Lawn signs for school board candidates may be seen in abundance, but with less than a month to go before the Nov. 4 general election, council signs are less in evidence.
I asked someone why he thought the emphasis appeared to be on the school board race and his answer was, "Money." The school district's budget of $179 million dwarfs the city budget of $75 million and the PMUA budget of $9.9 million. In all three, most of the funding goes for salaries, but there are many lucrative contracts to be awarded as well. So maybe money is a factor in trying for political control, even though the race is supposed to be non-partisan.
On the other hand, the school board race includes some intriguing back stories, which close observers know or can figure out without Plaintalker's help. The maxim "revenge is a dish best served cold" comes to mind.
Another curiosity is on Tuesday's City Council agenda. Council President Bridget Rivers is allowing George Gore time to speak as vice president of the "Plainfield Senior Services Committee" regarding ongoing services and upcoming activities and events. Gore wears many hats and the title was not immediately clear. Was this a committee of the NAACP? A brief check of the NAACP site ruled that out. On the Senior Center link at the city's web site, a downloadable handbook lists the Senior Citizens Services Center Advisory Committee.Maybe that's it. One resident has been very vocal in her criticisms of the center at council meetings and perhaps an explanation is needed. But why not send the president of the committee, if there is one?
Another of Gore's hats is being the 2014-2016 chairman of the Plainfield Republican Committee. Two Republicans filed to run in the general election, but then one withdrew and Gore as chairman had to file a replacement. Curiously, the candidate who filed to run in the Second and Third Ward at-large race got switched to the Third Ward race and the newcomer took his place running against the Second and Third Ward incumbent. After some missteps by Gore in filing the names, the deed was done, switching out a mild-mannered opponent to JG's least favorite New Democrat for one known to be scrappy.
The change set off a flurry of declarations by a few registered Democrats that they would rather vote for a Republican on Nov. 4 than either of the incumbents. But the mild-mannered one has yet to be seen on the campaign trail, while the scrappy one's recent remarks backfired on him to some degree. It's anyone's guess whether the switch will prove to be clever or catastrophic for the two chairmen, JG and Gore. We shall see on Nov. 4. Meanwhile on Tuesday we shall see whether Gore sticks to the subject of senior services or indulges in a bit of politicking.
The council meeting is 8 p.m. Tuesday in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave. Also on Tuesday, anyone who hasn't registered to vote can do so between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the City Clerk's office at City Hall, 515 Watchung Ave. It is the last day to register to vote in the 2014 general election.
--Bernice
Pretty soon fish and grits will on the school lunch menu, don't eat the soup it's made by Campbell.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to know why the school system is failing just look at whose been on the board the longest, who ran a slate of candidates for the last 15 years, who controls this failing school system. The fish frying Campbell's have nerve to put up a billboard for thear republican slate saying keep politics out of it. Our poor little black children won't have anything as long as the fish frying Campbell's continue to control the school board. Who's more political than the campbells. They couldn't even run a successful real estate business, why do we allow the campbells to manage the school budget of millions of dollars?
DeleteYou're right. We'd be muchhhh better off with Green at the helm. I mean look at what happened when he got a hold of PMUA. And Housing. Both are in much better shape now, right? Honest, Ethical leadership. That's why we re-elected him, right? Who are we to tell him that he can't control the school board? It's not like he goes off on egocentric tirades on school property or anything. But then again, when you "run this mother*%&#%(&", I guess you can do that if you so please. Am I right or am I right?
DeleteThe PMUA budget was close to $22 million last year, of which $56,616 was being paid in illegal compensation to commissioners Mitchell, Brokaw, and Toliver, their spouses, and in the case of Mitchell, a third person. Toliver's take in this illicit scheme included his wife Diane, who is running with the blessing of Jerry Green for City Council. Now that Toliver is off the Board only Mitchell and Brokaw et al are receiving these payouts, and the PMUA budget is down to about $21.9 million.
ReplyDeleteI got my PMUA budget figure from this:
Deletehttp://pmua.info/Documents/2014_SewerandSoildWasteBudget.pdf
There are two separate documents there. One for Sewer Operations and one for Solid Waste. The number you referred to was just for the sewers. The garbage comes afterwards. You will also notice that PMUA's administrative costs of $5.3 million are outrageously high by any reasonable standard. It is a legacy of the managerial ineptitude and rapaciousness of the Watson years, and the continuing lack of accountability we've become acclimated to.
DeleteConfusingly, but legally, there are TWO budgets in the PMUA document you point to: starting on p1 is sewer operations, about 10MM, then starting on p30 is solid waste ops, about 12MM. Total = 22MM.
DeleteBut your point still holds. The dispensible jobs and cash in school operations dwarf that of the city and PMUA combined. As usual, "follow the money" is the best advice to understand why the players do what they do.
Happy hunting to all those trying to get a piece of the Plainfield government action. That's an important part of how local government works: keeping part of the money local. In a location where there isn't enough private sector activity who else but government is going to provide the jobs and contracts in large enough numbers to keep things afloat? Image what Plainfield would be like without local preferences.
How the players abuse those preferences is a different story, the one you hint at in your post and that Alan is so good at exposing.
The democrats litter the streets with their election signs then the D P W or the PMUA has to clean up the mess after Election Day. Signs don't vote people do
ReplyDeleteAmen. I would like a law to ban all signs - political and other
DeleteLet's just hope the people go to vote for the better person and just straight down the Gerry Green line. People should know that you can vote for the other side. Gerry Green will forgive you if you do. After all it is for a better change for all Plainfield citizens
ReplyDeleteIf voting for the fish frying Campbell's slate is change, you are uninformed. Jerry runs the council and the Campbell's run the school district. Two hot messes.
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