Council President Gibson - Courier - Letter: CBAC failed in its task

Published in the Courier News, Saturday, December 13, 2008

[Letters to the Editor]
Citizens panel failed in its budget task

The editorial comment in the Courier News printed on Friday, Nov. 28, without a rational interpretation, requires what I consider a reasonable response. The report presented by the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee contains comments and recommendations that are inaccurate and lack any substantial documentation to support the conclusions.

The Courier News editorial stated I, as City Council president, complained the committee overstepped its bounds. Your inquiry of "What did he expect? Only positive opinions? No opinions at all?" [sic] What I expected were conclusions and recommendations based on facts. The truth is all any of us on the governing body should expect. I do not consider a request for accuracy "whining." For the record, I want your readers and the citizens of Plainfield to know I am not mad.

Under the CBAC Observations section the comment, "How can we expect parking tickets and potholes to be "high quality," if we're not," and the comment "Several city employees forget who pays them," without identifying either the employees or the work area of such employees (even if this were done in confidence) leaves one to conclude this comment is generally applicable.

The CBAC also indicates "more substantive cuts and efficiencies are possible." If that is true, the locations where such cuts could be made should have been identified.

In the report there is a general statement that the CBAC was "disappointed in City Council attendance and somewhat passive responses." The councilperson(s) should have been identified. As one who is serving in what is commonly referred to as a "lame-duck" status, I am proud of my continued attendance record during the time the CBAC has functioned.

The area of the report which should be carefully re-examined is entitled "CBAC Approach." There is no credibility in the 100 percent point totals. First, the "30" assigned to Public Safety together with the so-called grades fails to take into consideration the fact that the crime rate in our city has consistently been lowered. The subjective grading process with no statistics to back it up is, and should be cause for concern. This section goes on to include a "25" for performance/reputation of the school system with a consistent "F" grade for the public schools performance. This area should not have been a part of the budget process as the city administration nor the municipal council has any control over the budget of the Plainfield Board of Education.

The section of the report entitled "Overall Budget Recommendations - 1," states "No Budget Increase." Presuming all the members of the committee have a degree of concern for what was presented on their behalf, they should know there is no way, considering contractual agreements, the Council can arrive at a zero percent increase. The CBAC states there has been "Significant progress made in the last three years to reduce operating expenses, and further, 2008-2009 budget faces extraordinary conditions." This is probably the most accurate comment in the report.

The "Overall Recommendations 2 and 3" have credible suggestions although there may be areas where the council cannot do more than suggest the changes to the administration.

We clearly recognize it is our responsibility to strike a budget but we also must recognize their [sic] are services which must be made available. There is no quarrel on my part with the CBAC effort to do a good job. The resulting report is a document with errors of fact and judgment.

Finally, the area of recommendations in the Appendix is full of first person, "I" and "My" preceding recommendations. It makes the final determinations appear to be one person's judgment as opposed to a committee.

I respect the Courier News' right and obligation to express, as the editorial states, "Our Position." I ask for nothing less.

Harold Gibson
President
City Council
Plainfield

NOTE: This letter appeared in the print edition cited above, but not online. I have transcribed it exactly as it appeared in the printed newspaper, without editing or 'tidying up'. -- Dan Damon


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Unauthorized municipal expenditures - Record - Christie subpoenas Paramus records

Published in the Bergen Record, Monday, October 6, 2008

[Funds transferred without Council approval; Christie subpoenas]

Affordable housing funds shifted

Monday, October 6, 2008
Last updated: Monday October 6, 2008, EDT 6:43 AM

BY MICHAEL GARTLAND

STAFF WRITER

 

Paramus Mayor James Tedesco authorized the transfer of nearly $4 million in affordable housing funds without obtaining the Borough Council's approval, an apparent violation of affordable housing rules, public records show.

Council approval for borough expenditures is required under state guidelines, said Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Tedesco, a Democrat who became mayor in 2003, ordered the largest transfer — $3.6 million — from the affordable housing fund to the Paramus Affordable Housing Corp. in January 2004, according to municipal records. The rest of the money was allocated in three smaller transfers over several years.

Tedesco, who also is president of the non-profit PAHC, offered only a written statement conveyed through Keith Furlong, the borough's spokesman.

