The July 28 special City Council meeting was the first to be recorded by the city's new videography service. The 8 p.m. meeting was not open to the public for two hours, but the videographer showed up on time, and can legitimately bill the city for those two hours plus the one hour or so in open session - $300.
The Courier News slide show on the Aug. 1 town hall meeting captured an image of the videographer at work for another three-hour stint. Ka-ching! $600 total within a few days.
Previously, the city had an employee who manned the camera at meetings and public events since 2006, until his recent layoff. Looking at his 2006 salary and assuming some increase over four years, his hourly compensation was only about $30 per hour.
The new situation raises several concerns. The contract, as approved by the City Council on July 19, is "not to exceed $30,000." Yet, at these increments, it will take only 300 hours, or less than six hours per week, to exhaust that amount.
The previous videographer often covered events such as concerts and parades that spanned many hours and also did community interviews for segments on cable programming. Add to that public meetings and the tally grows.
Another concern is who assigns the videographer to cover events. If it is the mayor's office, where is the departmental oversight? All city functions are supposed to fall under three departments mandated by the city's special charter, but the mayor has stated that media will be solely under her purview.
The layoff of the fulltime employee was supposed to result in saving money. Of course, an employee costs the employer in benefits, but if the rate of compensation just about triples, does hiring a consultant bring any savings?
It may take several months to track the comparisons, but Plaintalker hopes readers (and especially the Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee) will look into the actual cost savings in this new arrangement.
--Bernice Paglia
Monday, August 2, 2010
Impressions of Sunday's Forum
This is not a full story on Sunday's "Call to Action" forum, just some impressions from the first hour and a half.
First off, the forum began in the time slot of Imhotep Gary Byrd's WBLS show, "Express Yourself." Byrd is a well-known radio personality and also has a show on WBAI, "The Global Beat Experience." Why his involvement was not mentioned in publicity last week is unknown, but surely is somewhat of a lapse.
Byrd hailed Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs as "a courageous sister" and added, "She's what we call a 'warrior sister.' "
He noted the reason for the call to action as the problem of gun violence and said that even as the program was being discussed, there had been a shooting incident in Harlem. Byrd mentioned a Monmouth County "Guns for Cash" program to get guns off the street.
Plainfield has had a rash of shootings since May.
The mayor said forum topics would include gang-related activity, affordable housing, foreclosure assistance, education, mentoring, and employment and lauded the recently formed "Taking Back the Streets" task force in Plainfield.
Byrd said there had been some objections to the program's announced focus on shootings, especially from the real estate community, as people felt it wrong to air "dirty laundry." But Robinson-Briggs noted wide coverage already of the issue, with panels and numerous newspaper articles on the shootings. She said the city worked very hard in 2009 to reduce crime, but suddenly this year there was a spike in shootings in the "West Ward."
She repeated advice given at a May 3 panel, which was to check bedrooms and backpacks of young family members for guns or signs of gang activity.
Byrd, noting keynote speaker Rev. Al Sharpton was on his way to Plainfield, said, "What we're saying is, let's network the community. Let's go back to a time when you actually knew who was living next to you."
Byrd said people came out "10,000 strong" for peace in Newark's West Ward.
After a break, Byrd said Sharpton would appear in the "7 o'clock hour" of the forum.
Next came a long list of panelists, including Salaam Ismial of United Youth Council, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, Bro. Lonnie of Nation of Islam Mosque No. 80, a representative of the ShotSpotter company that sells gunshot detecting equipment, local police officers and Union County Freeholder Nancy Ward. Robinson-Briggs mentioned she is the first female African-American mayor in Plainfield and is in her second term.
Both Smith and Bowser spoke in favor of the gunshot detection system. Smith mentioned the Weed and Seed program and also Ceasefire, both of which have been tried in Plainfield. The latter, which calls for investigating every shooting incident as if it were a homicide, fell to budget cuts and is no longer operating in Plainfield.
Advice such as "talk to kids" was given, also to form prisoner re-entry programs and to do community outreach. Bowswer said he went to Australia to learn how crime was reduced by 75 percent there over the last five years.
After another break, the program resumed with more general comments on crime reduction and a call for community involvement from Sgt. Kenny Reid, a former mayoral bodyguard.
People's Organization for Progress leader Larry Hamm also called for more community involvement.
