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!

MLK Potluck Celebration and Canned Food Drive

Photo from the NYCCAH Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Anti-Hunger Serve-a-Thon.

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “we cannot be content to see men hungry, to see men victimized with starvation and ill health when we have the means to help them.” King went on to say that “poverty is one of the most urgent items on the agenda of modern life.”

Therefore, as we get ready to celebrate his birthday and the importance of his legacy and life, let us use this weekend as well as an opportunity to remember the least among us, those who do not know from whence the next meal cometh. Please join the New Democrats, your friends, and neighbors as we come together, this Saturday, January 16th, in the spirit of brother/sisterhood, and with a heightened awareness of our social responsibility.

We can do this in an atmosphere that is festive, where the air is warmed by your laughter, and your appetite is filled to your heart's content with the potluck dishes that will brought by all to be shared with all.

However, more importantly, this is a great opportunity for you to bring some canned goods and other non-perishables to be donated to one of our local food banks. The shelves of many food banks are bare, so let us do our part to put some food back onto those shelves and back onto the plates of those who hunger. Our goal is to raise two tons of food--together, we can make it happen.

Come on out this Saturday and have some fun with your friends and neighbors while doing your part to address the problem of hunger. Remember, we cannot be content to see men, women, and children go hungry in the land of plenty.

Amelia and I look forward to being your hosts this Saturday, January 16, 2010 at our home:

535 West 8th Street

Plainfield, NJ

7:00 pm to midnight.

All are invited, so let the party begin and let the cans come rolling in.

Regards,

Adrian

ADDITIONAL NOTE: For those who would like to make a donation to the Haiti relief efforts that are being organized in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, here are two quick ways to donate money for medical supplies, water, food, and other immediate relief.

1) Text the word "Haiti" to 90999 on your cell phone and $10.00 will go to the U.S. Haitian relief fund set up be the State Department.

2) Text "Yele" to 501501 and $5.00 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti.

Welcome, Councilwoman Bridget Rivers!

January 1, 2010 marked a new beginning for the city of Plainfield as former Board of Education president Bridget Rivers joined the city council. I worked very well with former Councilwoman Joanne Hollis, Bridget's sister, when she served as 4th Ward council representative during the administration of Al McWilliams. Bridget brings to the council a genuine desire for positive change, the energy and work ethic that are needed at this time, and a passion for the city and the 4th Ward, which she represents. I do believe that as the 4th Ward goes, so will the city; no ward can be left behind.

Hence, we must do all that we can to revitalize the 4th Ward and to make it once again a driving force of the city's economic engine. We must find a solution to the many Brownfields that proliferate in the 4th Ward; we must clean them up and make them ready for development. I have long thought that the Brownfields in the 4th Ward were perfectly suited for conversion into shopping outlets. I am confident that Route 28 in the 4th Ward can be made into an outlet shopping destination for neighboring communities.

I stand ready to work with Councilor Rivers and the administration of Mayor Robinson-Briggs to address the needs of the 4th Ward. I extend to Bridget a heartfelt welcome and a wish for much success as she embarks on her new journey with us!

Regards,

Adrian