Thoughts from the Town Hall Meeting: A Missed Opportunity

The City of Plainfield has been in the news quite a bit during the past few months and the news reports have not been good. In fact, the image of Plainfield has taken a direct hit as a result of things that have happened in our school district as well as from the escalation in the acts of violence. These situations have created a very negative perception of our City in the minds of residents and outsiders alike, at a time when we can least afford it. The City is experiencing an unemployment rate of over 15%, a tax burden that is too much for homeowners to bear in an extremely harsh economy, and an inability to attract potential investors.

Hence, it is against this backdrop that I pose the following questions: What was the goal of Sunday’s Town Hall meeting that was broadcast live to the New Jersey tri-state area? How has the broadcast affected the City’s image and reputation? How will it affect its ability to attract potential home buyers and commercial real estate developers? What was the cost of this event to Plainfield taxpayers?

Many of the people who spoke did a fine job of stating the problems that are plaguing our community, reciting the statistics that highlight the disparate treatment minority communities experience under a criminal justice system that is flawed in many ways. Others offered up solutions that, for the most part, involved mentorship through fraternities, sororities, and faith-based institutions. The benefits of gunshot recognition technology were touted, with its ability to pinpoint gun activity within a couple feet of the actual activity. The Reverend Al Sharpton challenged men to start being daddies to their children and asked them to stop dropping babies as if they were having a “bowel movement.” The discussion, at times, took on some racial overtones that are not needed in any community and certainly not in Plainfield, a City that boasts of its diversity.

If the purpose of the town hall meeting was to create partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement to fight crime in our City, why was Union County’s chief law enforcement officer, Prosecutor Ted Romankow, not invited or not present? Why was Plainfield’s Police/Public Safety Director, Martin Hellwig, not allowed to participate and deliver an informed plan of action to allay the fears of residents and potential investors? The absence of law enforcement leadership was glaring to many of us in the audience.

The impact of the Town Hall meeting, aired live on WBLS and its sister station WLIB was like a shot fired into the City, one that was heard across the tri-state area—well within ear shot of potential investors who might have been given cause to pause. This in itself was an act of violence committed against our City by our Mayor. The negative profiling of Plainfield by any elected official is worthy of condemnation. Those members of Plainfield’s realtor community who expressed concerns about the Mayor casting the City in such a negative light did so with justification. Although the harm done to the City from Sunday’s broadcast cannot be measured, it is reasonable to conclude that irreparable damage was done.

I have long been of the view that the City needs to dedicate resources to an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at promoting its housing stock, its business community and business opportunities, and highlighting its educated work force and its diversity. The Town Hall meeting was an opportunity to begin a public relations campaign with a focus on changing negative perceptions and recasting the City’s image. Sunday’s Town Hall meeting was a missed opportunity; it was a costly mayoral blunder.

In Part 2 of my thoughts from the Town Hall meeting, I will explore why I feel the Council was “dissed.”

Regards,

Adrian

"There is No Greater Lie Than A Truth Misunderstood by Those Who Hear It "

Op-Ed Piece in Courier-News, Friday July 16, 2010

I am writing this letter in my official capacity as Plainfield 3rd Ward Councilman. I have been told by no fewer than seven people during the course of the last month that the Recreation Division, under the leadership of Mr. Dave Wynn, has been misinforming the public about my support for recreation in the city of Plainfield. Mr. Wynn has been telling members of the public that I want to do away with recreation for our kids. Mr. Wynn brought several of his friends and supporters to the last agenda fixing session of the Council to echo his preposterous accusation against me. As this completely false accusation was being leveled against me, Mr. Wynn was seen hiding, timidly, in the hallway of City Hall. Clearly, he had sent these individuals to do his bidding in an attempt to give legs to the deliberately false and misleading information he had been disseminating in an attempt to damage my name and reputation.

His modus operandi is to hurt our kids, lie about it, cause others to lie about it to as many people as would listen, and then accuse me of the dastardly deed. This is Mr. Wynn’s defense mechanism when under pressure for failing our kids. In fact, all of my efforts and comments have been aimed at protecting the recreational interest of our kids from an unreasonable, unyielding, and uncooperative “Superintendent of Recreation.” His scapegoating is designed solely to deflect the criticism that he brought upon himself by his refusal to cooperate with the Queen City Baseball League. He is now trying to protect his skin from a council that wants to be fair to all city kids. Hence he wants to blame me for his misdeeds.

