I made the mistake yesterday of posting a response on my blog to something that Dan posted.
Dan does not post comments, so people brought their reactions over here. I held most of them, but I regret initially putting up one.
With three weeks to go, we are now in the ugly phase of primary campaigning. Call me a tender blossom, but even after 30 years I feel very queasy when the stink bombs are tossed just before an election.
I have seen some extreme tricks in the past. One year, someone paid a quarter to open a newspaper box in front of City Hall, then inserted a scurrilous flyer in each of the newspapers inside. Anyone who legitimately bought a paper saw the flyer. It caused much gossip and also made it seem that the newspaper company was complicit.
Another very bad incident occurred when a local politician took out an ad in the daily newspaper warning of a huge tax increase. A woman who came to a City Council meeting to complain became so distraught that she collapsed and later died. The projected increase later proved to be falsely exaggerated.
I hope people will stick to the issues and not make personal attacks or false claims between now and June 6. Comments along those lines will not be posted. If you agree or disagree with Dan, you can send him your questions or suggestions at plaindan@gmail.com
The primary race will be over soon and so will the decision on chairman of the Democratic City Committee. We may then be free to enjoy the summer before people take up the cudgels for the Nov. 7 general election and school board contest (yes, it was moved from April to November, then back to April and once again back to November).
--Bernice
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
Be Ready To Vote on June 6!
Tuesday, May 16 is the last day to register for the June 6 primary!
Make sure you are registered. If you haven't voted for a while or have changed your address, you need to check your status. The City Clerk's office in City Hall, 515 Watchung Ave. will be open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday for voter registration.
See unioncountyvotes.com for more information.
This primary is very important! Four Democrats want your vote for a four-year mayoral term, One will go on the ballot for the November 7 general election. See mayoral and City Council candidates at the NAACP forum on May 21 or the LWV forum on May 31.
People have died for your right to vote - don't waste it! Take part! We all see what happens when a large number of voters fail to exercise their franchise. Don't let it happen here.
Make sure you are registered. If you haven't voted for a while or have changed your address, you need to check your status. The City Clerk's office in City Hall, 515 Watchung Ave. will be open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday for voter registration.
See unioncountyvotes.com for more information.
This primary is very important! Four Democrats want your vote for a four-year mayoral term, One will go on the ballot for the November 7 general election. See mayoral and City Council candidates at the NAACP forum on May 21 or the LWV forum on May 31.
People have died for your right to vote - don't waste it! Take part! We all see what happens when a large number of voters fail to exercise their franchise. Don't let it happen here.
--Bernice
Sunday, May 14, 2017
A Mother's Day Remembrance
Sometimes when feminists gathered in the 1980s, a meeting would start with naming. A woman would say her own name, then name her mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and so on, Some could go back five generations, but after I said, "I am Bernice, daughter of Jean," I was pretty much out of luck.
My mother was only 9 when her mother died, one of millions who did not survive the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919. Her father married another woman and gave his own four children to a childless relative to raise. As the oldest, my mother was expected to do household chores, The youngest child was only nine months old and knew no other home, but my mother was bitter over her losses for the rest of her life.
She escaped from the small coal-mining town in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania by running away to Philadelphia as a young woman. Much later, she returned as a wife and mother. Her baby sister grew up in the house and in turn took care of the woman who raised her. She married and lived in the same house for the rest of her life. We children loved our summer visits to that house after my mother and her sister reunited.
Maybe because she was taken in as a baby and knew no past life, Aunt Kay was very nurturing, in contrast to my mother's toughness. While my mother tossed my notebooks and artwork when housecleaning, my aunt subscribed to my high school newspaper as a gesture of support for my writing.
Although they enjoyed telling tales about the neighbors and mimicking them, the sisters had little to say about their own family history. In the 1940s and '50s, children went out to play and did not inquire about family secrets. I did know they had recreated themselves, Catherine becoming Kay and Mary Teresa becoming Jean.
