When I got home, there was more Trump weirdness on the interwebs. I read a couple of items that flummoxed me. Were they real news or fake news or surreal news, or a swirly confection of all three?
But things seem a bit out of focus on the local level as well. I have seen fliers online for a "State of the City Address" meeting.
As City Clerk Laddie Wyatt will tell you, I am a creature of habit and get all bent out of shape over change and anomalies. I always expect the State of Address to be given at the annual reorganization in early January. I asked a City Hall official what kind of meeting this was (besides being one at a venue I dislike). The answer was:
It is not being called as a Council Meeting. The Mayor delivered brief comments about the State of the City which fulfilled the requirements as set forth by the code. February 8, 2017 will be a standalone State of the City Address.
Checking the Jan. 9 Reorganization agenda, I do see item 12 described as "Remarks by the Mayor." But can my obsessive-compulsive self believe that "remarks" meet the requirements as set forth by the code?
The code says one of the duties of the mayor is to "Address the Council annually on the condition of the City government, its needs and his recommendations for the ensuing year ..."
So if that happened on Jan. 9, need I make that long walk to 400 East Front Street on Wednesday night? Couldn't I stay home and wait until the State of the City Address is posted on the city website?
Speaking of which, I just checked the previous State of the City addresses online and the 2016 one was given on Feb. 4! What! I had a whole year to get used to this innovation and I am still not with the program? Maybe I have to put this on my list of lapses that indicate the onset of senility.
See my post on 2016 State of the City Address here.
See my post on 2016 State of the City Address here.
Well, let me just give a reminder about the 2017 State of the City Address. It's at the Senior Center on Wednesday. Don't park in the back, all the spaces are assigned and you will only embarrass yourself by having to go out and move it if a resident complains. Try to find a spot on a nearby side street.
The next council meeting is an agenda-fixing session on Monday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 in City Hall Library. The agenda-fixing meetings are back there after several months of meeting in Municipal Court. But the regular meetings will still be at Municipal Court. The next regular meeting is Feb. 13, when the council will vote on items that were moved to the agenda the previous week.
This year has a bumper crop of combined meetings where agenda-fixing and voting happen on the same night. The Jan. 17 meeting was one. There will also be combined meetings in July, August and November of 2017. (Cue the cranky old lady voice - "Why, I remember when the council held regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of every month, and each was preceded by an agenda-fixing session on the prior Monday!")
OK, it's after 4 a.m. - time to log off of Blogger and on to Facebook to see what Trump has done while I was blogging. Y'all be sure now to check Dan's blog and read all about the new guy in the blogosphere, "Anonymous Gadfly."
I can just hear someone in the BOE building saying, "Quick, Henry, The Flit!"
--Bernice
The combined agenda/business meeting is a disservice to the public, plain and simple. The January meeting was an abomination, with only one opportunity for public comment prior to voting. With just three minutes allotted to each speaker you are hard-pressed to comment on more than a single agenda item and provide much detail. Now that a single faction controls both the administration and the council the outcome will be limited debate for starters. The combined meetings only serve to further disenfranchise the public.
ReplyDeleteAlan stop the non-sense, I didn’t hear you complaining when the council and the Mayor was controlled by Green. I guess you were too busy making appearances at his office trying to get on a board or offered the opportunity to run for the council. How soon we forget. If you do your homework in advance, three minutes is more than enough time to get your point across on any one item. No one said you can’t get back in line on a second, third or fourth item.
DeleteAnonymous, I'm not sure what alt-reality planet you are living on.
DeleteOur administration could give Trump pointers in how to disfranchise the public. No attempt is being made to encourage citizen participation at council meetings. Bad parking, now small venue for agenda fixing sessions when they are even held.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know this is political season and as proven in the past, city council meetings are the perfect opportunity for grandstanding and bashing your candidates opponent. Also, do I need to point out that the main offenders are people that take every opportunity to go to the microphone to slander and ridicule certain members of the council and the current administration in the most hateful way. Unfortunately, we’ve all witness this type of behavior on many occasions. Please don’t be so naive to think ‘PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR’ would be used for anything other than an opportunity for those that’s been rehearsed and coerced to show up, go to the mike and start the mudslinging. Agendas are available to the public in advance and if you have a real and valid concern you can call any council member or the Mayor’s office for discussion. I’ve done it myself many times. If you want to promote your choice for public office don’t use the ‘privilege of the floor’ at city council meetings to do it. It’s called PRIVILEGE for a reason.
