Though badly worded, that wasn't the scurrilous part. But more about that later - it turned out the crowd was present to plea for soccer teams' use of city playing fields. Council President Bridget Rivers allowed representative Walter Ramos Jr. of the New Jersey Soccer League to speak, although the topic was not on the agenda. Ramos said after 35 years, the fields were "taken away from us" and blamed the decision on "a gentleman who by political favors is in charge of parks now."
It was unclear who he was talking about, as there was no superintendent of Recreation since Dave Wynn left city employment in 2012. Veronica Taylor only became the Recreation superintendent in mid-April. Public Works Director Eric Jackson was in charge in January, when Ramos said he initially applied for use of the fields. Jackson took a leave of absence in March and made a successful run to become mayor of Trenton, resigning as director on June 30.
Although Ramos alluded to a "big incident" that may have affected the league's use of fields, he said he felt the decision was made "because of race."
Rivers said she knew Ramos and the league maintained the field at their own expense and asked City Administrator Rick Smiley to address the problem, though Ramos said earlier he called Smiley and "all of our calls were ignored."
Smiley said he had looked into the issue, but said, "Obviously they were not happy with the outcome."
Rivers asked the administration for a record of permits and how they are processed.
When Councilwoman Gloria Taylor asked who made the decision regarding use of the fields, Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said it was made collaboratively by members of the administration.
Rivers noted high demand for use of the playing fields and also asked how the decision was made.
"Oftentimes when people don't like the outcome of a decision, there is noise," Mapp said, explaining there had been a fight at one of the fields, resulting in an expulsion.
Mapp said he did not think the meeting was the right forum for the discussion, but Rivers again pressed for answers on the permitting process.
Corporation Counsel Vernita Sias-Hill called a halt to the discussion, saying she needed to investigate some of the issues further.
The flier calling for an 8 p.m. demonstration targeted two City Council members as well as two bloggers, a frequent commenter on the blogs and a well-known campaign donor for good measure. Even though one council member is Caucasian, both were described as African American and "tea party supporters." The writer claimed the councilwoman was going to "put forth a bill to reinstate slavery in Plainfield" and that Mapp agreed with her.
The rhetoric failed to bring out a crowd, but may be a harbinger of things to come as the political season heats up. A current flashpoint is an ordinance to convey city-owned property to the Housing Authority, which will be up for second reading and final passage at the Aug. 18 council meeting.
--Bernice
Why must everyone play the "race" card, its getting really old, grow up! we all live in this city together
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like much ado about nothing, but we don't have all the facts and don't know the reason for all of the rhetoric. At that point, then an opinion can be made, and no, the City Council is not the time and place and Rivers is still up to dirty tricks. She should know better.
ReplyDeleteWOW, this is a first....Latinos at a City Council Meeting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the soccer leagues are referring to the fields at Cedar Brook Park. If so, these fields were close due to over use causing severe soil compaction and significant drainage issues. The fields were re-graded and seeded in the spring by the Union County Parks Department. I assume the will be open for play by spring 2015. As far as being racist that is just plain ignorant statement.
ReplyDeleteSoccer fields are VERY time consuming and expensive to maintain. There is constant damage being done to the turf. Naturally everyone wants to stand in front of the goal, turn quickly and make that highlight shot. We have b-dall, baseball, tennis, pools, golf [at MCF] and running tracks; all of which most children are afraid of getting mugged at [yes I was one of those skinny kids pushed to the ground there] so they are under used.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a betting man I would put money on the soccer issue being very complex. The fact that the "organizer" was treated so well by the prior recreation director (Wynn) makes it a very curious situation indeed. Probably some shenanigans connected to their prior relationship. Sadly, as is often the case, the little guys get caught in the middle. Would have been smarter for the administration to have addressed any "issues" at the time instead of just denying the permit - would have been one less nonsense fire they would have to spend time on.
ReplyDeleteThe City and County have allowed the soccer leagues to run rampant for far too long. It's about time the leagues were held accountable. I live adjacent to the Cedarbrook field and from April to November is pure hell. Each weekend, our neighborhood is subjected to hundreds of soccer players and fans who show no regard for our neighborhood and its residents who live here year round. We are subjected to noise, dust, crowds, trespassing, public urination, trash, countless traffic violations and absolutely zero crowd control. Finally these leagues are facing some consequences.
ReplyDeleteThank You anon 9:01 Wait until they install the lighting in Cedarbrook Linda Carter is so proud of. Ther is no consideration for the people who LIVE in and around the park aka voters.
ReplyDelete