"A Mapp for Plainfield's Future" in 2008
Mayor-elect Adrian Mapp revealed some of his cabinet nominees Monday at a council meeting preceded by closed-door interviews with candidates.
Mapp named Rick Smiley, a former director of Community Relations & Social Services for the city and most recently chairman of the Charter Study Commission, as his choice for city administrator In Plainfield, the city administrator is in charge of day-to-day operations of the city and is the person to whom its three department heads report.
Mapp has selected Ron West as director of Administration, Finance, Health and Social Services, a position he held previously in the administration of the late Mayor Albert T. McWilliams. Mapp's choice to head the Department of Public Works & Urban Development is Eric Jackson who has held the post since September 2011.
No name was offered for the position of director of Public Affairs & Safety Monday, although interviewees included Siddeeq El-Amin, a retired city police captain who headed the department in the administration of Mayor Mark Fury.
Other nominations included current Corporation Counsel David Minchello, City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh and Treasurer Diane Sherry to stay on in the new administration. Mapp also named numerous court nominees and said he will be presenting additional names over the next several days.
A new post, chief of staff, was approved by the governing body but may face a veto by outgoing Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, in which case five council members can vote to override it. Ordinances for the position and salary band as well as for an increase in the salary band for chief financial officer are pending a possible veto and override.
The council agreed to move all the nominations to the Jan. 6 annual reorganization agenda. Mapp said he is looking for a larger location than Municipal Court for the reorganization, possibly a school auditorium, and will announce it soon.
--Bernice
Two questions for Mr. West:
ReplyDelete1) What do you know about the PMUA bait and switch whereby payments on a Solid Waste lease due from PMUA to the City were secretly converted to a $1.2 million annual payment by the City to PMUA, effectively reversing the direction of cash flow and severing the umbilical cord of financial accountability? Not sure when you were at A&F,H&SS, but because this began under the McWilliams administration and checks are cut from that department, maybe you know something about it.
2) Will you, or have you yet, resign(ed) from JFK Health System's Board of Directors?
According to the JFK website, as of 2013, Ronald E West is no longer a board member of JFK Health System, though he is listed as a member on an out of date March 2012 list.
DeleteHe IS however, still listed as President/CEO of the Muhlenberg Foundation, and as chair of the board of the JFK affiliate, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center Inc.
I think that Mapp's flack should clarify who, what, how, why and when.
On second look, the 2013 board list seems to be somehow distorted on the web site. Perhaps Mr West is still a member of JFK heath System's board after all.
DeleteRick Smiley, City Administrator? What a joke. Incompentent. Couldn't even run PAS. No wonder he needs a chief of staff. Putting a political puppet with no skills as city administrator.
ReplyDeleteanyone who thought there wouldn't be a few payback placements regardless of competency was fooling themselves.... What Jerry giveth, Jerry can taketh away..
DeleteSmiley is not one of "Jerry's people"--he's one of Mapp's, maybe it's payback for his loyal service to the New Dems.
Deleteall with the good housekeeping seal of approval
DeleteRick smiley has no city administrator experience...what is the criteria for one?
ReplyDeletePolitical Puppet for sure. Clueless for sure. Unbelieveable for sure. Won't last 90 days for sure.
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain why Acelero Learning - Plainfield, of which Rick Smiley lists himself as executive director on his Linked-In page, can't be found on a Google search, on Acelero's website, or on a state list of early childhood providers? Assuming there's an explanation the lack of web savviness in an e,d. (not to mention multiple typos on the LI profile) don't seem to bode well for increased transparency or competency in city hall.
ReplyDelete