Among her many topics at Monday's City Council meeting, former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs took to the microphone in public comment to speak in support of a city constable who, she said, was suspended from the auxiliary police for an alleged infraction.
Calling him a "volunteer" and "a wonderful, wonderful man." Robinson-Briggs said it was a "sincere tragedy" that Frank Rokins was suspended from the auxiliary police for six months for writing a letter of support for someone and being told not to do it.
She alleged the suspension was ordered by Police Director Carl Riley and said she felt Rokins should be reinstated.
It was unclear what the governing body could do about it, but it was among several revelations the ex-mayor made during the evening.
The naming of Rokins and two others as constables was one of the oddities of 2011, but nothing much was heard about them until Monday's comments. They were supposed to file monthly reports on their activities, including any fees they received, but an inquiry a few months later turned up no reports.
When the nominations first came up, Plaintalker had to look up the role of a constable in the state statutes. The local PBA chapter objected to their nomination. Two names were put up in March 2011, then withdrawn and the resolution was tabled. In April 2011, the council approved Rokins and two others as constables. Their terms were to run to March 2015.
Officials could not respond on the alleged disciplinary action in the public meeting as it was a personnel matter.
Among other remarks, the former mayor commented on the naming of Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren as Plainfield's municipal prosecutor, noting that Mayor Adrian O. Mapp reports to Warren as he is the finance director in Orange. Earlier, SRB ally Kim Montford had characterized Mapp as Warren's "boss" here while Warren is his boss in Orange, but Corporation Counsel Vernita Sias-Hill explained that the municipal prosecutor reports to the state.
The former mayor also asked who the new assistant municipal clerk is, and whether the title of chief of staff is still in effect. The governing body cut funding for the chief of staff position earlier this year, but City Administrator Rick Smiley said Monday the chief of staff was transferred to the assistant municipal clerk position.
The council allowed Robinson-Briggs two five-minute comment periods, but she remained standing at the microphone. Mapp, who was defeated in his 2009 run for mayor by Robinson-Briggs but thwarted her bid for a third term in 2013, said Monday, "She had her time as mayor. She is the past - we are the future."
Robinson-Briggs refused to sit down and Mapp continued, "The mayor had her time. We will move the city forward despite the negatives we keep getting from the former mayor."
As Mapp said there had been full transparency on the Warren matter, Robinson-Briggs chuckled.
Earlier, Mapp had challenged Robinson-Briggs' remarks on fees for a community event. She said it was "ridiculous to have a fee," though Smiley said the fee was already waived through a municipal ordinance.
Mapp confirmed there was a "built-in exception" to waive the fee, but alleged that in the past Robinson-Briggs had illegally waived fees.
"The mayor does not have the ability to waive fees, only the governing body," Mapp said.
From her seat, the former mayor said, "I'll be back."
--Bernice
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like an annoying cold sore...but not half as pleasant...
ReplyDeleteI don't know Mayor Mapp simply doesn't respond to her monthly diatribes with " I'm the f^#$(*g Mayor" .. that's a statement she understands
How sad really, she doesn't have anything to fill her life now that she is not mayor. Maybe she is independantly wealthy. Her unemployment benefit should be gone soon and I guess Jerry Green isn;t giving her a job after all. How pathetic and sad.
ReplyDeleteShe also thought dave wynn and roland crawford were wonderful. Go Figure. She made the part time mayor role a full time endeavor and now she makes coming to the mic a full time "I have nothing else to do" role. yes it's very pathetic and sad. She also told mayor to be fair to the children. She sure proved how fair she was to all children during her time. (NOT)!
ReplyDelete"Schwarzenegger first used the line in The Terminator, after his cyborg assassin character is refused entry to the police station where his target, Sarah Connor is being housed. He takes a few seconds to survey the partition which separates the counter into two. He then tells the police officer - who refused him entry - at the entrance desk window, "I'll be back", before returning moments later by driving a car through the doors and into the officer's counter, then commencing to massacre seventeen other police officers in the building."
ReplyDeleteWickapedia
I sugggest we all duck and cover when she returns.
I have to agree with all the other commentators. Robinson-Briggs is pathetic and like others on the City Council, she hasn't a clue that others see her negatively and wish, like the cold sore, she would fade away. She attends the Council meetings much more often then she did as mayor. Perhaps her mentor wants her to be that bedsore which offends us, but that just needs air and the light of day to go away. I hope she gets counseling and a job, but what is she qualified to do? With her past employment record, who would hire such a loser? Jerry? If we ever get a forensic audit of her years on office, then big Bertha can teach her something in jail.
ReplyDeleteI think Sharon is attending more Council meetings now than she did when she was mayor. She sits in the back taking notes (for whom?) and then wants to be last during the public comment so nobody has a chance to respond. She ran for president of the NJ NAACP and lost. When will she get the message? Pathetic!