By now, the program was well into the 7 o'clock hour with no sign of Sharpton. After another break, Bro. Lonnie spoke about supporting the youth in the community and the mayor talked about a job training program led by Debbie Myers.
I got as far as opening remarks from Congressman Frank Pallone after 7:30 p.m. and then, as I was listening in bed to the show on my big purple boombox, I dozed off. Maybe someone can fill in the rest.
Still to come were remarks from Sharpton and responses from audience members, who had been given cards to write on. The show was billed to air from 6 to 9 p.m. and by the mid-point, all I had heard was mostly speechifying. I'm sure Sharpton, if he actually showed, gave the best speech, as he can always out-orate anyone in the room.
I would have liked to hear more concrete information on how things are going with the task force, which has been meeting every Tuesday and visiting troubled neighborhoods. Are people responding? Are neighbors willing to defy the "stop snitching" mandate of gang leaders and cooperate with police? At the May 3 panel, it came out in the wash that police and community figures generally know who's who and what's what on the street, but can't get witnesses to testify in court. Gang members live by their code and residents do not want to risk being labeled snitches. It appears that only the dangerous stratagem of intense undercover work might yield enough solid information to pit the law against gang culture.
This is not to make less of the small increments of trust garnered by those who appeal to youth to forego gangs and gun violence. These one-on-one heartfelt appeals can turn young people away from crime, especially if they include an offer of longterm support for the individual's escape to a better life.
Plaintalker welcomes any comments on the forum or on the issue of gun violence.
--Bernice Paglia
First off, the forum began in the time slot of Imhotep Gary Byrd's WBLS show, "Express Yourself." Byrd is a well-known radio personality and also has a show on WBAI, "The Global Beat Experience." Why his involvement was not mentioned in publicity last week is unknown, but surely is somewhat of a lapse.
Byrd hailed Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs as "a courageous sister" and added, "She's what we call a 'warrior sister.' "
He noted the reason for the call to action as the problem of gun violence and said that even as the program was being discussed, there had been a shooting incident in Harlem. Byrd mentioned a Monmouth County "Guns for Cash" program to get guns off the street.
Plainfield has had a rash of shootings since May.
The mayor said forum topics would include gang-related activity, affordable housing, foreclosure assistance, education, mentoring, and employment and lauded the recently formed "Taking Back the Streets" task force in Plainfield.
Byrd said there had been some objections to the program's announced focus on shootings, especially from the real estate community, as people felt it wrong to air "dirty laundry." But Robinson-Briggs noted wide coverage already of the issue, with panels and numerous newspaper articles on the shootings. She said the city worked very hard in 2009 to reduce crime, but suddenly this year there was a spike in shootings in the "West Ward."
She repeated advice given at a May 3 panel, which was to check bedrooms and backpacks of young family members for guns or signs of gang activity.
Byrd, noting keynote speaker Rev. Al Sharpton was on his way to Plainfield, said, "What we're saying is, let's network the community. Let's go back to a time when you actually knew who was living next to you."
Byrd said people came out "10,000 strong" for peace in Newark's West Ward.
After a break, Byrd said Sharpton would appear in the "7 o'clock hour" of the forum.
Next came a long list of panelists, including Salaam Ismial of United Youth Council, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, Bro. Lonnie of Nation of Islam Mosque No. 80, a representative of the ShotSpotter company that sells gunshot detecting equipment, local police officers and Union County Freeholder Nancy Ward. Robinson-Briggs mentioned she is the first female African-American mayor in Plainfield and is in her second term.
Both Smith and Bowser spoke in favor of the gunshot detection system. Smith mentioned the Weed and Seed program and also Ceasefire, both of which have been tried in Plainfield. The latter, which calls for investigating every shooting incident as if it were a homicide, fell to budget cuts and is no longer operating in Plainfield.
Advice such as "talk to kids" was given, also to form prisoner re-entry programs and to do community outreach. Bowswer said he went to Australia to learn how crime was reduced by 75 percent there over the last five years.
After another break, the program resumed with more general comments on crime reduction and a call for community involvement from Sgt. Kenny Reid, a former mayoral bodyguard.
People's Organization for Progress leader Larry Hamm also called for more community involvement.
By now, the program was well into the 7 o'clock hour with no sign of Sharpton. After another break, Bro. Lonnie spoke about supporting the youth in the community and the mayor talked about a job training program led by Debbie Myers.
