Watson Gains 90 More Days

Eric Watson

When Eric Watson was director of Public Works & Urban Development 20 years ago, he had an assistant director, four superintendents and a complete, in-house engineering division. The staff is thinner now and engineering is outsourced. So when he says there are more people to deal with, he is referring to the many new cab drivers and commuters who rely on the condition of the city's 110 miles of roads and developers who are keeping the land use boards busy with plans for new buildings.

Watson left City Hall in 1995 to become executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority.for the next 16 years. He came back to his former job in acting capacity on Sept. 15, succeeding Eric Jackson, who resigned to became mayor of Trenton in July.

City law allows the mayor to name someone to an acting role for 90 days, after which the individual can serve another 90 days with consent of the governing body, or the mayor can seek confirmation for a permanent term. Mayor Adrian O. Mapp chose the former and Watson will stay on in acting capacity until March 15 after a 4-2 vote at tonight's special meeting. Council members Tracey Brown, Vera Greaves, William Reid and Council President Bridget Rivers voted "yes" on the appointment. Cory Storch and Rebecca Williams voted "no" and Gloria Taylor was absent for the vote.

Besides coping with busy and crowded roads and an estimated 1,000 housing units in the works, Watson says he has his fingers crossed on the weather. Some may recall the winter of 1994, when Mayor Mark Fury and Watson no sooner took office than they had to deal with 17 snowstorms in a row. This year's storms created an inordinate number of potholes and Watson said the department now has new road repair equipment for whatever may come in the next few months.

The department has eight divisions, including Inspections and Recreation, both of which are being revamped. Phil Izzo, who has city roots in the historically Italian East End, is the new director of Inspections and Roni Taylor, most recently a teacher and coach in the Plainfield school district before becoming superintendent of Recreation, are both looking to serve the city's changing 21st Century population. Inspections activities will soon be modernized and correlated with other services. Taylor has already implemented new programs and more up-to-date registration and money-handling practices.

Watson says he is trying to make the department "more user-friendly' for Plainfielders, developers and business owners. Just as he spoke to this writer, a resident in the room called out to thank him for taking care of a tree problem, which made it seem he's on the right track.

--Bernice