DeleteRB.
So, busy with Queen City Pride website, daily researching and Facebook posting to retrieve information about the amazing and wonderful assets our Queen City has to offer for our residents.
ReplyDeleteOver the last month, our outreach has been focusing on all the events that are happening around the city. Our Library, Our Schools, Our restaurants, Our charitable organizations, Our Homeless, adding every day and changing the layout, THANK YOU all who are helping and your advice, we could not do this without the whole community pitching in.
Last evening I missed the zoning meeting, which was on the to do for the new year.
Councilwoman Rivers had an event that was very helpful with an informative group of speakers on what can make our city work towards a unification, how to navigate through the process to solve issues within Healthcare, Taxes, Mental Health, Crime, Youth Programs, Communication with our children, Taking control of your home. See Something, Say Something, The Police are here to help. You want change in your community, use your voice and ask for help. Get involved, the knowledge needs to be shared. these were some of the sound bites. A truly wonderful meeting, cannot wait for the rest of the Council members to put on programs like this for our citizens to listen and not just talk.
The only way we as a community will be able to work together is when we stop the blame game and meet on a level playing field and talk as residents on what the needs are as residents and keep politics out of the conversation.
A bit confusing again on timing for Monday’s agenda fixing meeting. The announcement was 730 but the city website says 7 pm. More confusion by the city to keep us guessing or for those who are late.
The reason this is being held in the senior citizen’s venue is that the mayor has a ready built audience. Again 8 months living in Plainfield and all we hear is talk, talk, talk and no action, but photo opportunities by the dozen. and talk about trying to park over on front street, really a challenge for the best of drivers.
Hope that the Health department will do a swab test so that we do not have another outbreak of chicken pox or some other communicable disease, we are in the middle of cold and flu season, please stay home if you are not well.
As far as the new blogger Anonymous Gadfly, it will add another view point of mystery with an anonymous voice, but who will be holding the strings of this marionettes, soon our very own Muppet's show just missing a couple more characters, but I am sure February 8th will reveal more...
Some do not like what I have to say, as a private citizen and living in quasi dictatorship for the moment. Your choice, if you have something to say, please use your name and stop hiding behind your screen and get out of Your Bubble and help someone or do something…
Can we call Tim a carpetbagger, absolutely not, he’s an angel, he’s the new mouthpiece for the T.Brown et al team. If he had any good intentions they’ve been diminished by affiliation and actions.
DeleteAnonymous 12:09 Your Mappy Nappy needs changing
DeleteAnd you wonder why they can not even keep the streets clean?
ReplyDeleteStreets? Look at the results of the Board of Ed.
DeleteWow Timothy Priano why don't you run for public office.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:09 anytime someone speaks out about the Mapp administration you guys get upset. Speak Mr. Priano Speak the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:09 you are nothing more than a mapper who do not want change.
R.B. you are nothing more than a Mappet period point blank. This administration have failed the people. When Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs was the Mayor Mapp used to inform his people to use the mic to bash her. You did the same thing. Stop being a follower and start trying to be a leader.