"If the borough did not adopt any specific resolutions, this was an oversight," Tedesco said.
His Republican predecessor, Cliff Gennarelli, ordered a similar transfer, but for a much smaller sum, $100,000. Gennarelli did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has served at least two subpoenas related to the borough's affordable housing program. The non-profit received one in August and the borough received one in July.

It is unclear what specifically drew federal attention.

Much of the overall $4 million transferred to PAHC eventually went to contractors, whose role in building affordable housing in Paramus is unclear.

The money eventually made its way to Paramus Affordable Development LP, a for-profit company that disbursed borough, county and state funds to contractors for a 46-unit project completed in 2005.

A significant portion of the project's funding — $3.6 million — came from the borough itself. Bergen County paid $900,000, and the state provided about $4.4 million.
The state guidelines also bar a mayor from formal involvement in releasing affordable housing funds, Donnelly said.

"The town council authorizes expenditures," he said. "The CFO would ultimately execute them."
The borough did not provide any council resolutions authorizing the transfers, despite several public records requests by The Record. Instead, it provided four resolutions that did not specifically authorize the transfers.

$3.6M mystery

Council members who served in 2004 also did not recall voting to release the $3.6 million. Former council members Sandra Gunderson, Joe D'Ambrozio and Connie Wagner, who is now an assemblywoman, said they did not remember allowing that sum for affordable housing.
"When it came to affordable housing, I saw virtually nothing," Gunderson said.

The current council president, Frank Ciambrone, also served on the council at the time. He did not respond to several calls for comment.

In a letter to Paramus Chief Financial Officer Joseph Citro on Jan. 6, 2004, Tedesco requested that $3.6 million be moved from the borough to the PAHC account "as per the agreement approved by Dennis J. Oury LLC."

Oury was Paramus' borough attorney in 2004. State records also list him as the registered agent for PAHC.

State records held by the Department of Community Affairs show that $3.6 million was transferred, but federal tax records show no record of $3.6 million coming into or going out of PAHC in 2004.

Tax law experts could not reconcile the contradiction. Victoria Bjorklund, former chairwoman of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exemption, said that if the non-profit received $3.6 million — as state records indicate — then, by law, the money would have to appear on the tax form.
"All the contributions should be shown," she said. "It should show up at least on the balance sheet as funds that came in. If it came in and went out the same day, it should still show up."

Oury involvement 

Oury resigned as counsel for the Bergen County Democratic Organization last month after he and BCDO Chairman Joseph Ferriero were indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of fraud conspiracy not related to Paramus.

The indictment accuses them of using political influence to gain contracts for a consulting firm in which both had financial stakes. Oury's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, did not return calls for comment.

The accountant who handled PAHC's 2004 tax return, as well as the returns in 2003 and 2006, was William Katchen, according to the tax records. He, too, did not respond to several requests for comment.

46-unit project 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development slapped Katchen with a one-year suspension from federal housing work in 1990 after the Passaic Housing Authority misspent $1.7 million in taxpayer money. He was the authority's accountant.

After money was released to PAHC, state records show it went into an escrow account held by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

The mortgage agency then released the money to Paramus Affordable Development LP, the for-profit company that disbursed funding for the 46-unit project.

Eugene Walsh is president of Paramus Affordable Development LP, a company that shares an address with four of those contractors:

* Penwal Affordable Housing Corp. (non-profit): Walsh and Laury Pensa, directors.
* Canyon Capital Corp. (for profit): Pensa, president, incorporator, agent.
* Summit Capital Corp. (for profit): Pensa, president, incorporator, agent.
* Steamboat Corp. (for profit): Walsh, president; Pensa, agent and incorporator.

Steamboat received a $976,500 development fee from Paramus Affordable Development for a project with an $8.1 million budget, according to records provided by the state. Canyon received at least $44,000, and Summit took in at least $5,000.

Development fee 

In a financial disclosure form filed with the state's Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency, Walsh wrote that Penwal — which, according to its tax form, has "implemented and developed low-income housing projects in Dumont, Garfield, Jersey City and Paramus" — would get the development fee. He did not mention his interest in Steamboat on the form.

Other records obtained from the state mortgage agency show that the development fee went to Steamboat.

A financial disclosure form submitted to the state for Steamboat does not list Walsh or Pensa's interest in Penwal or Paramus Affordable Development LP. Pensa's signature appears on that financial disclosure statement.