I got as far as opening remarks from Congressman Frank Pallone after 7:30 p.m. and then, as I was listening in bed to the show on my big purple boombox, I dozed off. Maybe someone can fill in the rest.
Still to come were remarks from Sharpton and responses from audience members, who had been given cards to write on. The show was billed to air from 6 to 9 p.m. and by the mid-point, all I had heard was mostly speechifying. I'm sure Sharpton, if he actually showed, gave the best speech, as he can always out-orate anyone in the room.
I would have liked to hear more concrete information on how things are going with the task force, which has been meeting every Tuesday and visiting troubled neighborhoods. Are people responding? Are neighbors willing to defy the "stop snitching" mandate of gang leaders and cooperate with police? At the May 3 panel, it came out in the wash that police and community figures generally know who's who and what's what on the street, but can't get witnesses to testify in court. Gang members live by their code and residents do not want to risk being labeled snitches. It appears that only the dangerous stratagem of intense undercover work might yield enough solid information to pit the law against gang culture.
This is not to make less of the small increments of trust garnered by those who appeal to youth to forego gangs and gun violence. These one-on-one heartfelt appeals can turn young people away from crime, especially if they include an offer of longterm support for the individual's escape to a better life.
Plaintalker welcomes any comments on the forum or on the issue of gun violence.
--Bernice Paglia
Saturday, July 31, 2010
My Little Redbud Tree
Intrigued for decades by the purple-pink flowers of the Redbud tree, which appear before the leaves, I was entranced to find a whole bunch of them on Cleveland Avenue.
The seed pods were very tempting and I finally collected a few.
Over the winter, I followed the rather arcane directions on how to propagate the seeds: "Dip in boiling water, hop on one foot while singing the national anthem and mumble an incantation while planting."
Ooops, just fooling except for the boiling water part.
I got four sprouts and guarded them from the cat, who had developed a fondness for knocking over anything on the propagating shelf on the porch.
Started in vermiculite, they grew nicely, but then I realized there was no nutrition in the medium. So outside they went, in compost-filled pots.
One is doing very well (see above) and maybe in 15 years I will actually have a tree (if I am still on the planet).
Not one for longterm plans, I tend to deal more with annuals in the garden. But for the Redbud tree, I will ignore my familial lack of longevity and keep my hopes high.
--Bernice
Seven Years Later
Tomorrow will mark seven years since I retired from the Courier News.For the past five years, I have been blogging about Plainfield.
Many things have changed during these years. Four people have worked the Plainfield beat for the newspaper since 2003. The local blogosphere has exploded since 2005 to include more than 20 bloggers. People have gone from asking, "What's a blog?" to becoming used to receiving both hyperlocal and mainstream news online.
Some things, however, have been slow to change. There is probably a 10-year file on the topic of security cameras downtown. The city has yet to make effective use of online communication. Development, one of the issues that prompted the launch of Plainfield Plaintalker, has been stalled due to the economy and there is little to report.
Plainfield is currently beset by turmoil in the school district, an impasse between the City council and the administration over fiscal management and a dark cloud of gang violence hanging over the community. Sometimes good news is hard to find.
Still, there does seem to be a more energetic engagement by residents in community affairs, if only to comment on how things are going or to suggest possible new directions.
Certainly in 2003 I never could have imagined the changes that have come about, especially becoming a blogger. Thanks to all who read the blog, and keep those comments coming!
--Bernice
Friday, July 30, 2010
On Press Releases
Take a look at the link to "Press Releases" on the city web site and you will see five for this year, between March 29 and May 17. Before that, the latest one is from March 24, 2009.
It's hard to believe that the public information function is still rudimentary after four and a half years of this administration. It is equally puzzling that the web site is so confusingly laid out. I wish I had known to look for the press release on the Hispanic Affairs commission in May. It would have been evident that it is heavily skewed toward one organization.
So now a panel discussion is imminent on a topic of great importance to the city and all we know is that The Rev. Al Sharpton will speak. Sharpton is certainly a larger-than-life personality, but can he approximate a panel?
Other things are going on that would warrant a press release, but we are left in the dark. What is the program for National Night Out? Will it be a continuation of the Tuesday night bus rides to troubled neighborhoods to counter gun violence? Or hot dogs al fresco in the City Hall parking lot?
One hopes that among the many tasks on Chris Payne's list as IT director, an overhaul of the cumbersome and confusing city web site will soon be near the top. And perhaps there is someone on board among the city's several hundred employees who could spare a few minutes to put together a press release when one is needed. The 25-words-or-less flashing gizmo is not cutting it.