ReplyDeleteCoward, opps, sorry I meant anonymous 1:49 PM. You must be one of those “mike bashers”. For the record, I have never gone to the mike at a city council meeting to bash anyone and you would be hard pressed to prove me wrong. I may be a lot of things but a puppet certainly isn’t one of them. I’m not running for office now or in the future, you can say whatever you like about me, I have thick skin and very high self-esteem so when you call me outside my name, I’m okay with that, I know who and what I am. Everyone that knows me would agree I am not a follower of any human being, never have been and never will be. I’m a straight shooter, independent thinker and have no problem telling you exactly what I think. For your information do I think Tracy Brown represent change, unfortunately I don’t. If I thought for one second she could do more or cared more than Mapp I may think differently. Mapp has only been in office one term and has made a lot of changes in a short period of time with a hostile council. By no means do I agree with all he has done but, I don’t see any changes he’s made that’s such a detriment to our city that I wouldn’t want to see him get re-elected. My comment wasn’t meant to bash anyone (as you did me) it was purely to point out that city council meetings should be organized and not a free-for –all at election time. Whether you agree or not, even with hindrance there has been a lot of change in Plainfield and the entire city deserves the opportunity to have someone as Mayor that can and will keep Plainfield moving forward in a positive direction.
DeleteNot afraid to sign my name. Robin B.
Robin B., I work for the city and cannot use my name because of one of the most vindictive mayors in the history of Plfd. Can you please tell me what the mayor has done for the residents of Plfd. other than build apartments in order to get campaign contributions from developers. Robin please tell me what he has done. Are the lives of residents better, are there recreation centers for youth after dark? Did you really say that he cares more than Rev. Tracy Brown about the residents in Plainfield ? You cannot be serious, and what does she have to do with this segment? Do you have any idea of what she does through her church, and other organizations that benefits all of Plainfield. Wonderful things that get no notoriety. What do you have against her and the members of her church that you had to attack with a barrage of profanity at the last election. Not trying to be mean or sarcastic like you normally are, but why bring her name up? Again, what has she done to you? Does her compassion for the least of them bother you? I don't think you are a Mapp puppet you are just misled by Mapp's Brand, which is about power and no caring. You seem to be intelligent enough, although yes thin skin because you have a need to always defend your mean rants, and bashing of people. Robin you do bash people, and can be very mean. Why call people cowards just because they for some reason cannot leave their name. You don't work for the city and have no idea the fear workers have of losing their jobs. This mayor went to PMUA met with workers to tell them although he has the power to close them down he won't. His motive was to solicit their vote, when he is the only one who mentioned closing them down in the first place. Robin, four months before election he is having a prayer vigil for the 12 families who lost family members. Robin he ignored these families all the way up to election time, that is not right, and insulting to the families and the residents of Plainfield to now give the illusion that he cares. Rev. Brown has been their from the door, and is still caring not through words but action. Stop hating on her, and bringing her name up out of an article that has nothing to do with her. You act at times like you are obsessed with degrading her character. Stick to the facts. I don't need to defend her because after all the unjustified attacks on her by people like you, and Mapp's puppets her skin remains tough. Robin, I do not want her to be mayor, not because she does not care, she does not have the temperate to be mayor she gets too compassionate about issues and will scream of injustices, and she always wants to pray, { Sorry Rev. Brown if you read this} but the city needs more than somebody who believes that prayer will fix everything.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't attacking Tracy Brown, I included her in my comment because as of today she is the only other person who publicly declared they were running for Mayor. I never feel I have to justify or defend myself to anonymous commenters. And if you are afraid to sign your name because you work for the city, then you need to get to working and stop reading and writing on the blogs that way you wont have to worry about the job you were hired to do.
DeleteRobin B if you had thick skin and high self-esteem you would not have to say it. You are nothing more than a MAPPET and you all must go. Plainfield need better and I will work my fingers to the bone to make sure we get better. No I will not post my name I work for City Hall and the bulling that goes on there is outrageous. You speak up then your harassed. Mayor Mapp and his Mappets must go
ReplyDeleteI must go,go where?
DeleteLOL!
Plainfield wake up this is a disgrace all of this bickering and fighting amongst us. Please wake up
ReplyDeleteMy pastor's name is spelled Tracey. If you all are going to talk about her at least spell her name right. Evans
ReplyDeleteAnother weekly message from The Honorable Adrian O Mapp, and we all have to read about the Federal government/ Trump show, DUDE, you were elected to be overseeing Plainfield, look in our own back yard before you comment about the rest of the country, solve the issues here in Plainfield with the crime and unemployment.
ReplyDeleteget off your butt and start looking for job.
Delete