The Bonfire

I went to Plainfield High School Friday night to see the bonfire, not so much to take part in the Homecoming Events as to see an actual bonfire.

The elemental power of fire has been used over the centuries in many diverse cultures to add a mystical dimension to an event. As I have explained in other posts, I am a sports illiterate and only have the vaguest notion of what goes on in football, but I can relate to the bonfire as a way to focus positive energy and support for the team. I think the organizers are on to something with these events to build up school spirit.

The blazing fire and sparks flying into the night sky made an impressive sight.

It also reminded me of the days long ago when autumn was marked by the smell of fires set to burn fallen leaves. My adult children are old enough to remember those days of raking up a huge pile of leaves and seeing it consumed in flames.Fire used to be a partner in many basic household and farm tasks, from warming the home to clearing fields.

Traditions come and go, but I think a bonfire for school spirit is a worthy one to bring back to Plainfield High School.

--Bernice

Cultural Events on Park Avenue

Looking to expand your cultural horizons without even leaving the city?

You can enjoy a fine example of community theater with Act IV's latest production, "Talking with ..." by Jane Martin. A seasoned troupe of actors and stagecraft veterans will launch the show tonight at at 8 in the Parish Hall at First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, 724 Park Ave. Tickets are $17, or $14 for students and seniors. Performances continue Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.and next weekend on the same timetable.

"The production consists of 11 intriguing monologues in which 11 rather extraordinary women of various ages talk about their lives, their hopes or their regrets," according to a publicity release.

Fans of Act IV will recognize the name of Barbara Van Savage as director. The actors include Cass Cochrane, Elaine D'Addazio, Judy England-McCarthy, Maryanne Ficker, Sheila Harding, Renee Litwin, Kathy Mattingly, Sherie Novotny, Gail Sweeney, Anne Troop and Chloe Williams.

Call (908) 756-0750 to reserve tickets..

Over at the Plainfield Public Library, 800 Park Ave., winners of the annual photography contest will receive awards and the exhibit will open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Plainfield on the Go!" is the theme and the show will be on view through Dec. 31 during regular library hours.

The photographs will become part of the library's permanent collection and as such will also become part of the cultural legacy that Library Director Joe Da Rold has been building for future generations. Go take a look and meet the photographers Saturday!

--Bernice

Scary Times

There have been times when I felt attending City Council meetings was deleterious to my mental health.

Incivility, misrepresentation, mendacity ... it's hard to stomach when you see it in elected officials.

My stomach responded Tuesday with a case of agita that wouldn't quit.

But because it was no doubt psychosomatic, there was no point in going to the local doc-in-a-box.

Unfortunately, this type of behavior in those we rely on to run things is not confined to the local level.

Reporters and bloggers can only document it. It is up to the people at large to call b.s. and demand that those charged with governance live up to their oaths of office.

Can I get an amen? And a cup of peppermint tea?

--Bernice

Closing of the Garden Saturday

You can’t “friend” the Shakespeare Garden on Facebook yet, but you could be a friend by taking part in the “Closing of the Garden” Saturday.

Participants are welcome to be there at 10 a.m. with garden tools to help the Plainfield Garden Club wrap up its work for the season. Members of the club maintain the garden from early spring through late fall, for the enjoyment of Plainfielders and other visitors from all over. The garden is located in Cedar Brook Park, part of the Union County park system and is open from dawn to dusk year-round.

Club members are hoping the event Saturday will stir interest in starting a “Friends of the Shakespeare Garden” group. Initially, they just want some helping hands for their work, but eventually a “Friends” group could support the club in other ways.

Meanwhile, Plaintalker posed some questions for an update on the Shakespeare Garden:

Q. The Shakespeare Garden here has links with similar gardens all over the world that feature plants mentioned in the author’s works. What is something you want to let people know about Plainfield’s Shakespeare Garden?
A. We have the 1924 Olmsted Brothers drawings and are currently renovating several areas in the garden to reflect the original designs.

Q. This year’s unusual weather presented some big challenges for all local gardeners. How did the extreme heat and prolonged rains affect the Shakespeare Garden?
A. The rain has contributed to a very bad disease in the Boxwoods and we unfortunately lost about half of our historic peonies due to poor drainage.

Q. In early June, the Plainfield Garden Club traditionally holds a “Shakespeare-in-Bloom” event when the garden is at its peak. Docents guide visitors around the garden and explain the significance of its flowers and plants. Have you set a date for 2012?
A. No, we have not set a date for June 2012, but it is on our agenda.

Thanks to Plainfield Garden Club President Mandy Zachariades and Communications Chair Susan Fraser, who co-chair the Shakespeare Garden, for their answers.

--Bernice

Welcome to Plainfield

Old hippies are perhaps my favorite demographic. So the sight of this van on East Front Street entranced me. A long-haired elder dude was strolling away from it toward Park Avenue, so I was free to gawk.

The kayak on top was interesting, as were the California plates.

Two pretty birds in a cage occupied the passenger seat. An exotic contrast to the "Bill's Luncheonette" sign reflected in the window. No organic alfalfa sprouts in there, dear visitor.

Mmmm ... a bike named "Surly" with Python tires. Not my usual downtown sight by a long shot.

I finished my voyeuristic activity just as the owner was returning. By coincidence, I had just taken Ken Kesey's book about the Magic Bus "Furthur" out of the Plainfield Public Library and had been enjoying the photos of Neal Cassady. Some era.

I smiled and wondered what brought this visitor to Plainfield and what he thought of this stop on his road trip, too shy to ask. For me, it was a bit of time travel back to the days of paisley and patchouli. And beautiful downtown Plainfield was just that, if only for a moment.