ReplyDeleteYou may not like SRB but she did ask some good questions. When she asked about the Assistant Municipal Clerks job why didn't Mapp just say he did it to keep John Stewart in a job? John worked on the Mayors Election campaign and now he wants paid back. I think Mapp was being sneekey transferring John Stewart to a new title after the Council said no to the COS job.
ReplyDeleteI guess you were not there when this Council decided the current mayor didn't need as many people to run his office or City Hall, as they did during Sharon's run. Of course John Stewart is much more qualified than anyone Sharon chose. If the Council refuses the money for the position and it needs to be filled, then another position that doesn't need Council approval is used so the government runs smoothly.
DeleteYes, it was pretty sneaky to transfer Stewart to the assistant clerk's job.
DeleteHere's a related question: what job is he actually doing, that of the assistant clerk, or that of the chief-of-staff?
Sneakier still was the hypocritical City Council that approved the COS position and a salary range before pulling the plug in what can only be fairly seen as a primary election ploy engineered by Jerry Green to paint the Mapp Administration as uncaring big spenders. Yet I think any independent audit, and certainly the current clean-up of the open grant balances, will show beyond a reasonable doubt that when it came to spending with nothing to show for it but lots of questions, the Robinson-Briggs Administration and her patron Jerry Green take the cake.
DeleteI did not agree with all that the former Mayor Robinson-Briggs did while she was in office, but why does Mayor Mapp want to keep John Stewart in City Hall ? If one works on an election campaign does that mean you can get a $ 90,000 year job at City Hall?
ReplyDeletein John's defense, he is probably way over-qualified. Too bad he is under paid.
DeleteMaybe he was hired because he was qualified. Anytime I'm in a position of leadership you can best believe I am going to hire highly qualified people and surround myself with people that are intelligent, shares my vision and trustworthy. You would be a fool to not do the same.
DeleteTo Anon @ 2:51, I agree with everything you said but why do it in such an under handed way? It makes him (the Mayor) seem as low down and sneaky as Sharon. Looking at this little (now you see me, now you don't) deal, I can't see any difference in SRB & Mapp, their faces are interchangeable.
DeleteTo Anon 2:43, maybe he is way over qualified, so why don't he go out and get a job with a company that can pay him what you and he think he's worth? Why hang around scratching at a campaign promise that's under paying him and expect the people of plainfield to pony up enough money to lift him up on that pedestal that you all feel he deserves.
DeletePerhaps he wants to make the city he lives in a better place, isn't that was being a public servant was supposed to be all about??? I really don't think he needs the money if you know him, he's all about improving Plainfield for everyone.
DeleteMaybe a better question would be to ask srb why dave wynn was gone during her term. Anybody who knows him knows he wouldn't let go of that power he had just like that. There were a few very qualified people who were put up for PMUA commissioners. And they were all slapped down. In fact Mrs. Taylor commented on their qualifications and it was nice to have such talent in Plainfield and then she slapped them down too. Then you look at the council members that band together and shoot down or pass questionable things and they seem to have something in common. Not very bright or easily used/led.
ReplyDeleteI want to know the answers to why the audit report contains so many issues. SRB was too busy trying to get jobs for her friends, that she didn't care about how the city was run.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that even Jerry can't get her a job. That's how toxic she is.
And I have plenty of friends who need a job. I am going to beg for them at the next council meeting, as should everyone who has a friend out of work.
VOTE REPUBLICAN FOR THIRD WARD COUNCIL. Wouldn't that be great!
Perhaps SRB can tell us how many people attended her job fair, as well as how many attended Mayor Taylor's? Oh - they didn't have any.
ReplyDeleteMayor Mapp had the foresight to hire someone who could carry out his wishes for the community and that was John Stewart. Mayor Mapp wants the people in Plainfield to do well, have jobs, and have the community prosper. He saw a way to do that by hiring John Stewart.
Plainfield is starting to move forward in a positive direction. John was instrumental in getting this job fair organized. Gloria Taylor talks about people in Plainfield getting jobs - what has she done? Nothing, like her loyal partner - Jerry.
The council's thinking is narrow and sophomoric. They just don't get it. Hopefully, the people of Plainfield will realize that this administration is not just spending taxpayers money without thought (look at the audit report from the last administration if you really want to know how your money was misspent), but truly wants to help them. The council's days of painting this administration negatively is coming to an end. The people of Plainfield are starting to see the truth. Now if only SRB will go away with Jerry, life would be good in the land of Oz.
And congrats to Mayor Mapp and John Stewart for doing a great thing and helping the people of Plainfield who need jobs. Hope is a wonderful thing.