Since October of last year until a few weeks ago, the Recreation Division, under Mr. Wynn’s leadership, created such a hostile environment that a significant number of our children were denied the opportunity to enjoy Plainfield’s recreational facilities to the fullest. Locks were changed at the eleventh hour without notice, access to bases was denied, resulting in the cancellation of games, bases were stored in the ladies room, creating unsanitary conditions for females, lighting controls were manipulated causing games to end prematurely, and the QCBL was prevented from using the Rock Avenue facility even when the Division of Recreation team was playing an away game and the Rock Avenue field was not in use—such were the litany of issues created by Mr. Wynn.

It is my firm belief that the Superintendent of Recreation should be creating more recreational opportunities for our children—not less. The Superintendent should be doing everything possible to work with all parents and volunteers in an environment that is harmonious and conducive to maximum recreational opportunities. Mr. Wynn should never allow disagreements with adults to cause our kids to become victims of an act of sabotage that would send them home in tears.

I have long been an advocate for recreation and our children and I have always supported every opportunity to provide more wholesome recreational activities. I will continue to fight to create an environment where favoritism, self interest and self preservation will not be tolerated. It is for this reason that I have been extremely supportive of the QCBL and so outspoken in opposition to the irrational and vindictive behavior of Mr. Wynn, who seems hell-bent on punishing some of our children because of personal gripes with some of the QCBL volunteers.

Consequently, I suggested that if Mr. Wynn isn’t willing to allow unfettered access by all of our children to all of Plainfield’s recreational facilities, then we as elected officials must be willing to address the problem in an effort to ensure that all of Plainfield’s kids have maximum access. If Mr. Wynn isn’t willing to be fair, his role should be turned over to a recreation commission made up of citizens who can better deliver more recreation to all of our kids in an impartial manner. I am for more recreation, not less; I am for resolving the conflicts that have plagued the 2010 baseball season; I am for opening up all of our recreational facilities in cooperation and collaboration with parents and volunteers who want to seek wholesome opportunities for our kids.

Therefore, I call upon Mr. Wynn to spend more time working with all of our parents, volunteers, and with the QCBL, and less time spreading falsehoods. The poisonous venom that has been put out in the community can easily be disproved by anyone who has attended the city council meetings over the past several months, or who has had an opportunity to view the tapes on PCTV. Never once have I advocated against recreation; rather, at every turn, I have condemned Mr. Wynn’s unbending attitude towards the QCBL, and have spoken out very forcefully in support of baseball and recreation. I hope that Mayor Robinson-Briggs will call Mr. Wynn to task for knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly mischaracterizing my position regarding recreation for our young people. Someone* once said, “There is no greater lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it.”

Regards,

Adrian

*William James

Congratulations to Rebecca and thank you to Plainfield!

The recently concluded Plainfield democratic primary for the 2^nd and 3^rd ward at-large council seat was another great example of America’s democratic political process at work—a process intended to encourage qualified, viable individuals to step forward and compete for their party’s nomination. A couple years ago, the same process allowed about ten Democrats, including our current President, Barack Obama, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to compete in a very heated contest for the party’s top prize, the opportunity to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

After all was said and done, everyone, new and old democrats, came together under one party banner, in spite of the very competitive and, at times, brutal contest. I do believe that a good, well fought, competitive, and issues-based primary provides the raw materials for a successful candidate to mold into the goods and services that will provide maximum benefits to his or her constituents.

Hence, I am always amazed that, in spite of our democratic way of life, some in our community feel a compulsion to utter the refrain, “Why can’t we all get along?” The fact of the matter is, we do all get along; many of us just don’t go along to get along and are not willing to part with our moral compass. It is our moral compass that guides us through the meandering pathways of life and prevents us from being stuck on a deserted island. It is our moral compass that takes us to the high road marked with some of life’s guiding principles, such as honesty and integrity, and shelters us from the dangerous hazards that could plunge us into the darken valley of despair. ”What good is a man if he gains the whole world and in the process he parts with his soul?” One must always take the high road.

Having said all of the above, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Rebecca Williams on her victory in the June 8^th Democratic primary. Rebecca and I are proud members of Plainfield’s only Democratic Party and, like President Obama, we are also proud to be known as New Democrats. I look forward to welcoming her on the council if she is successful in November’s general election, and to working with her and the rest of my colleagues to move Plainfield forward. Rebecca’s intellect, her rational thought process, and her ability to build consensus will make her a great addition to the Plainfield City Council.

