"Emergencies" Reflect Clash of Branches

A cracked pipe at the main firehouse and per diems for an engineer were surprise items at Monday's regular City Council meeting,

Councilwoman Diane Toliver began her plea for help "for our brave ones" just after a presentation by Finance Director Ron West. She said after hearing Fire Chief Frank Tidwell mention a cracked pipe during last week's budget deliberations, she visited the firehouse herself. The first thing she noticed was a strong odor of mold and mildew, she said, as a result of an ongoing problem with old pipes.

Toliver asked City Administrator Rick Smiley when he was made aware of the problem and after further remarks from her, Smiley said he was not given information.

"I will look into it," he said.

Toliver had urged repairs at once so the firehouse would not be without heat next winter and wanted the money allocated in the current budget.

"I was appalled," she said. "Our bravest do not discriminate in whose house they go to."

Though compelling, the request seemed out of line with the established process for capital improvements, as mandated by the state Department of Community Affairs. It involves review by both the governing body and the Planning Board and specifically prohibits expenditures that are not in the Capital Improvement Plan. As a freshman member of the council with less than six months' experience, Toliver may not be aware of the process, but it is surprising that Tidwell would apparently not be following it to help solve a chronic plumbing problem.

The other situation also hinged on an emergency, according to Smiley. Council President Bridget Rivers had denied Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's request last Monday to add an item to the agenda, namely hiring of engineers. Rivers asked Smiley to confirm whether, after she expressly denied Mapp's "walk-on" item, an engineer was hired the next day.

Smiley answered that an engineer was hired on a per diem basis to sign off on road openings and PSE&G matters. The utility company is currently upgrading power lines in the city as mandated by the grid operator, PJM. The project received Zoning Board approval in May 2014 and work may continue through 2015.

The city gave up an in-house engineering division several years ago in favor of contracting with an outside firm, most recently Remington & Vernick. But Smiley said, "To date, we don't have an engineer."

Rivers said the per diem engineers "have no grounds to be paid." Rivers and Smiley disagreed whether Remington & Vernick were actually in "holdover" status.

Corporation Counsel Vernita Sias-Hill cut the exchange off by saying it fell under the category of potential litigation and could only be discussed in closed session, whereupon the public was ordered out of the courtroom for about 20 minutes. No more was said on the subject when the council reconvened in public session.

The incident was another in a series where a council majority denies something the administration wants or needs, and the administration then does a work-around to make it happen. In this case, certain actions need sign-off by an engineer.  If the council wants one firm and the administration prefers another and can't get council approval, it's a stand-off. All the city web site says under Engineering is, "Please visit again for updates."

--Bernice

Budget Hearing, Road Repair Bond On Agenda Tonight

Tonight's City Council meeting includes a public hearing on the 2015 budget as it was introduced in April, and a vote on a $4 million bond issue to support road repairs.

The budget process includes requests from city departments and divisions which may be modified by the administration before being handed off to the governing body with budget introduction. The next step is review and possible amendment before another public hearing and final passage. The council is in the midst of talks on the budget, with amendments expected later this month. Tonight's hearing is on the administration's budget as described in the link above, not the final budget after council modifications.

The bond ordinance was the subject of a special meeting on April 27 that fell through for lack of a quorum. One crucial factor is timing on a Community Development Block Grant that, along with state Department of Transportation funds and proceeds of the bond issue will permit repairs of several city roads. If not used before a June 30 deadline, the CDBC funds could be lost.

On May 4, the administration also wanted to add a related item, hiring an engineer for the road work. Council President Bridget Rivers bristled at Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's request to consider adding that and the hiring of a redevelopment specialist, saying there was a firm deadline of noon Wednesday to submit agenda items.

Rivers reminded Mapp of his opposition to "walk-on" additions to the agenda when he was council president. The agenda is set by the council president for discussion at a meeting prior to the regular session at which the council votes on resolutions and ordinances.

"I'm asking my colleagues not to support any walking-on items," Rivers said on May 4. Mapp can pitch to have his requests added tonight as new items, but five of the seven council members must agree to do, and a majority has been inimical to the administration since it took over in January 2014.

