The discussion was quite brief, with Rivers saying she thinks the governing body has enough money in its budget to cover a newsletter that would "let the wards know what we are doing." It could also be used to announce ward forums, she said.
Councilman Cory Storch suggested that two or three council members should be asked to come back with ideas on the format, such as whether the newsletter would be monthly or quarterly. He said perhaps the corporation counsel could help with the public contract side (if the council hired someone to produce a newsletter).
Mayor Adrian O. Mapp publishes a weekly online newsletter. In talks related to the 2015 budget, Rivers and others questioned who was putting it together. The suspicion was that a grants coordinator was doing it, but the administration said the mayor's chief of staff produced it.
Some background:
The council has two budget lines, salary & wages and other expenses. The salary line is $63,000, representing $9,000 annually for each council member. It had been $10,000 a year, but the council took a cut one difficult year to show solidarity with taxpayers. The expenses line was $45,500 for 2015. It was $35,000 in 2014 and $33,500.45 was spent. According to the 2014 budget statement, it was $75,000 in 2013, but only $26,094.91 was charged.
In past years, the expense money was used for such items as travel and conferences. Council members submitted proof of expenses and the council president signed off on them. I don't know whether that is still the procedure. The available balance would have to be determined, and upcoming costs such as the League of Municipalities Conference and the Black Issues Conference factored in.
Some considerations:
As Councilman Cory Storch noted, several aspects of the newsletter have yet to be decided, including the format (print or electronic), the frequency of publication and the cost, which for a print version would also include postage and handling. It would also include pay for someone to produce it. All the details would be needed for bids or advertising for a contract. Some parameters might have to be established for content. No ward meetings have been held so far this year, so that aspect might be off the table for 2015.
The council meetings are televised, so the public already has some idea of the governing body's work. A newsletter could highlight ward news, but so could updates given at the meetings. All these things need to be explored and there are just four months left in 2015.
Maybe we'll hear more on the newsletter Monday, when the council holds its regular meeting, 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
I would like to point out two ironies -
ReplyDelete1 - The council took a hit during the SRB administration during difficult times to show leadership. Important to note that SRB never took any cut in her salary
2 - The council consistently talks about reigning in expenses, and talks about people hurting. They railed about the administration spending $26K on cars, yet they ask for $75K for who knows what, and settles on increasing their budget by 10K.
Does the word hypocritical apply here?
I'm not getting the correlation between $26K and $75K - is this kiwis and kumquats in different budget years? Please explain further.
ReplyDeleteThe council barks at the administration about spending money needlessly. For example, the administration spent 26K on a new car. Councilwoman Toliver exclaimed that it was a lot of money to spend on a car.
DeleteI think having the council increase their budget and send out their own newsletter is a bigger waste. The only consolation I have is that the council must feel this administration is making headways in getting Plainfield on the right track, and they (the council) want to advertise what they are doing for the city.
I hope the first edition lets all of Plainfield know that Rivers and Taylor voted to have a girlie bar reinstated (after the objections of the neighbors). I do think the city of Plainfield needs to know what the council is doing.
Sorry for the rant, I am just frustrated by the ineptness, ignorance, and blatant self serving politics of this council.
Each councilor should write their own contribution to the newsletter and skip hiring a professional writer, by doing so it will give us better insight into their ability to communicate in an effective, professional and coherent manner.
ReplyDeleteEach councilor makes very important decisions on behalf of their constituents and the City as a whole. It should not be a problem for each one of them to piece together a paragraph to inform on their respective initiatives, provide progress reports on given projects or elaborate their position on relevant community issues.
It's easy to show up to Council meetings and pontificate on controversial matters, be partial to comments made on the floor or belittle colleagues ad nauseam. It takes a great deal more effort to put your thoughts on paper in an articulate, thoughtful and meaningful manner.
We already know 2 councilors often post commentaries on their blogs to let us know what they are thinking -- what about the other 5?
I really think you have a good idea but the rest of the Council is incapable of writing a coherent paragraph, especially president Rivers.
DeleteI think the newsletter is a great idea. And to add to what Oscar said, it will give them an opportunity to explain why they voted for or against ordinances and resolutions. I look forward to hearing that from the council.
DeleteI would love to see if the other couselors can put two words together and make some kind of sense. They should all contribute or start their own blogs. I believe for several of the "other 5" they would have a problem writing on an intelligent and coherent way, but I would like to give them the chance. I would also like the opportunity for the public to be able to respond with comments and ask questions.
DeleteLet us be cautious with the criticism. Obama, Bush, Clinton ALL use speech writers, so no one is required to be an expert orator/writer to be effective. Just Honest and Sincere is needed in my book
ReplyDeleteVery true. I was going to say as much. Nearly every politician I know has someone who can produce a speech or press release when needed. However, the giveaway sometimes is that it does not sound like the person or they read it quickly and mispronounce words.
DeleteLet's also be cautious about drawing comparisons between small town representatives and leaders of the free world -- apples and oranges. Completely different set of obligations, responsibilities and exposure.
DeleteLet's kick it down a bunch of notches and put the councilors on the same level as departmental managers (of each of their wards). Firms often have their managers/group head contribute to company newsletters that keep colleagues informed of work in their respective areas. The CEO might have a hired hand, others are on their own.
Bob you just criticize for the sake of criticizing, FYI my pastor (Brown) has an undergraduate degree from MSU and a Master's of Divinity. She writes sermons that are published in major publications and is a proof reader for other organizations. Taylor is a former principal and vocabulary is more profound than yours.Bernice the negative comments you allowed directed at River's was below the belt. Lula Moore
ReplyDelete