--Bernice Paglia
It's hard to believe that the public information function is still rudimentary after four and a half years of this administration. It is equally puzzling that the web site is so confusingly laid out. I wish I had known to look for the press release on the Hispanic Affairs commission in May. It would have been evident that it is heavily skewed toward one organization.
So now a panel discussion is imminent on a topic of great importance to the city and all we know is that The Rev. Al Sharpton will speak. Sharpton is certainly a larger-than-life personality, but can he approximate a panel?
Other things are going on that would warrant a press release, but we are left in the dark. What is the program for National Night Out? Will it be a continuation of the Tuesday night bus rides to troubled neighborhoods to counter gun violence? Or hot dogs al fresco in the City Hall parking lot?
One hopes that among the many tasks on Chris Payne's list as IT director, an overhaul of the cumbersome and confusing city web site will soon be near the top. And perhaps there is someone on board among the city's several hundred employees who could spare a few minutes to put together a press release when one is needed. The 25-words-or-less flashing gizmo is not cutting it.
--Bernice Paglia
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Key Posts Remain Unfilled
City Council action on two crucial cabinet posts fell through at Wednesday's special meeting.
The administration withdrew a resolution for council advice and consent to a director of the Department of Administration, Finance, Health & Social Services. City Administrator Bibi Taylor said the unnamed candidate is "still deliberating" the offer. The post has been unfilled since Jan. 31.
The governing body spent more than two hours in closed session, some of it with William I. Scherer, candidate for the post of certified municipal finance officer. But after the meeting opened, the council voted to table the resolution to appoint Scherer, a former councilman and mayor of Manalapan who has CMFO certification but no experience as one. Scherer was named manager of the Freehold Motor Vehicle Commission agency in 2003 and still held the title last year, according to public records.
Council President Annie McWilliams said the city needs someone with experience, "not that we need a body in place."
McWilliams said someone is needed who can train employees, put financial processes in place and "clean up some of the issues we have" in Audit & Control. The city has not had a permanent CMFO since Peter Sepelya retired at the end of 2007 and recent audit findings have pointed to the need for better fiscal management.
The city has been under a state order to appoint a CMFO since October 2009, but has received three 90-day extensions for a search. Meeting on the July 19 deadline for the third extension, the council agreed to ask the state Division of Local Government Services to appoint someone, a move that drew strong objections from the administration.
It was just at the point of a vote on the resolution for state intercession July 19 that the administration said a candidate had been found. The council then passed the resolution with the understanding that it would become null and void if an appointment was made at Wednesday's special meeting.
Just as a similar resolution urging action on filling the AFH&SS directorship was up for a vote on July 19, the administration asked for its withdrawal, saying an offer was being made to a candidate.
Corporation Dan Williamson, who has been communicating with the state DLGS, said Wednesday he will inform officials of the ongoing process. If the council rejects Scherer, the city will have to request a further extension, he said.
In public comment, resident James Pivnichny objected to having a resolution on the agenda with no candidate's name.
"Is this the way Plainfield should be doing business? I hope not," he said.
A former Republican mayoral candidate and presently the GOP candidate for the Second & Third Ward City Council seat, Pivnichny said, "Obviously the mayor is engaging in delaying tactics."
McWilliams said neither the council nor the city clerk's office had received the name of the candidate for the directorship.
Dr. Harold Yood asked what the effect of tabling would be on the CMFO resolution and McWilliams replied, "The resolution clearly states that if no action is taken, it goes to the state."
She added the decision to table was based on a desire to put someone in place, but the council not having all the information to do so.
Councilman William Reid voted "no" to table the resolution and said after the meeting he felt the matter could have been resolved that night. Reid said he felt Scherer had enough experience to do the job.
The council meets next for an agenda session on Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m. in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave. Its regular meeting will be 8 p.m. Aug. 16 in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice Paglia
The administration withdrew a resolution for council advice and consent to a director of the Department of Administration, Finance, Health & Social Services. City Administrator Bibi Taylor said the unnamed candidate is "still deliberating" the offer. The post has been unfilled since Jan. 31.
The governing body spent more than two hours in closed session, some of it with William I. Scherer, candidate for the post of certified municipal finance officer. But after the meeting opened, the council voted to table the resolution to appoint Scherer, a former councilman and mayor of Manalapan who has CMFO certification but no experience as one. Scherer was named manager of the Freehold Motor Vehicle Commission agency in 2003 and still held the title last year, according to public records.