My mother saw a parallel in her four children to her siblings. As the oldest, like her, I was expected to do everything right. My sister Jane equated to my mother's less capable sister Helen and got a dollar for every "A" on her report card. My brother Robert and my mother's brother John both escaped the family, Robert joining the Navy and John moving to California, both dying early. My sister Ellen and Aunt Kay were the babies, enough said.
Motherless, growing up in forbearance in a relative's household, my mother developed a cynicism and a sarcastic attitude as an adult. She was a demon shopper, intimidating salesladies into giving her discounts and defying the rules when rationing was in effect. Near the end of her life, when asked in a hospital if she knew where she was, she snapped, "Yeah, Folsom Prison!"
She did her best for the four of us, despite her hard childhood. I think she enjoyed having grandchildren more than raising the lot of us. My son and daughter revere her memory. I also fondly remember Aunt Kay for her encouragement and have to respect Great-Aunt Ellen for raising my mother and her siblings.
On Mothers' Day 2017, let us remember and pay respect to all who raise and nurture children.
My mother was only 9 when her mother died, one of millions who did not survive the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919. Her father married another woman and gave his own four children to a childless relative to raise. As the oldest, my mother was expected to do household chores, The youngest child was only nine months old and knew no other home, but my mother was bitter over her losses for the rest of her life.
She escaped from the small coal-mining town in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania by running away to Philadelphia as a young woman. Much later, she returned as a wife and mother. Her baby sister grew up in the house and in turn took care of the woman who raised her. She married and lived in the same house for the rest of her life. We children loved our summer visits to that house after my mother and her sister reunited.
Maybe because she was taken in as a baby and knew no past life, Aunt Kay was very nurturing, in contrast to my mother's toughness. While my mother tossed my notebooks and artwork when housecleaning, my aunt subscribed to my high school newspaper as a gesture of support for my writing.
Although they enjoyed telling tales about the neighbors and mimicking them, the sisters had little to say about their own family history. In the 1940s and '50s, children went out to play and did not inquire about family secrets. I did know they had recreated themselves, Catherine becoming Kay and Mary Teresa becoming Jean.
My mother saw a parallel in her four children to her siblings. As the oldest, like her, I was expected to do everything right. My sister Jane equated to my mother's less capable sister Helen and got a dollar for every "A" on her report card. My brother Robert and my mother's brother John both escaped the family, Robert joining the Navy and John moving to California, both dying early. My sister Ellen and Aunt Kay were the babies, enough said.
Motherless, growing up in forbearance in a relative's household, my mother developed a cynicism and a sarcastic attitude as an adult. She was a demon shopper, intimidating salesladies into giving her discounts and defying the rules when rationing was in effect. Near the end of her life, when asked in a hospital if she knew where she was, she snapped, "Yeah, Folsom Prison!"
She did her best for the four of us, despite her hard childhood. I think she enjoyed having grandchildren more than raising the lot of us. My son and daughter revere her memory. I also fondly remember Aunt Kay for her encouragement and have to respect Great-Aunt Ellen for raising my mother and her siblings.
On Mothers' Day 2017, let us remember and pay respect to all who raise and nurture children.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
Ramadan Starts This Month
While some Plainfielders will be launching the picnic and grilling season at the end of May, observant Muslims will start a month-long period of fasting.
Ramadan coincides with the Memorial Day weekend in 2017. The date is based on a lunar calendar, not the solar one in general use in United States.
Ramadan begins on the evening of May 26 or as soon as an imam sights the crescent moon, and ends a month later with large gatherings to mark Eid ul-Fitr, Click the links for more information.
--Bernice
Ramadan coincides with the Memorial Day weekend in 2017. The date is based on a lunar calendar, not the solar one in general use in United States.
Ramadan begins on the evening of May 26 or as soon as an imam sights the crescent moon, and ends a month later with large gatherings to mark Eid ul-Fitr, Click the links for more information.
