City Council activities resume Monday with an agenda-fixing session that includes yet another pitch for the twice-rejected "manager motors" position and salary.
Mayor Adrian O. Mapp brought up the plan for one person to be in charge of all city vehicles in January, but the council rejected proposed ordinances to establish the title and salary.
Mapp called a special meeting on Jan. 26, at which both ordinances passed on first reading. The vote followed explanations by Personnel Director Karen Dabney and Public Works Director Eric Watson on the rationale for the new title. The city's vehicle fleet is worth $7.1 million and at present various employees earning a total of $322,000 are monitoring it.
But at an agenda-fixing session on Feb. 9, a council majority declined to move the ordinance to the regular meeting for a final vote. Readers may recall that the Feb. 2 agenda-fixing session was canceled due to bad weather and the council held a marathon double meeting on Feb. 9.
The flip-flop was perceived by some to be based on behind-the-scenes politicking by Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Green, whose allies on the council dominate. Green supported Mapp for election in 2013 against incumbent Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, but the tables turned soon after Mapp's win. Mapp led the progressive "New Democrats" political club for several years and was often in opposition to the Regular Democratic Organization led by Green. After winning in November, Mapp faced a council majority of Green backers who blocked some of his initiatives and Green explicitly condemned Mapp in a citywide mailing.
Another issue for some was the perception that the job was being created for a specific person. In addition, Councilman Cory Storch voted "no" because his questions to the administration were not fully answered.
Now the ordinances are once again up for introduction on first reading. The hurdles again include gaining a consensus to be put up for a vote at the regular meeting. Then if passed on first reading at the March 9 meeting, the process of consent at the April 6 meeting and passage on April 13 would be necessary for them to take effect 20 days later. That's four steps to go in what is now Round Three.
--Bernice
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We know this is not going to go anywhere. Partly because of the council being fractured.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Williams has a hidden agenda. Gloria "I am loyal to Jerry Green and he is loyal to me", Taylor said so.
Who are,and what are, the team earning $322,000 doing? It seems the current amount expended is sufficient to employ a hands on fleet manager plus 3 or 4 expert mechanics? Bill Kruse
ReplyDeleteIt is not correct to put the full salary amount of the Department head that is responsible for the cars/trucks in his fleet. Most Department heads are making $100,000 + which is 3 times the pay of most Plainfielder's . Managing the cars is part of the job and if they can not do it then they should be fired! Why should the tax payers have to pay higher taxes to pay for a fleet manager at the pay rate of $80,000 plus benefits? We are already paying more for Mapps friend John Stewart to have a high paying job $90,000.+ after the City Council said no. Mapp went around them and created another job title for him to work under.
DeleteDepartment heads aka directors direct the activities of those under them. If they did all the work themselves, you could run all three departments on $300,000.
DeleteDepartment heads aka directors direct the activities of those under them. If they did all the work themselves, you could run all three departments on $300,000.
DeleteThis lack of Council understanding on how the city works astonishes me. According to your article Bernice a single individual making $80,000 does not make sense to them when it has been demonstrated to those "slugs" that we the taxpayers are paying $322,000 for the same work. OH I FORGOT BIG RED PAYS NO PROPERTY TAXES SO WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO HER!
ReplyDeleteWhat friend does Mayor Mapp want to give a job to now? He already gave his boss a job and his friend John Stewart ( who council voted no) we have to stop the City Hall and PMUA both of creating jobs for friends and family to save our tax base. We are pushing out home owners with the high cost of living in Plainfield.
DeleteI don't really care who the person is as long as the position is warranted and the person hired can do the job. Is there a net benefit to the public, or not? Is the City run more efficiently, or not? As for John Stewart, let's remember that the City Council approved the position after an impassioned, and well-reasoned explanation from the Mayor-elect. Maybe they can divine the future, but they passed on evaluating the position 6-months further down the road when there was actually some basis to make an evaluation. From what I hear, Mr. Stewart is kept more than busy and has improved overall government functionality to a great extent. Obviously that doesn't play well with those like Jerry Green who confuse political power with quality of governance. Whatever the positives or negatives of the Mapp Administration were to be, for Green and his acolytes, the most important thing was (is) portraying it as free-spenders. But it's funny that some of the same people who are doing the most complaining are those who supported (and seem to still support) the aspirations of the lamest, most inefficient, corrupted, and self-interested administration that preceded it.