In addition, a public records request submitted to HMFA by The Record showed that disclosure statements for Penwal and Canyon Capital were not filed with the agency.
Walsh and Pensa did not return calls about the payments.

Bergen County's United Way President Tom Toronto, who has experience with state-funded affordable housing projects, said development fees are a common cost of such projects. He also said any changes regarding development fees would have to be approved and recorded by HMFA.

"HMFA has to bless it each step of the way," he said. "Otherwise, the money wouldn't flow."

E-mail: gartland@northjersey.com

Find this article at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/Affordable_housing_funds_shifted.html

Online story here.

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Santiago elimination - Courier - Council abolishes position

Published in the Courier, Thursday, March 06, 2008

[Removal of Chief Santiago - Ordinance - 1st Reading; Officers detailed]
Latin-American group backs Plainfield chief

By BRANDON LAUSCH
STAFF WRITER

PLAINFIELD — As City Council members moved forward Wednesday night with plans to abolish the position of police chief and create the title of civilian police director, the head of the city's Latin American Coalition and others continued to denounce the proposal as a personal vendetta.

Shortly before the City Council session — where council members passed the companion ordinances on first reading — Flor Gonzalez, president of the Latin American Coalition, called for a brief rally in support of Chief Edward Santiago, who faces retirement or demotion to captain next month under the pending laws. The ordinances still require another reading and a public hearing, which will be held March 19, before they are formally adopted.

Gonzalez, who has defended Santiago throughout his embattled tenure as chief, gathered with a dozen members of Plainfield's Hispanic community to wave signs in English and Spanish that signaled their support.

One poster was covered with photographs of Lazaro Tista, a Guatemalan immigrant whom authorities have said was beaten to death last year by three Plainfield men because he was Hispanic. Gonzalez credited the chief and city police for quickly capturing the suspects.

"He's a great asset for the city of Plainfield because he works for our needs," added Pedro Santana, co-owner of Caribe Cab Taxi Corp.

Gonzalez, as she has in public meetings, repeatedly questioned the council's motivation for abolishing the position and claimed the move has no justification. But city officials have countered that hiring a civilian director will add a level of performance accountability to the Police Division.

Under the city's proposed ordinances, a candidate for police director with at least five years of experience in public administration or law enforcement would be appointed by the mayor with City Council consent.

The director, who would serve at the mayor's pleasure, would report to city leaders and the public safety director. The proposed ordinance creating the title also allows the public safety director to hold both positions. Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig has not indicated if he would accept the additional responsibility if asked.

Also included in the ordinance is a provision giving the sitting mayor power to hear and determine any charges filed against a member of the city's police or fire divisions.

Hellwig's pending police reorganization plan, which includes abolishing the chief's position, would expand the responsibilities of the city's five captains and create a sixth bureau for information technology. The administrative duties held by Santiago would be transferred to the police director while his police-related functions would be absorbed by bureau commanders, which could include Santiago if he accepts a demotion.

The proposed ordinance creating the director's position also allows for a significant expansion of the 151-member force. Under the pending law, the Police Division could expand to include up to eight captains, 24 lieutenants, 50 sergeants and 250 patrolman. Though Hellwig and city Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said the provision will give police leaders future hiring flexibility, some council members have questioned if the numbers are necessary to include.

Online story here. Archived here.

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Santiago elimination - Ledger - Council abolishes position

Published in the Star-Ledger, Friday, March 07, 2008

[Removal of Chief Santiago]
Council votes to abolish police chief's position


PLAINFIELD: As expected, the city council approved two controversial public safety ordi nances at Wednesday night's meeting.

The first abolishes the police chief's position and creates a civilian police director, while the second reorganizes the police department and allows the public safety director to simultaneously hold the position of police direc tor.

The measures must now be approved on second reading at the next council meeting, which is March 17. Should that happen, both would take effect April 11, city officials said.

On the vote to eliminate the police chief's position -- Edward Santiago currently holds that title -- the seven-member council voted 5-0 with two abstentions. Council members Rashid Burney, Linda Carter, Don Davis, William Reid and Elliott Simmons approved; while Council President Harold Gibson and Councilman Cory Storch abstained.

