Volunteer Fire Division? Not A Hot Idea

A couple of readers suggested that the Fire Division could be converted into a volunteer organization. I didn't post the comments, I am responding here by saying I'm not sure an urban center such as Plainfield can be properly served by an all-volunteer Fire Division. Most volunteer fire companies that I have heard of are for smaller municipalities.

I think these comments arose because of a proposed study of the Fire Division. There have been a couple of other comments about restructuring the chain of command. Previously there were several other comments about Fire Chief Tidwell, which I did not post as I could not verify them. Chief Tidwell himself posted on March 8 on Facebook that he had been under investigation but was cleared:

For 7 months I bore a heavy burden, until yesterday. I was under investigation for allegations of misuse of authority, misappropriating funds and ethics violations.

The prosecutor's office was involved and Internal Affairs.

"The investigation is concluded and there will be no disciplinary action."

Tidwell gave thanks for the outcome.

Regarding other forms of fire safety, there are fire districts that use volunteer companies. They are governed by boards of commissioners and their budgets are funded by taxpayers. When I lived in Millington, I learned about the klaxons that sounded alarms for volunteers to respond to fires. Instead of being at a firehouse, they would come from home or work. Certainly they did not face the challenges of high-rise senior complexes or multi-family apartment buildings such as we have in Plainfield.

Fire and police have different hierarchies. I remember when it was mandated that a police chief had to get a certain percentage higher salary than captains, while no such rule applied to fire chiefs until they also won the right to a differential. Police, as far as I know, are part of a hierarchy of law enforcement that spans several levels of government, while fire responders appear to be more localized.

Plainfield police are undergoing an accreditation process to assure adherence to best practices. Surely it is in the public interest to take a look at the Fire Division, even though both entities have ongoing training for personnel. Management can often gain from an outside assessment as well. Police and Fire expenses are currently 60 percent of the city budget, so any cost-cutting improvements should be welcomed.

--Bernice

Holiday Wishes

Hoping all our Indian friends enjoyed a happy Holi festival and all our Jewish friends had a lovely Purim celebration with your favorite hamantashen!

Taxis, Landlords, Decorum, Spring

Events of the week have left me feeling out of sorts. Despite that, I will try to post some thoughts.

Taxi Ordinance
Because all my health providers have moved out of Plainfield and I gave up driving a while ago, I rely on taxis to get to their offices. Ironically, most were on Park Avenue and are still on Park Avenue, just further down. It cost me $30 in taxi fare to get to the dentist who used to be in the 1000 block, but is now in the 3800 block in North Edison. I call the same Plainfield taxi company to take me there and pick me up later. The same goes for the doctor's office in South Plainfield on Park Avenue ($20 round trip) and the surgeon in Edison and the medical lab ($30 each). If those towns had an ordinance restricting out-of-town pickup, I would have a big problem.

It is a fact of life for many Plainfielders that they must use taxis to go shopping, visit medical offices or just get together with friends. The economic battle between licensed Plainfield drivers and out-of-town taxi companies is unfortunate and complicated. If increasing the number of licenses would help, maybe it should be tried before going to the extreme of ejecting passengers and towing at the owner's expense. Some commenters suspect the matter hinges on political donations, which I hope is not true. There must be a common-sense solution that will be fair to all the taxi companies as well as to the hundreds of customers that need taxis. I think those who called for more time to study the situation have a point.

No Overnight Parking on Certain Streets
As I understood this discussion item Monday, some landlords are not permitting parking on the premises, forcing people to park on the street. The vehicles then get in the way of street cleaners and snow plows or otherwise interfere with use of the streets.

At some point, any multi-family residential building was required to provide parking. New landlords may try to monetize parking, but is it legal? Each landlord is supposed to file contact information with the city. These documents used to be on file in the City Clerk's office. Probably the original requirements are lost in storage somewhere, but just by the number and type of units there should be a minimum number of parking spaces that can be calculated. Multi-family owners could be made aware of the parking requirement rather than leaving the poor car owner to be tossed back and forth between the city and landlord over parking.  Here again there is a perception that landlords can sometimes do what they want if they pay tribute politically, but what about the tenant who lives here and votes?

Collegiality
Elected officials who badger professionals at council meetings and fight with colleagues on camera may think they are showing strength, but the public by and large is sick of the drama. Sure, they can get a few whoops and murmurs from their buddies, but those who choose to put on a show do little for the image of Plainfield. All members of the governing body should be considerate to each other.

Spring Ahead
This weekend we go back to Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. Saturday. One big nor'easter may hit us on Tuesday and then maybe we can head into Spring on March 20. I for one will be very happy to get out in the yard and welcome the season. It is also the date of the Persian New Year, Nowruz, a holiday observed by many nations and cultures that was also celebrated at the White House annually during the Obama administration. Look it up, it's interesting, though probably not going to be at the White House this year.