Deletemaybe if he said it was simply a "political hack job" with no real responsibilities and created simply to bilk the taxpayers of money for the benefit of one person.. that's something Jerry's Kids seem to have no issue with
ReplyDeleteOne would have to ask if the fleet is being abused or improperly maintained to determine the feasibility of hiring on a manager to oversee it. Ride around and you can see old city vehicles sitting in parking lots. Why are they there? What will be done with them? Putting 1 person in charge can allow that person to have a database of the vehicles age, mileage, gas use, user, storage as in take home at night or keep in the yard, maintenance costs, etc. So much can come from this, ie: accountability. But I guess we wont get that since accountability is something most council members don't feel is needed,
ReplyDeleteA few observations: 1) the job of maintaining/managing a database of the fleet can be done by an Admin. You don't have to hire another person (unless you just want a friend to have a job). A smart Admin can do this job, set up data base, assign a POC in each department that manage the cars now to ensure all current info is captured and move forward from there.
ReplyDelete2) when the 80,000 person is hired, what happens to the 322,000 that's already being paid for the same job, does it go back into the City's coffers? 3) Mapp complained about Sharon throwing away City funds but he is tripping over his own feet trying to make sure he throw away more than she did.
I am certainly not a Sharon fan, never voted for her, but ok, she slapped him a couple times, he's slapped her a couple of time, so now let's grow the heck up, get rid of the arrogance and work for the citizens that voted for you (I voted for Mapp, that was my mistake, the good thing about me is that I learn from my mistakes, so I won't do that again). 3) if all the home owners (that pay taxes) are pushed out, there won't be any money to keep all the FRIENDS employed anyway.
Perfectly said!
DeleteI also voted for Mapp and, yes, things seem to be running much more efficiently and are much more on track but I think we can all do without his arrogance, it's very annoying.
The one thing you'll find most common with Union, Hudson, and Essex County Democrats... Smug arrogance... They're far more concerned with their petty infighting than they are with the good of the common citizen they were elected to represent.....So much for the party of "the people"
DeleteIf you want to observe arrogance watch the next Council meeting. From one point of view it is more entertaining than Saturday Night Live. From a serious point of view it is embarrassing. I hope it is not broadcast beyond the locale. I can not see that any thinking person who watches the histrionics, rudeness and absurdity entertaining any thoughts of purchasing a home or establishing a business in Plainfield. I don't know if those who watch Mayor Mapp see the same person that I see. He is moderate, patient and courteous. No previous Mayor has taken office and found the administrative shambles that Mayor Mapp inherited. He has brought in staff that has fine qualifications, are serious about their positions and display the calm professionalism that is appropriate to their offices. Mapp has taken on, in short order, while confronted with an obstructionist Council majority, a bushel basket of issues and is aggressively dealing with them as rapidly as human and financial resources permit. The signs of improvement are evident. Amongst other things he is addressing the Muhlenberg betrayal, there are a half dozen significant commercial and apartment projects un progress or being planned, he has negotiated with the Municipal Unions, crime is down, he has battled and succeeded in getting some new blood into the Board of PMUA Commissioners, etc.. etc. etc. If these achievements are products of arrogance then we should have more of it. Bill Kruse
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Mr. Kruse inasmuch the City Council Meetings which are a total farce and complete embarrassment, especialy in comparison to any neighboring community meetings which I've seen televised and are civil, cordial, professional and orderly - complete opposite of Plainfield City Council.
DeleteAs for Mr. Mapp -- I don't deny he has done a good job thus far and I hope it continues, but arrogance puts people off and pushes people away, sorry to say.
He's a want to be knight !!!!
ReplyDeleteKnights are good. They slay dragons.
DeleteNot in the real world
DeleteIt seems to me that neither Knights nor Dragons are in the real world.
Delete"Class" is something the city of Plainfield lacks, so of course, they don't know how to deal with a classy mayor!
ReplyDeleteClass and arrogance are not synonymous nor is it a good combination -- makes a public servant seem elitist instead of the people.
ReplyDeleteClassy, affable and humble is a much better combination. Unfortunately, no one currently in Plainfield politics comes to mind.
I voted for Mapp as well. I didn't think I was helping a man and all his friends find jobs at city hall. His logic makes no sense sometimes. He has done nothing for our city.
ReplyDelete