On the vote to reorganize the police department, the council passed it 5-2, with Burney, Davis, Gibson, Reid and Simmons approving. Carter and Storch op posed the measure.

Santiago has said he will appeal any attempt to remove him, contending it is politically moti vated on the part of Mayor Sha ron Robinson-Briggs' administration. The mayor says the ordi nances are meant to create a more efficient and accountable police department.

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Police - Courier - Trenton police director presents to Council

Published in the Courier News, Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Trenton police director opines on chief issue

By BRANDON LAUSCH
STAFF WRITER

Trenton Police Director Joseph Santiago told City Council members Monday night that appointing a civilian to oversee the city's 151-member force -- while abolishing the chief's position -- would likely infuse a higher level of accountability and a fresh managerial focus throughout the Police Division.

During a 20-minute presentation, Santiago said an appointed police director, by design, would be "transparent and more responsive" than a sworn chief, a position chiefs argue is protected from politics by tenure guidelines and other laws.

"I don't think that the notion of having a civilian automatically transcends into political interference," Santiago said. "I think that's what some people will try to convince you of, but I've rarely seen cases of it."

Local officials invited Santiago to visit Plainfield as City Council members move to finalize a controversial plan -- which last month gained state Department of Personnel approval -- to eliminate the position of police chief as part of a wider reorganization of the city's Police Division.

Under the proposal, Chief Edward Santiago would be stripped of his position April 11 -- two days shy of his ninth anniversary as the city's top cop -- and would be forced to retire or accept a demotion to captain.

His supporters, including a contingent of fellow chiefs who lined one wall of the council's meeting room, were likely prepared to criticize the proposal during public comment, but citizens' participation was scheduled past Courier News deadlines.

Joseph Santiago -- described by Plainfield officials as a leading authority in police issues -- is also a polarizing figure in New Jersey law enforcement. A former Newark police director, Joseph Santiago served seven months as state police superintendent before resigning amid several controversies.

Most recently, Trenton residents and politicians have sued the city and its mayor, Douglas H. Palmer, over a requirement that employees live within city limits. The pending lawsuits demand the police director move to Trenton or lose his job.

In Plainfield, the layoff proposal is part of a reorganization effort by Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig, who found "serious management and operational issues directly related to the Police Division's organizational structure" after a review of the force.

The pending reorganization would expand the responsibilities of bureau commanders, revamp existing units and create a sixth police bureau dedicated to solving information technology issues and reporting crime statistics.

The administrative duties held by Edward Santiago would be handed over to the civilian police director while police-related functions of the chief would be absorbed by bureau commanders who hold the rank of captain.

"Thoughtful deployment of resources and strict accountability for the delivery of services has been a missing ingredient in the administration of police resources. I intend to end that practice," Hellwig wrote in a reorganization report. "The redeployment of all captains and reorganization signals a new way of doing business in the police division."

The city's Fire Division would maintain the rank of chief, Hellwig said, because the "efficiency with regard to the Fire Division is not in question to my mind."

Under pending resolutions, a police director with at least five years of experience in public administration or law enforcement and would be appointed by the mayor and City Council. The person would serve until the mayor's successor decides to accept or reject the choice. The director would report to city leaders, including the public safety director.

But why appoint two civilians to oversee the city's police officers, creating what some critics have called an unnecessary layer of expensive bureaucracy?

"It could be me," Hellwig said the proposed ordinance to appoint a police director, which includes language to allow the public safety director to assume both roles.

"Taxes are of main concern to the council and the administration, obviously, and that's why this (wording) was put in there," Hellwig said, adding that "it's still up for discussion" about whether he would accept the added job.

Online story here. Archived here.

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Police Chief - Courier - State OK's plan to ax Santiago

Published in the Courier News, Thursday, February 21, 2008

State OKs city's plan to eliminate top cop post

By BRANDON LAUSCH
STAFF WRITER


PLAINFIELD -- The state Department of Personnel has approved the city's proposal to abolish the position of police chief, effectively allowing City Council members to move forward with a plan that would force Chief Edward Santiago to continue working as a captain or retire, officials said Wednesday.

The state Department of Personnel on Friday determined the proposal -- unanimously passed Jan. 24 by four members of the City Council -- meets civil service laws and intends to improve "economy and efficiency" within the Police Division, agency spokeswoman Maryann Jemison said. It is effective April 11, she said, because targeted employees must receive a 45-day notice.

