PMUA Chairman Charles Tyndale and Commissioners Henry Robinson and Michelle Graham-Lyons voted "yes" to hire Bryan G. Christiansen of The Moorings Group as interim director, while Commissioners Carol Ann Brokaw and Harold Mitchell voted "no."
Brokaw said for such a short time, the authority should just use someone on staff. In public comment, resident Alan Goldstein said after 20 years, it seemed to him the authority should have "some depth on the bench" and could have someone on the staff serve for six weeks. Tyndale responded that the depth of the executive staff "does not encompass someone with knowledge" of sewer and solid waste issues.
"That's why you have staff," Mitchell said, adding whenever sewer or solid waste questions come up, "You have people here. They can stand up and give you an answer."
Besides his $125 hourly rate, Christiansen will also be reimbursed for "out-of-pocket" expenses, such as travel costs.
All five approved naming Brokaw and Robinson as signatories, with Brokaw designated to sign for payroll, wire transfers and purchase orders.
The need for an interim director and signatories came up due to the departure of Executive Director Dan Williamson, whose three-year contract was due to end on June 30, and Chief Financial Officer Duane Young. The PMUA board's membership changed in February and in March Chairman Charles Tyndale announced a search for the positions of executive director and CFO.
A search online Monday night turned up The Moorings Group at the home address in Edgewater for Bryan J. Christiansen, a former mayor there and also formerly executive director of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission until he was removed by Gov. Chris Christie.
The PMUA web site had a notice for the special meeting Friday and it was published Monday in the Courier News. Commissioners emerged from the 6 p.m. closed session after nearly an hour of discussion. The public portion was conducted by attorney Frank. J. Borin of DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole in the absence of longtime PMUA attorney Leslie London of McManimon & Scotland. The authority's next meeting is 6 p.m. on May 12 at 127 Roosevelt Avenue, unless rescheduled.
--Bernice
Isn't that the authority there gad severe mismanagement problems and this gentleman was the director? If this is the one, we are off to a great start. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat people are failing to realize is that this authority is once again being run by Eric Watson. He is working through Henry Robinson. Plainfield is in trouble. Dan Williamson may not have been a great executive director but one thing was for sure he did not let Eric Watson run the PMUA
ReplyDeleteThe connection you write of may explain how the Mapp administration landed upon Yates Real Estate for the March 21st demolition on North Avenue. Searching for demolition contractors in the Yellow Pages doesn't explain it.
DeleteAlan you are exactly right. Henry Robinson is the VP of Yates and Eric Watson best friend. That is why he is on the PMUA board and got the contract for Yates. There really needs to be an investigation. They are using our tax dollars for their benefit. We must watch the contracts that are given out at the pmua even closer now that Watson is still technically there. If you think the pmua was bad before, watch what happens next.
DeleteIt doesn't instill confidence in the system when staff is so compartmentalized that no one else on the payroll is capable of temporarily or permanently picking up the slack. As with the City's choice of former PMUA Executive Director Eric Watson to head Public Works and Urban Development, and the subsequent North Avenue Demolition Derby, a tarnished track record too often leads to a tainted future. Mr. Christiansen has apparently come to PMUA on the advisement of DeCotis FitzPatrick's Mr. Borin. It was the DeCotis law firm that was instrumental in peddling solar panel projects to four New Jersey counties and their various municipalities, all of which ended in bankruptcies due to poor planning and mismanagement. Although PMUA has been ripe for change, I'm concerned that it may have now jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I question whether reform and lower rates will come from associating with the purveyors of Big Government who collect municipal contracts by the ton.
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:28 you are 100 percent correct
ReplyDeleteThis new guy is the king of patronage he's perfect for mapps elitist agenda!!!
ReplyDeleteERIC WATSON IS THE MASTER MIND BEHIND ALL OF THESE CHANGES. WHATS SO UPSETTING IS HE'S HIDING BEHIND EVERYONE SAYING ITS NOT HIM. WHY DON'T HE STEP UP LIKE A MAN AND LET MR. WILLIAMSON KNOW WHATS REALLY GOING ON. TIME HAVE ALREADY SHOWN IT'S HAND.
ReplyDeleteChristiansen had over 90 people on the Passaic Valley Sewage Authority, which he headed, that made over $100,000 a year. His own salary was $330,000. He has been accused of being complicit with, and the amanuensis of, a host of politicians who apparently used this Authority as a bonanza for the wanton dispensing of patronage. Mr. Williamson may not have had fire in his belly but he was by all appearances honest. What monumental decisions have to be made within the next six weeks that it is necessary to pay Christiansen, or anyone, $15K to baby sit the organization? Is the PMUA so fragile that the19 years of organizational structure is so fragile that it does not have enough inertia to carry it through 6 weeks?. Please remember, Williamson had 4 weeks vacation. From memory he also had 5 personal days, 8 sick days, plus 12 City holidays. He was hardly there anyway. Commissioner Robinson's resume states that he is a Vice President and Investor in Yates Realty. Yates, a Realty Company, who recently enlarged their scope and became a Demolition Contractor, was awarded their first demolition contract for a job on North Avenue, here in Plainfield, by Mr. Watson. Clearly Mr. Watson and Mr. Yates are good buddies. But, does Mr. Robinson really have sway over Tyndale and Graham-Lyons? I don't know. The real barometer of where the PMIUA is going, if anywhere, will be revealed when we see who is selected as the next permanent Director. Whether he proves to be a good man remains to be seen. But there is one certain, he will be one hell of a good Democrat.
ReplyDeleteThere is a song my grandmother used to sing. Most of you are probably too young to have heard. It pans the 150 year Democratic hegemony in New York City.
It goes back the 1800's and was sung into the mid twentieth century. It went:
Tammany. Tammany,
Big Chief sits in his tepee,
Cheering Braves to victory, Wampum, Wampum
Get the wampum, Tammany. Bill Kruse
at least with the Plainfield Democrats you can count on one thing.. it's corrupt or corrupt lite... Definitely not a town where what you know is what counts.
ReplyDeleteWe don.t know what Mr. Christiansen knew about primary, secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage. Nor do we know what he knew about sewage plant mechanics. We certainly don't know what he knows about the collection of solid waste. What we do know is that he has extraordinary talent in the field of "hiring"
ReplyDeleteAudit the "out of pocket expenses". The devil is in the details.
ReplyDelete