Finally, I wish to thank the voters of Plainfield for choosing wisely and for embracing Plainfield’s diversity. Congratulations to Rebecca, and thank you to Plainfield!

Regards,

Adrian

I Endorse Rebecca, Community Leader and Activist!

On Tuesday, June 8, 2010, voters in the 2nd and 3rd wards of Plainfield will go to the polls to choose a Democratic councilperson to represent their interests on the Plainfield City council. They will choose from amongst three candidates, most outstanding among them being Rebecca Williams, a tireless grassroots community activist who has been fighting for good government ever since the day she arrived in Plainfield thirteen years ago.

Rebecca is an educator who has spent many years of her life shaping the minds of young people at Essex County College, where she is a professor, and many hours stimulating the minds of our senior citizens when she taught American literature, politics, and cultural studies at the Plainfield Senior Citizens Center. Rebecca has worked for many community organizations (Plainfield Adult School Advisory Board, Plainfield Cultural & Heritage Commission, Al McWilliams Armory Advisory Committee, League of Women Voters) as a volunteer and has supported a number of social causes in an effort to improve the quality of life for Plainfield's diverse population. She has worked on several policy initiatives over the years that have given her a wealth of knowledge that I know she will bring to the council table.

In addition, she has dedicated years of volunteer work in voter registration, voter education, and organizing and conducting school board and municipal candidate forums as an officer of the League of Women Voters of Plainfield to ensure that Plainfield residents are aware of the issues of most concern to them.

Since arriving in Plainfield, Rebecca has headed the campaigns of several of Plainfield's current and past elected officials, and has, over the years, acquired firsthand knowledge of the issues facing city residents by visiting their homes and listening to their concerns. As a founding member of the New Democrats for Plainfield, Rebecca has focused on policy initiatives for the betterment of Plainfield. Rebecca has demonstrated, through her civic involvement as a volunteer on local boards and commissions, through community clean-ups, food drives, and community cultural events, that she is committed to serving the people of Plainfield.

Rebecca will be a voice of reason on the council and she'll be visible in the community—as she always has been—and she will always fight for what's best for Plainfield. Having worked with Rebecca for many years, I know her to be a principled individual who will not be swayed by the direction of the wind, tethered to unsavory forces, tarred by the hurricane forces of political expediency, nor compromised by selfish opportunism at the expense of others.

Rebecca will be guided by the dictates of her conscience, not by the dictates of others.

Rebecca Williams has a vision for Plainfield, one that includes an aggressive marketing plan to attract developers from around the country, stabilize property taxes, enhance our property maintenance codes and property values, improve the morale of our police department (currently at an all time low), and improve the quality of life for our residents.

My friends, we need a change--we need fresh new ideas on the council, and Rebecca, who is a force for action, not silence and acquiescence, will work with the rest of the council to provide the true checks and balances that are needed to help Plainfield move forward.

It is for all of the above reasons that my 2^nd Ward colleague Cory Storch and I have enthusiastically endorsed Rebecca to be our next councilperson for the 2nd and 3rd Ward At-Large seat on the Plainfield City Council.

Please join us on Tuesday, June 8^th, and vote for Rebecca, who is TRULY INDEPENDENT, ETHICAL, OUTSPOKEN, DEDICATED, DETERMINED, DECISIVE, and not beholden to anyone but the people of Plainfield.

She is a REAL DEMOCRAT who believes in good, transparent government—not empty “business as usual” rhetoric, and who will remain visible and accessible to her constituents.

On June 8^th, I will be voting for Rebecca, the DEMOCRAT in COLUMN D, I hope you do too. Please take a minute to view the video below--you will see Rebecca, the Community Leader and Activist, in action!

Regards, Adrian

Queen City Baseball League: Doing "Good" By and For Our Children

Whenever an administration at any level of government does anything within its power that runs counter to the interest of the people, the legislative branch of government has a responsibility to act; that means creating legislation to correct the harm that was done or that can be done to its citizens in violation of the public good.

I am again urging my colleagues to join me in passing legislation that would grant use of the City's baseball field (s) to the Queen City Baseball League (QCBL) for the modest annual fee of $1.00. The administration has clearly, by its behavior and by its communication to the QCBL, demonstrated a hard-line position intended to prevent the QCBL from being a force in the city for the good of our children. We have been talking for months but now, we, the governing body of Plainfield, must act.