--Bernice

Final Passage or Revision for Taxi Ordinance?

The taxi towing penalty issue is now in its sixth month, heading for yet another vote on March 13 with overtones for the mayoral election.

Last year it was rejected with "no" votes from two council members who are now running for mayor, only to be revived this year with a council majority favorable to incumbent Mayor Adrian O. Mapp. Depending whom you ask, the issue is protecting city taxi business owners who pay for licenses and submit to other Plainfield rules versus a kind of free enterprise approach giving customers the right to call out-of-town taxis if they wish. Councilwoman Diane Toliver on Monday endorsed the argument that the towing penalty harms out-of-town taxi company owners and drivers who live in Plainfield and will take bread out of the mouths of their families.But won't allowing out-of-town companies to poach on city customers do the same to Plainfield residents employed by Plainfield companies?

An attorney for a North Plainfield taxi company tried to make a case against the towing penalty in three minutes during public comment, saying in part that there are no city licenses available and if other towns passed such laws, city taxis would encounter barriers in all surrounding towns. The towing penalty "adds insult to injury" by attempting to "destroy the ability of Soria or any other (company) to do business in Plainfield," attorney Michael Blacker said.

The rhetoric Monday included warnings of a "war" between Plainfield and North Plainfield taxis and many repetitions of how the penalty will take bread out of the mouths of children and families. The latter argument always seems somewhat fatuous to me, in that it appears to say breaking a law is OK if it is done to put bread on the table. It seems to echo the popular maxim, "Do what you gotta do" to get along, whether it is lawful or not.

In this case, perhaps a better route is to study the taxi ordinance and revise it, rather than escalate to draconian enforcement strategies. I repeat my call from last month to take a look at the taxi ordinance and revise as necessary.

--Bernice

International Women's Day 2017

For International Women's Day, I am posting a remembrance of the late Councilwoman Helen Miller, one of the first activists I met after moving here in 1983.

The International Women's Day theme for 2017 is "#BeBoldforChange."

--Bernice

"Important Dates" - For Candidates

If you didn't file to run for the school board Monday, never mind. The election was moved back to November, so you have until July 31 to file petitions.

Check the Union County Clerk's "Important Dates" page if you want to run for public office in 2017. 

Commission Will Study "Plainfield Promise"

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said Monday he will establish a seven-member commission to review his "Plainfield Promise" proposal and to report back in six months. Its charge will be to "take a new look" at the tuition and financial literacy proposal, especially regarding sale of the city-owned Bierstadt paintings as a funding source.

"It has been said that a politician plans for the next election, but a statesman plans for the next generation," Mapp said at Monday's City Council meeting.

Mapp first announced the Plainfield Promise in his State of the City Address on Feb. 9, tracing his own educational journey and suggesting a $500 bank account for every kindergartner to foster financial literacy, as well as tuition for college-eligible students who can't afford to pay on their own.

But when Plaintalker sought details, Mapp declined, saying only the plan was modeled on "Oakland Promise." 

Last week, multiple news articles revealed that Mapp was seeking a court ruling on whether the city could sell the Bierstadt paintings, deemed to be worth millions but given to the city by Dr. J. Ackerman Coles with terms precluding sale, according to several past city attorneys. On Friday, Mapp explained more about his intentions in his weekly newsletter to residents, but his remarks Monday apparently mean the matter must now wait on the outcome of the commission's study.

In public comment Monday, Dr. Harold Yood said he was "very happy" to hear Mapp was appointing a commission, but said after reading Mapp's explanation in the newsletter  he was "now more strongly convinced" that it was not in Plainfield's best interest. Yood questioned the cost, the projected contribution of JFK Health System and why, if one painting has been deemed to have racist overtones, a copy will be made and hung for public view.

Mapp is seeking re-election to a second term as mayor and critics, including supporters of other candidates,  have called Plainfield Promise a ploy. In his remarks Monday, Mapp seemed to be setting the proposal apart, saying the coming election is important for the city.

"Whoever is elected will have an impact on the next generation," he said, but added "we cannot fail our children" by focusing on short term things such as the next election.

So far, Mapp, Councilwoman Bridget Rivers and former Councilwoman Tracey Brown have announced they will run for the four-year mayoral term. All are Democrats, pointing to a primary contest on June 6. Mustapha Muhammad has indicated he plans to file as an independent on June 6 and if so, he will be on the Nov. 7 ballot with the Democratic primary winner. No Republicans or other independents have announced campaigns. Party members must file on April 3 to run in the primary and independents file on June 6.

--Bernice