HAP-py, the City Council Rendition

A quirk in the City Council calendar leaves nearly a month's hiatus until the next meeting, an agenda-fixing session on Aug. 11. Council watchers will have plenty of time to ponder or recover from the somewhat bizarre events of July, including passage of an ordinance conveying city-owned property to the Housing Authority.

The ordinance, MC 2014-16, passed on first reading at the July 14 regular meeting despite Housing Authority Executive Director Randall Wood's expressed desire to have it withdrawn. Council President Bridget Rivers reasoned that the ordinance, having been moved to the agenda, belonged to the governing body and that Wood had no more right to seek its withdrawal than the council would have to affect items on the Housing Authority's agenda for any of its meetings.

To further complicate matters, while Wood had asked in writing for its removal and Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez confirmed Wood's stand as per a July 11 meeting with the administration, Councilman William Reid said he had spoken to Wood just before the July 14 council meeting and had been assured that Wood wanted the ordinance to go forward. Reid noted Wood's absence at the regular meeting and opined that if Wood objected, he would be present to say so.

I could not attend the meeting, but thanks to David Rutherford, the segment on MC 2014-16 was posted on Plainfield View for all to see. Reid said it could be amended before coming up for a public hearing and final passage on Aug. 18, so not to worry about the council pushing it through on first reading.

The text of the ordinance as passed on July 14 includes several conditions, mainly having to do with the Housing Authority proving it can swing the deal financially. There must be a "memorandum of understanding," or MOU, in place showing the Housing Authority and/or the Plainfield Community Development Corporation's commitment to secure financing for the acquisition of the city-owned property. Failure to secure financing in effect kills the deal.

In addition, the ordinance gives the mayor authorization to execute the necessary "Purchase and Sale Agreement, Deed or Lease" to convey the property. The ordinance may be vetoed by the mayor, though the council can override the veto.

In the midst of all this, the city is seeing a change in the office of Corporation Counsel. The individual now representing both the council and administration in legal matters is Vernita Sias-Hill. Former Corporation Counsel David Minchello is staying on as city solicitor, while also serving as the new acting city attorney for Trenton under Mayor Eric Jackson.

The Charter Study Commission has confirmed the difficulties of having one legal representative serving both the governing body and the administration, but change will come only through action by the state Legislature, so Sias-Hill will have to deal with both branches on this issue.

Among other mysteries associated with conveyance of the city-owned properties known as Block 247, Lots 7 and 9, the ordinance mentions only HAP and the PCDC, but other entities were named at a conceptual hearing on the proposal for use of the land in October. How do they fit in currently? In addition, another developer floated plans for the site.  Should that group be given any consideration?

The July 14 council meeting was nearly four hours long, another reason to be glad for a break before the next one. Must these meetings be so long? For the viewing public, it's the equivalent of binge-watching four episodes of a favorite show, but probably not as much fun. Recent commenters on the blogs have pleaded for the council to stick to business and leave off the extraneous speeches on other matters. Can it happen? Will it happen in 2014? We shall see.

--Bernice