The City Council will hold a special meeting Monday with 10 items, one being the extension of Eric Watson's appointment as acting Public Works & Urban Development director for another 90 days.
The 7 p.m. meeting precedes an agenda-fixing session for the Jan. 5 City Council reorganization. Both will be held in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
As noted in a Plaintalker post, the Municipal Code allows for one 90-day extension of a 90-day acting appointment. The other option is putting the name of the individual up for advice and consent of the council, which for a department head usually means serving a term concurrent with the mayor's. Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's term runs until Dec. 31, 2017.
Watson previously served as the DPW&UD director during the administration of Mayor Mark Fury. He became the first executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority upon its formation in 1995 and served through 2011. He was named acting DPW&UD director on Sept. 15, succeeding Eric Jackson, who went on unpaid personal leave in March and became mayor of Trenton in July. City Administrator Rick Smiley was acting director in the interim.
Among other items on the special meeting agenda, the council will be asked to vote on a contract award for payroll services at a cost not to exceed $88,552 and a 3-year agreement with Comcast for ethernet services at $78,834 annually. Plaintalker will publish the full agenda later.
--Bernice
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I can understand why nothing was done about a permanent director of DPW&UD pending the outcome of Eric Jackson's run for Trenton mayor. But now it's six months later and I find it hard to imagine that between our own Public Works personnel and the multitude of DPWs throughout the state, both larger and smaller, there is not someone else qualified and willing to take the reins in Plainfield. I haven't seen a job posting for this position either on the city's website or on the state's listing, maybe I missed it, but I think that Watson's hiring is a political calculation gone bad. Though PMUA grew from nothing to something under his leadership, that 'something' included putting city residents in the cross-hairs of official abuse, misconduct, and rapaciousness. I don't need to wait for state authorities to tell me everything that has gone down with PMUA over the years. What I know of is enough make me certain that rewards of public funds or public employment in this city is unwarranted and offensive. I've even been told by one of Mayor Mapp's semi-inner circle members, that Watson didn't originally apply for the acting DPW position, but that the mayor went to him. I don't know that for a fact, but I find it very troubling.
ReplyDeleteAlan you campaigned for Mapp now live with it
DeleteThe problem with anonymous commenters is they often have no idea what they are commenting about and can't discern fact from fiction, and moreover, don't care what is fact or fiction. No, I did not campaign for the mayor, and I'll criticize him when I feel it is warranted. But unlike the Democratic boss who tried to undermine him and his administration, and hence the city, from before it took office, I'm hoping my criticism is constructive and yields a better and more self-sufficient city where political power is not the entire endgame.
DeleteIt is disappointing Mayor Mapp has requested an extension of Mr. Watson's acting appointment as Director of Public Works. After the waste and abuse Mr. Watson institutionalized at the PMUA and the huge unwarranted and undeserved settlement gift he was given by PMUA Commissioners Dunn, Sanders, and Toliver it is an affront to Plainfield Taxpayers that Mr. Watson ever received another penny from the City of Plainfield. It’s time for Mayor Mapp to hire someone else who doesn’t have Mr. Watson’s history of waste and abuse. If not, he runs the risk of being lumped in with Gerry Green’s Plainfield political machine that rewards loyalists and insiders.
ReplyDeleteTom Kaercher
Contrary to what Mapp’s camp is saying, Watson hasn’t accomplished anything so extraordinary to warrant a permanent or even another 90 day job offer. We all know and most agree, anyone can do what he’s done thus far or can do. He should not be granted an extension
ReplyDeleteWatson ought to be paying the city for that job--after what he made off of us from that PMUA million-dollar settlement, he owes Plainfield taxpayers something!
ReplyDelete