Rivers pooh-poohed the need for a redevelopment specialist, saying Economic Director Carlos Sanchez could do the work, Sanchez said the role involved preparation of redevelopment plans.

"I don't think I have the capacity to do that," he said.

In terms of an engineer for road projects, Mapp said, "We do not have an engineer."

Road projects were previously managed by engineer Jackie Foushee of Remington & Vernick, who left the firm to become the first African-American female head of Public Works in Trenton. Foushee had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Plainfield roads and the repair schedule, which apparently is not matched by a successor from the firm.

In the midst of the discussion, Councilwoman Gloria Taylor said, "I have never see a mayor come in and take over a council meeting,"

As Rivers banged her gavel, Taylor asked Corporation Counsel Vernita Sias-Hill to review protocol, but she had been absent briefly with a coughing fit and missed the discussion  City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh then cited the option of adding new items by a two-thirds vote of the council at the regular meeting.

Ciouncilman Cory Storch argued that a mayor has the right to attend council meetings and request additions to the agenda.

"That's a lie," former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs said from the audience as Storch said she had routinely done so.

Councilwoman Rebecca Williams warned that the city could lose an opportunity by not taking action, but Rivers said, "This council will not delay any streets being paved."

Councilwoman Diane Toliver reviewed what she had learned about the road project process as a new member and said, "Every ward is going to have something done this year, based on money."

Rivers went back to confronting Mapp, calling his request "very disrespectful," which Mapp refuted by quoting the city's charter on mayoral rights, but Storch's bid to add the engineering item failed when only he and Williams supported it.

Tonight's meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave. View the May 11 agenda here.

--Bernice

Mother's Day Greetings

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

to all

who nurture

the young

Primary Info from County Clerk

County Clerk Reminds Citizens: Register to Vote by May 12 for Primary Election; New App, “Union County Votes,” Provides Info

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi reminds residents that Tuesday, May 12, is the last day for registering to vote in New Jersey’s upcoming Primary Election.

“With the Primary Election approaching on June 2, the deadline is just days away for first-time voters and new residents in Union County to register to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “To be eligible to vote in the June 2 Primary Election, new voters must be registered by Tuesday, May 12.”

To register to vote or to register an address change, forms are available in every municipality at the office of the municipal clerk. Forms also may be obtained by visiting the County Clerk’s office at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth or at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield, or by visiting the Union County website: www.ucnj.org/county-clerk.

Information about the upcoming Primary Election also can be obtained by using the free new app, “Union County Votes,” which is designed to help Union County residents connect quickly and easily with accurate information about voting and elections. The app is available for Apple and Android devices and it has active hyperlinks, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

“The Union County Votes app enables voters to find their polling place, request voter registration forms and vote-by-mail ballot applications, and view sample ballots,” Ms. Rajoppi added. “The app also provides information for people interested in becoming poll workers or running for office, including election filing dates and district maps.”

The office hours of the Westfield Annex of the County Clerk are 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays;8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Regular office hours in Elizabeth are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Voter registration forms and change of address forms must be received by the Union County Board of Elections, 271 North Broad Street, Elizabeth NJ 07208 no later than Tuesday, May 12, in order to be eligible to vote in the Primary Election on June 2. To qualify to vote, you must be a citizen of the United States and at least 18 years old, not serving a sentence, probation, or parole because of a felony conviction, and a resident of New Jersey and Union County for at least 30 days. For more information about voter registration, please call the Union County Board of Elections at 908-527-4123.

May Flowers

Gone are the March winds and April showers, now we have the May flowers. 
Plainfield is in bloom! Visit a park, take a walk, enjoy the season.

A feathery Tulip

Me and the Redbud Tree I grew from seed

Cherry blossoms

Lilacs

My neighbor and I planted this Lilac bush

several years ago

New flowers for the Police Memorial

--Bernice

Commentary on Budget Talks

If there was any hope that 2015 budget talks would be more collegial than last year's sessions, it was dashed Wednesday night. In remarks that almost seemed scripted at times, councilors and budget committee members skewered the Mapp administration on camera over police and fire items.