--Bernice

Council, Mayor Split Over Consultant

Acrimony between Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and a City Council majority Tuesday marred a plan to keep Acting City Administrator David Kochel on as a consultant when his term ends next week. At issue is whether the mayor will allow Kochel to meet with the governing body’s Administration & Finance Committee to discuss fiscal matters.

A tortuous discussion on amending Kochel’s proposed contract to add such interaction led to the mayor declaring she was withdrawing the entire resolution. She then left the meeting, saying the resolution could be reintroduced at the Nov. 14 council meeting.

Faced with the prospect of having neither a city administrator nor a consultant in place on Nov. 7, the council members pondered the options and ended up amending the resolution with no guarantee that the mayor would enact it. The council had already approved another resolution that would have paid for Kochel’s consultancy and which included $3,000 that the mayor wanted to add staff to her office.

Only four of seven council members were voting Tuesday, with Council President Annie McWilliams taking part by telephone and members Rebecca Williams, Cory Storch and Adrian Mapp in City Hall Library. Councilwoman Vera Greaves was absent due to oral surgery, City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh said, and Councilman William Reid and Councilwoman Bridget Rivers were absent with no reasons given.

As Plaintalker reported previously, Kochel is completing an extended stint as acting city administrator and under terms of the contract in question would stay on as a consultant for 100 hours between Nov. 7 and Dec. 21. The discussion revealed there is no named successor to Kochel to be in charge of day-to-day operations of the city, although Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said the mayor had about half of a 90-day acting term left from when she named herself acting city administrator in April.

Williamson said it was his opinion that the mayor could name herself to the post for the balance of that term.

That information brought a retort from Williams: “May I say God save us if that happens.”

The last name mentioned for the post was Eric Berry, a former Trenton business administrator who has since taken a state position.

The council’s Administration & Finance Committee is headed by Mapp, who lost a June 2009 mayoral primary to Robinson-Briggs and who has been a fiscal watchdog since taking office on Jan. 1, 2009 representing the Third Ward. The city did not have a chief finance officer from January 2008 to January 2011, and as a certified CFO himself, Mapp has consistently pointed out fiscal lapses such as the administration allowing a non-certified person to sign off on availability of funds.

In the face of shrinking revenues and tighter state rules, the committee has advocated a 3- to 5-year budget projection for better use of resources, and that was one item for which the committee wanted Kochel’s advice. Storch said he thought it might take only about 10 hours of consultation, but Mapp wanted a more open-ended relationship with the committee.

The mayor said she had suggested that the committee attend daytime cabinet meetings with Kochel and the administration, but Storch said members with jobs could not attend.
The resolution authorizing the mayor to offer Kochel a contract was finally amended to read that Kochel would “be allowed” to meet with the committee and that he would be allowed to “provide any support requested from the council.” But as Williamson pointed out, the mayor can still choose not to offer the amended contract to Kochel.

The meeting also included passage on first reading of a package of ordinances aimed at limiting influence on government through political contributions. If passed on second reading, the measures could be subject to a mayoral veto and then five council votes would be needed to overturn the veto.

The council will hold another special meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 to conclude its investigation into the expenditure of $20,000 for an Aug. 1, 2010 "town meeting" on gang violence that featured an appearance by The Rev. Al Sharpton. The meeting was advertised in advance and broadcast live on radio station WBLS. The administration declined for a year to explain the payment, leading the council to invoke its subpoena powers under the city's special charter to hold an investigation. A report is expected by December on the council's findings.

--Bernice

Kochel Deal A Limited Treat

Reading City Council Resolution R 367-11 on Halloween was like getting a bunch of assorted Post-It notes in my bag instead of the treat I had hoped for – useful, but not sweet like a handful of Twix Minis.

The resolution calls for Acting City Administrator David Kochel to give the city an additional 100 hours between Nov. 7 and Dec. 21, with an option to be available by phone and/or e-mail through March 31, 2012.

Boo! I was hoping he would stay on maybe for the whole two-year balance of the mayor’s term. Instead, it looks like he will provide support to yet another person who will be in charge of day-to-day operations of the city.

In the mayor’s first term, Carlton McGee and Marc Dashield each served as city administrator. Bibi Taylor served through the first year of the mayor’s second term, notwithstanding an attempt to fire her on Christmas while she was nine months pregnant. Since January 2011, Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson served as acting city administrator for three months, followed by the mayor herself until Kochel came aboard in early May.

The council voted to rewrite the 90-day rule for acting administrators in August so that Kochel could stay until early November. Now, if the council passes R 367-11 at Tuesday’s special meeting, we will have the benefit of Kochel’s expertise for a while longer on a limited basis.

That is the treat. The trick is, who will be the next acting or permanent city administrator that Kochel will help out? Only two years remain in the mayor’s second term. Is there someone in the wings who would consider that “permanent” enough to sign on? Or will the city have a job booth at the League of Municipalities convention to attract a highly-qualified acting city administrator?

Compared to Trenton Mayor Tony Mack’s run of seven business administrators in 15 months, Plainfield doesn’t look all that bad. But add to the mix the many past vacancies in other top jobs and the Queen City doesn’t look very good.

The special meeting is 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 in City Hall Library. Besides the resolution on a new contract for Kochel's services, there is a hearing on amendments to the 2011 six-month transition budget and a resolution to adopt the budget. Any new acting or permanent city administrator will have to deal with the return to a calendar year budget. For the full agenda, click here.

--Bernice