Council President Annie McWilliams said the city needs someone with experience, "not that we need a body in place."
McWilliams said someone is needed who can train employees, put financial processes in place and "clean up some of the issues we have" in Audit & Control. The city has not had a permanent CMFO since Peter Sepelya retired at the end of 2007 and recent audit findings have pointed to the need for better fiscal management.
The city has been under a state order to appoint a CMFO since October 2009, but has received three 90-day extensions for a search. Meeting on the July 19 deadline for the third extension, the council agreed to ask the state Division of Local Government Services to appoint someone, a move that drew strong objections from the administration.
It was just at the point of a vote on the resolution for state intercession July 19 that the administration said a candidate had been found. The council then passed the resolution with the understanding that it would become null and void if an appointment was made at Wednesday's special meeting.
Just as a similar resolution urging action on filling the AFH&SS directorship was up for a vote on July 19, the administration asked for its withdrawal, saying an offer was being made to a candidate.
Corporation Dan Williamson, who has been communicating with the state DLGS, said Wednesday he will inform officials of the ongoing process. If the council rejects Scherer, the city will have to request a further extension, he said.
In public comment, resident James Pivnichny objected to having a resolution on the agenda with no candidate's name.
"Is this the way Plainfield should be doing business? I hope not," he said.
A former Republican mayoral candidate and presently the GOP candidate for the Second & Third Ward City Council seat, Pivnichny said, "Obviously the mayor is engaging in delaying tactics."
McWilliams said neither the council nor the city clerk's office had received the name of the candidate for the directorship.
Dr. Harold Yood asked what the effect of tabling would be on the CMFO resolution and McWilliams replied, "The resolution clearly states that if no action is taken, it goes to the state."
She added the decision to table was based on a desire to put someone in place, but the council not having all the information to do so.
Councilman William Reid voted "no" to table the resolution and said after the meeting he felt the matter could have been resolved that night. Reid said he felt Scherer had enough experience to do the job.
The council meets next for an agenda session on Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m. in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave. Its regular meeting will be 8 p.m. Aug. 16 in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice Paglia
Masjidullah Celebrates Re-Opening
A mosque described as an integral part of the city and especially the West End for decades will hold a grand reopening Friday after $200,000 in renovations.Imam Khalil Abdul-Aziz, board president of Masjidullah, will lead a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon on Grant Avenue between West Third and Fourth streets. The event is open to the public. It will include a history of Masjidullah, details of the renovation project, remarks by masjid leaders and local dignitaries and a viewing of the masjid’s interior.
The mosque has been located at 321 Grant Avenue since 1969.
Imam Abdul-Wali Muhammad, the community’s leader for more than 30 years and only the third to serve in 41 years, said Wednesday the renovations, including turrets and pediments and a new stucco exterior, give the building a more Islamic look outside.
Inside, he said, “It’s much more attractive than it used to be. It means a nice environment (that) enhances operations.
“It’s been a long time in coming,” he said.
The building now also has new windows and doors and a new foyer. Carpeting, ceiling tiles and fans, wall treatments and a podium are also new, board member Siddeeq El-Amin said.
The building was once a hardware store and became home to the first local temple founded by members of the Nation of Islam. After the Hon. Elijah Muhammad passed away in February 1975, his son, Minister Wallace Muhammad was elected to be leader of the community.
According to a brief history of Masjidullah, “As Imam Warith Deen Mohammed transformed the community from the Nation of Islam to a community that practiced the religion of Al-Islam, the guidance of the Holy Qur’an, and the life of the Prophet Mohammed Ibn Abdullah, the Plainfield community continued to support the leadership of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.”
Nowadays, Friday services at the masjid attract about 150 men and 20 to 25 women, El-Amin said. Imam Abdul-Wali Muhammad said both observant Plainfielders and those from Islamic homelands around the world attend the prayer services. The masjid also offers classes in Arabic, Islamic and Quranic Studies and an after-school program. In addition, for 15 years it has operated a Muslim Community Soup Kitchen that is open to the public.
The grand re-opening comes as the Islamic observation of Ramadan fasting approaches, starting on August 11 and ending with a celebration on Sept. 10 to mark the end of fasting.
--Bernice Paglia
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