Moreover, we must, at every turn, continue to do what is right. Legislation intent on creating pathways that lead our children to clean recreational pursuits which may, one day, lead to life-changing opportunities must be given priority. Furthermore, protective legislation should be written to tie the hands of self-serving, obstructionist individuals who are hellbent on placing barriers into the path of those, such as the members of QCBL, whose only agenda is the empowerment of Plainfield's youth.

We must always be “for the cause that needs assistance, against the wrongs that need resistance, for the future in the distance, and that the good that we can do.” (George Linnaeus Banks)

Let's do “good” by and for our children; let's help as many as possible get to home plate.

Regards,

Adrian

The "Con" in Connolly : Compromising a Tenant's Health and Safety

Last week, I was contacted by a longtime tenant at the Pingry Arms apartment building, one of Plainfield’s Connolly-owned properties, about the horrible living conditions of his apartment and the resultant stress. He writes: “my home and my nerves are being ruined and I can't even sleep. There is no emergency response from Connolly Properties. My home smells bad and my floors are wet and buckled.”

After receiving this complaint, I immediately contacted City Administrator Bibi Taylor by email with a copy to the Mayor. My goal was to get the city's Inspections and Health departments involved, since the situation, in my mind, was about the health and safety of this tenant. The city responded immediately and is continuing its efforts to have the situation addressed.

However, I continued to receive emails from this tenant over the weekend about the worsening conditions in his apartment and in the building. So, I decided to visit the Pingry Arms in person, at the tenant's invitation, to survey the damage for myself; I was shocked at what I saw.

Paint was peeling from walls and ceilings, ceilings were buckling under the weight of saturation, the floor tiles were buckling from the “mini-ponds” of water that pooled beneath, the walls and carpets were saturated with water and stained as if they were exposed to the elements, and I saw a roof that is in urgent need of repair. The conditions that exist in this building cry out for immediate and urgent attention.

As long as people are forced to live in such deplorable conditions, they are being conned by an apparently unscrupulous landlord; as long as unscrupulous landlords continue to put pressure on tenants to move from floor to floor in an effort to avoid or postpone needed repairs, the tenants are being conned; if the city does not put the full force of its inspections division and our court system to work to compel Connolly Properties to comply with the city's building maintenance codes, in the interest of public health and safety, the tenants are being conned; if the courts refuse to impose the maximum penalties upon Connolly Properties, which should include incarceration until all repairs are done professionally and satisfactorily, the tenants would be forever conned.

Anytime a tenant is forced to live in the deplorable conditions that I witnessed at the Pingry Arms apartment building, with ceilings falling, floors buckling, and water gushing under one’s feet, the health and safety of that individual has been compromised.

As the city moves forward on this issue, I also encourage all tenants in the affected apartments to use the law to their advantage in filing suit against Connolly Properties to remedy this deplorable situation.

I have included a photo of the ceiling damage in the interior of the tenant’s home; you, too, will be outraged by this appalling image.

Regards,

Adrian

She Was Only 16 - When We Fell In Love!

The mid seventies was a good time; it was the advent of the new computer; the "Thrilla" in Manila; Saturday Night Live premiered; Barbara Jordan became the first Black person to keynote a political convention; it was also when I fell in love. It was still the time when a time-honored tradition of writing to a girl's dad was the expectation of her mom if you were to stand a chance of ever seriously dating her. I had graduated high school and was excited about the prospect of becoming a male nurse, only to have my hopes dashed by the mailman, who delivered the notice for the nurses' exam the day after the exam occurred. So much for my goal of becoming a male nurse.

But love was in the air! Amelia entered my world--she was only sixteen when we fell in love, and I was a mere eighteen. Within weeks of having my hopes dashed by the late mail, I got my first job working for a government corporation and soon started to see more of my flame, the beautiful young dame who had captured my heart and every bit of the attention I had to give.

The frequency of our meetings accelerated in mid-1975 and hit a crescendo by December of that year. By then, I had fully complied with the time honored tradition; I had sought, in writing, and received the permission of the sire of my life-long partner--permission that set in motion the joys of courtship, the paternal blessing of our blooming relationship, the raw emotions of love, the thrills, and the trust of two young hearts yearning to be one; all harbingers of marital bliss.

Today, 30 years after our vows of marital fidelity, I can truly say that I am very happy with my life, and I am better than blessed with a beautiful wife, and together we are blessed with two wonderful daughters who are more precious to us than gold; they make our lives complete.

Every morning when I wake, I thank the almighty Creator for my Mimi--my friend, my wife, the love of my life. Thank God for 30 years - 30 wonderful years. Today!