman Cory Storch urged the council to give the incoming mayor the team he needs, but said he saw "history repeating itself."
It's true that other mayors have triumphed in their election, only to face an implacable council.
One could assume that each council member had his or her own rationale for the way they voted, but there was another bit of video on YouTube that was widely disseminated on Election Day, in which Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Green asserts his power. So could there be a situation of political factionalism with Mapp on one side and Green on the other?
The next test of whether sides are being drawn will be how the council fills the vacancy when Mapp steps down from his Third Ward seat. The Democratic City Committee will present three names to the council, which will choose one. Local pundits are already saying the 4-3 split seen at the Nov. 12 council meeting could turn into a 5-2 alignment that will effectively stymie the incoming mayor.
This pattern is a familiar one to those who have observed previous administrations, but it is one that has caused stagnation, especially in development. It's the kind of thing that makes voters stay home out of disgust and developers wander off out of dismay. Texters may say SMH, old timers can only say "Feh."
--Bernice
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
They all scream VOTE COLUMN A... They all scream SUPPORT ALL DEMOCRATS.. DEMOCRATS ALL THE WAY..
ReplyDeleteIf Bill Clinton moved to Plainfield and changed parties to Republican or Independent NONE of the New Dem's in Power or RDO's would vote for him.
They support an illogical outdated party ideology method of voting and are stuck with the consequences. They now stand here muttering and kicking their feet the dirt saying they are shocked and it's unfair.
Trust me.. they are the only ones who are shocked. Jerry asserted to all who the boss is.. the difference? He didn't have to do a thing, the New Dem's did it for him.
Dear New Dems.... try supporting people in other parties who believe in advancing Plainfield and kick the 4 Stooges to the curb. If not...stop crying, you're getting exactly what you've worked for. I hate breaking the news to you, but here goes:
There will still be Women's Choice, social programs and Civil Rights if you had 4 Independents or Republicans on the Plainfield City Council.. the state of the free world is NOT resting on the shoulders of the Keystone Cops.
THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WITH PARTY BEFORE THE PEOPLE.
From 'meh' we get to 'heh' and finally wind up with 'feh' before starting the cycle all over again.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the fab four voted the way they did was because Jerry told them how to vote.
ReplyDeleteWe can say what we want about council, mayor etc. but the cause of Plainfield's deterioration is squarely on the shoulders of Jerry Green.
Whatever direct influence Assemblyman Green may have had on the votes for the Chief of Staff position and the CFO salary range increase, it fairly plain to see that political maneuvering often gets the upper hand leaving Plainfield itself the biggest loser. However, in these two instances there was no real case made why the Council should have gone along, and going along simply because a political ally wants something is not always such a good idea either. There is every possibility we couldn't obtain the services of a qualified CFO not because of the salary but because no one wanted to work with a mayor who was supposedly abusive and wanted staff to cut corners and disregard proper procedures. If it was salary related, show the comparable numbers for other towns. This wasn't done as far as I can tell and no justifiable case was made. As for the Chief of Staff, where would that person fit into the organization of the city? The City Administrator is essentially the chief operating officer and works hand in hand with the mayor, and all the department directors report to that person. Where would a COS fit in, especially because there is no mayoral staff to speak of, and isn't the City Administrator and other staff supposed to be doing the tasks highlighted in the proposed ordinance? Again, no rationale was presented why this would be a good idea. There are more than enough good people in town who the mayor can turn to for advice and policy ideas, and the rest would appear to be the function of a well-chosen cabinet and their support staff. For all intents it looked like a political payoff to someone or other.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I missed the explanations, in which case I might change my mind. But for the moment I don't think top-heavy and top-dollar are necessarily good strategies, just because. It will be soon enough a new administration will show its true colors and the real politics and needed coalition-building will begin. It'll be evident in the initiatives taken and the rivers crossed, not the job titles added or salary ranges tweaked. Politics as usual won't cut it, but on these two items I'll give them a pass.
Anonymous 9:52 AM is right on the money. No need to overthink this situation and wonder why they voted the way they did. Jerry told his folks to vote against Mapp. He knows that the New Dems, shamefully allied with him right now, are not loyal to him by any means. He isn’t stupid. He isn’t going to just give the mayor’s office to Mapp and hope that Adrian does right by him. As Jerry has a 4-3 lead over Mapp in the Council, he is going to make Mapp show his continued allegiance (cut deals) to get anything passed. The New Dems have no chance in having a majority on the council any time soon – in fact, if anything, they stand to lose their third ward spot. They are going to have to play by Jerry’s rules to pass anything unless they believe that they have the political capital and the candidates necessary to gain more power. They don’t.
ReplyDeleteJerry’s not stupid – he still has levers that he can pull with Mapp. He's pulling them.
Let's make the Mayor a Full-time position ! This will solve ... oh wait.
ReplyDelete