Friday, July 10, 2015

Daniel Mejias Is New PMUA Director


The new executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority claims 20 years' experience in the solid waste industry and said Thursday he was hired "to bring efficiency back to the transfer station."

Daniel Mejias was unanimously approved to lead the authority starting July 27, at a salary of $145,000 for a term of up to three years, subject to completion of a background check. Although he was present Thursday, he was not asked to speak after the vote. Asked after the meeting about his background, he said he had been employed in the private sector of solid waste management.
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The transfer station on Rock Avenue (above, click to enlarge) is the hub of the authority's solid waste and recycling activities, both for the city and an increasing number of outside municipalities. Some categories of waste are sent to other locations for final disposal and household garbage is transported to a Union County Utilities Authority waste-to-energy plant. The transfer station's DEP permit expires in October, Acting Executive Director Bryan Christiansen said, and the authority will be preparing for it in coming months.

Another item on the agenda was correspondence to Mayor Adrian O. Mapp regarding the Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority. The city lost its only representative on PARSA when Commissioner Harold Mitchell was replaced by Jacinth Clayton-Hunt in June. Representation on PARSA is important because sewerage from Plainfield and seven other municipalities travels through PARSA's system on the way to final treatment by the Middlesex County Utilities Authority. A large part of the PMUA budget consists of PARSA fees.

Plainfield's Municipal Code allows for a representative and one or two alternates. Mitchell was an alternate. The last regular member was David Ervin, who stayed on until his term expired on Jan. 31, 2015, even though he had left the PMUA as assistant executive director in 2011.

Sec. 3:34-3.  Membership.


    The Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority shall consist of eight (8) members, one of which shall be appointed by resolution of the governing body of each of said municipalities, in accordance with the provisions of said Sewerage Authorities Law, with such resolution being filed with the Secretary of State of New Jersey. Each of the municipalities may additionally appoint one (1) or two (2) individuals to serve as an alternate during the absence or disqualification of such municipality's regular member, pursuant to the provisions of said Sewerage Authorities Law, with the first alternate to be designated as Alternate No. 1 and the second alternate, if appointed, to be designated as Alternate No. 2.
(MC 1995-11, § III, April 17, 1995.)

The City Council's next agenda session is Monday and the regular meeting is July 20. If any problems with the nomination process can be worked out, a representative could be nominated for approval by the governing body this month.

--Bernice

4 comments:

  1. Efficiency is code for layoffs.

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    1. With a new director there will be more of his cronies added to the payroll which means an increase in our rate. You can forget about efficency especially the board and the council will not any of their friends to be laid off

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  2. Good luck to Mr. Mejias. There is a great deal to be done at PMUA, both on the operational side, and in its financial and contractual relationship with the City.

    A new Inter Local Agreement is a necessity because, as far as solid waste is concerned, the original wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Taxpayers, ratepayers, and bondholders were defrauded by the secret elimination of the Solid Waste lease, that also gutted the agreement of reporting requirements and other aspects of transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, the City has been passing off the Sewer lease as revenue sharing, when in fact not a penny of revenue sharing has ever been paid.

    Some of the work to be done will require the lawyers on both sides of the coin. Now that David Minchello is back as the City's Corporation Counsel (I'm assuming this won't be temporary), there is a conflict of interest, as he and PMUA's General Counsel are partners in the DeCotis Fitzpatrick law firm. Regardless of their capabilities, this is not a tenable situation for hammering out a new deal or handling any other legal issues that arise between the two parties.

    As for the PARSA representative, the Inter Local Agreement currently limits the selection to the PMUA's Executive Director or a board commissioner. This can be changed by a parallel amendment of both governing bodies, but in the interim the City Council will provide advice and consent to the Mayor's nominee. Although
    his hands may be full in his new position, the newly appointed Mr. Mejias is the logical choice. The knowledge base, experience, and/or veracity of the current board is still in question.

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  3. They need to start in the office and hire some staff that does not sit at a desk telling customers that all reps are busy with other customers when there is no body in the office I tried calling that office on several occasion to be told that line so I went there one day and called from outside and went there was no one waiting .But this is where our money goes sad and disturbing .

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