--Bernice
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Update On PMUA Concerns
Lack of a particular designation for the Rock Avenue transfer station should not affect the PMUA's outside contracts, CFO Duane Young said Tuesday.
Young confirmed that the authority does not have a Class C designation to accept grass clippings, but said most of its contracts with other municipalities are for brush and debris that is rated as Class B.
The issue came up at Monday's City Council meeting when Councilwoman Diane Toliver questioned City Administrator Rick Smiley. She said a landscaper told her the PMUA was not accepting grass clippings. When told grass should be cut and the clippings left, she said they would "end up in the street."
Oren K. Dabney, director of the Department of Public Works & Urban Development, said the city may be able to provide bags for the clippings.
Although the city and the authority are separate entities, Councilman Cory Storch commented that he was glad that the city was looking for a solution.
(Having covered the PMUA since its inception, my concern was over the authority's possible loss of revenues from outside contracts with nearby communities, a longtime goal that was only realized in recent years. I am glad to report that it will not affect the contracts.)
The council will also seek a joint meeting with the PMUA to discuss mutual concerns. Click to see a report on the May 2016 joint City Council/PMUA meeting.
Young confirmed that the authority does not have a Class C designation to accept grass clippings, but said most of its contracts with other municipalities are for brush and debris that is rated as Class B.
The issue came up at Monday's City Council meeting when Councilwoman Diane Toliver questioned City Administrator Rick Smiley. She said a landscaper told her the PMUA was not accepting grass clippings. When told grass should be cut and the clippings left, she said they would "end up in the street."
Oren K. Dabney, director of the Department of Public Works & Urban Development, said the city may be able to provide bags for the clippings.
Although the city and the authority are separate entities, Councilman Cory Storch commented that he was glad that the city was looking for a solution.
(Having covered the PMUA since its inception, my concern was over the authority's possible loss of revenues from outside contracts with nearby communities, a longtime goal that was only realized in recent years. I am glad to report that it will not affect the contracts.)
The council will also seek a joint meeting with the PMUA to discuss mutual concerns. Click to see a report on the May 2016 joint City Council/PMUA meeting.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
City Clerk's Office Extends Hours on May 16
The last day to register to vote in the June 6 primary will be a long day for the City Clerk's office. To accommodate last-minute registrants, the office will be open on May 16 from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh's office is on the first floor of City Hall at 515 Watchung Avenue. You can get a voter registration form or absentee ballot from the city website, just make sure you fill it out and submit it by the deadline.
Another great resource for voters is Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi's "Union County Votes" page with many useful links.
The June 6 primary is just four weeks away, so inform yourself on the candidates. Locally, candidates for mayor and City Council are on the ballot. There is a race for governor and also some freeholder seats to fill, as well as 68 Democratic City Committee seats.
Regarding the latter, one voting district (Ward 2, District 6) ended up with no one on the ballot. If you live in the 2-6, you can write in Peter Price if you wish. Or Jerry Green, if you wish. Hey, just trying to be nonpartisan even though both are Democrats. You can look up the backstory on the blog.
Here's my candidate for official flower of the campaign season. It's called "Honesty."
--Bernice
City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh's office is on the first floor of City Hall at 515 Watchung Avenue. You can get a voter registration form or absentee ballot from the city website, just make sure you fill it out and submit it by the deadline.
Another great resource for voters is Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi's "Union County Votes" page with many useful links.
The June 6 primary is just four weeks away, so inform yourself on the candidates. Locally, candidates for mayor and City Council are on the ballot. There is a race for governor and also some freeholder seats to fill, as well as 68 Democratic City Committee seats.
Regarding the latter, one voting district (Ward 2, District 6) ended up with no one on the ballot. If you live in the 2-6, you can write in Peter Price if you wish. Or Jerry Green, if you wish. Hey, just trying to be nonpartisan even though both are Democrats. You can look up the backstory on the blog.
--Bernice
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