Public Safety Director Carl Riley made an impassioned plea for staffing needs of the Police Division, which is being hit hard by a wave of retirements on the mature force. In all, the ranks will be down 14 percent by September, although new recruits are in training to fill the gap eventually. Still, he was able to report a significant decrease in violent crimes and projected an increase in community engagement, with more of the walking patrols that residents clamor for.

Put on the spot by former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Riley had to confirm that Mapp and City Administrator Rick Smiley had new official vehicles purchased with funds transferred out of the police budget to Smiley's office. Smiley had to admit each black Explorer cost $26,000.

Curiously, the issue had not come up at either the 2014 or 2015 annual reorganization, when the council normally authorizes use of city-owned vehicles for top officials. To shed even more light on the it, Robinson-Briggs even read out the license plate numbers on camera  Wednesday.

Fire Chief Frank Tidwell had an even more inflammatory issue when he said an aerial platform truck - the only kind that could fight a six-story blaze - was out of commission. The image of elders trapped in high-rise senior housing was invoked. Two months had passed with no resolution from the Mapp administration, Tidwell said.

In the hair-on-fire reaction to this piece of information, maybe it was lost on some that the truck was purchased in 2007 and was known to be a "lemon" in 2013. The "gotcha" element of the revelation was rather obvious.

Upcoming budget sessions focus on the office of the mayor, economic development, IT & media and the divisions of Health, Purchasing, Public Works, Inspections and Recreation before amendments are formulated. Expect more of the same pre-primary drama which some are enjoying as a political spectacle, but which in terms of stewardship of public money and assets is actually a sorry sight.

--Bernice

Former JC Public Works Director is New PMUA Head

A former Jersey City Public Works director will become the new executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority in mid-June.

Rodney Hadley, currently the Somerville Public Works director, was named at a special PMUA meeting Thursday with Commissioners Henry Robinson, Michelle Graham-Lyons and Chairman Charles Tyndale voting "yes" and Carol Ann Brokaw voting "no." Commissioner Harold Mitchell was not present, as he attending a meeting of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority.

Brokaw said though Hadley was the choice of a majority of the board, he was "not one of our finalists" in the search for a successor to former Executive Director Dan Williamson. Tyndale said, "I find Mr. Hadley's experience to be substantial for the job at hand, and he can steer the authority in the direction it needs to go."

Terms and conditions of Hadley's contract remain to be negotiated.

Hadley began his Jersey City service as a landscape architect in 1983, becoming the director of Parks & Forestry in 1990 and Public Works director in 2009, according to his resume. His retirement coincided with Mayor Steven M. Fulop's taking office in July 2013. He became Somerville's Public Works director in March 2014.

The PMUA board also authorized negotiations with Williamson and former Chief Financial Officer Duane Young on settlements and separation agreements. Both had contracts through June 30, but left office earlier this month. Tyndale was authorized to execute the agreements subject to ratification by the board at a later date.

Interim Executive Director Bryan G. Christiansen, who was just hired on Monday, attended the special meeting Thursday. Brokaw left the dais the speak as a citizen on behalf of herself and her block association, asking Tyndale to explain the vetting process in Christiansen's appointment. Tyndale said Williamson and Young "took it upon themselves" to leave service early with an expected buyout "which left "the leadership of the authority in disarray." He said with the "urgent necessity" to have someone in charge, he and Graham-Lyons made the choice to hire Christiansen  as they were "comfortable with his experience and ability."

Speaking for himself at Tyndale's invitation, Christiansen gave a summary of his more than 30 years' experience with solid waste and sewerage authorities, including the Union County Utilities Authority and most recently the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. He gave numerous examples of savings he effected in his various roles, such as $100 million at the PVSC.

"No one can question my experience," he said.

Brokaw asked him to verify that he was not part of an investigation into the PVSC and that no action was taken by Gov. Chris Christie during his employment.

"The only thing they ever said about me was how much money I made," Christiansen said, alluding to his PVSC salary of more than $313,000.

He said neither of his two successors had wastewater experience, one being a former prosecutor and the other in law enforcement.

The commission also approved authorization of PMUA Purchasing Agent Dollie S. Hamlin as an alternate signatory for authority contracts.

The next regular PMUA meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday (May 12) at 127 Roosevelt Ave.

--Bernice