Before a layoff plan is implemented, state Department of Personnel representatives typically review affected employees' records, explain their civil-service rights and outline any options for further employment, such as the chance to accept another position, Jemison said.

City Council members have said they will pass an ordinance to formally eliminate the post and clear the way for the appointment of a civilian police director -- also described as an executive officer -- who would oversee day-to-day operations of the Police Division. The person would report to the mayor, city administrator and Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig, local officials have said.

Jemison said a person affected by a layoff plan who wants to challenge the good faith of a proposal has 20 days to file an appeal to the state Department of Personnel, which would forward the grievance to the state Office of Administrative Law for a preliminary ruling. The verdict would then go to the five-member Merit System Board, which can approve, deny or modify a judge's decision.

When informed of the Department of Personnel's approval, Patricia Breuninger, of the Scotch Plains firm of Breuninger & Fellman, which has represented Santiago in other issues involving the city, said she is "very aware that they want him to leave not because of his performance but because he evidently is not sympathetic to some of the political people in power."

"They want him out," she said. "Period."

During his nearly nine years as chief, Santiago has clashed with the city over police operations and a string of disciplinary actions lodged against him. Santiago was first suspended by former Public Safety Director Michael Lattimore in 2003 about a private management issue. In 2005, Santiago sued Plainfield officials, claiming negative publicity about the 2003 suspension and that a separate lawsuit Lattimore filed against the city damaged his reputation.

In 2006, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, shortly after taking office, placed Santiago on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of his lawsuit against the city. A judge then reversed the city's action and reinstated the chief.

In March 2007, Hellwig lodged a five-day suspension against Santiago, but the action was postponed pending a hearing. Private meetings before a hearing officer to determine whether Santiago deserved the suspension are ongoing.

Brandon Lausch can be reached at (908) 707-3175 or blausch@c-n.com.

Online story here. Archived here.

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(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Police Chief - Ledger - State OK's plan to ax Santiago

Published in the Star-Ledger, Friday, February 22, 2008

Plan to ax police chief post OK'd
Plainfield's force will have a civilian director

By ALEXI FRIEDMAN
STAR-LEDGER STAFF


The state has approved Plainfield's plan to eliminate the position of police chief and replace it with a civilian police director, clearing the way for the city council to create an ordinance adopting the measure.

The layoff date for Police Chief Edward Santiago is April 11, said Maryann Jemison, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Personnel. The council voted for the layoff plan last month, sending it to the state, which approved the measure Feb. 15.

Santiago will challenge the state's decision, according to his attorney, Patricia Breuninger, although that appeal to the Office of Administrative Law will not push back the April 11 date, Jemison said. Should Santiago win his appeal after the position is eliminated, action would be taken to return his job, she said.

Under the layoff plan -- part of a larger police department reorganization -- Santiago has the option of reverting to captain or retiring. He has not given thought as to whether he would accept the lower rank should his appeal fail, Breuninger said.

Eliminating the police chief and creating a civilian director will give the administration of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs more authority over the department, officials said.

Public safety director Martin Hellwig, who created the reorganization plan, said no decision has been made about filling the police director slot.

The state doesn't need to approve a police director, Jemison said, because it is considered an unclassified position; the mayor can make the appointment.

Hellwig's reorganization plan also calls for creation of a sixth police captain, regardless of whether Santiago accepts the position. The new structure will create a more efficient and accountable police force, city officials say.

Santiago, who has had a contentious relationship with Robinson-Briggs and Hellwig, says the move is personal, aimed at getting rid of him. He is still fighting a five-day suspension issued last spring and has a previous case pending against Plainfield, now in Superior Court, alleging violations of his civil rights, Breuninger said.

Before the Plainfield council introduces an ordinance to create a police director -- which may happen at its March 5 meeting -- Trenton Police Director Joseph Santiago (no relation to Edward Santiago) will give a presentation at a March 3 council agenda session, to explain his responsibilities. He gave a similar address to the New Jersey League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City in November.

Joseph Santiago, who is a past Newark police director and has spent five years at the helm of the Trenton police, has a complicated past. In January, the Trenton City Council approved a resolution asking the mayor to require the police director reside in the city -- Joseph Santiago lives 40 miles away in Stirling -- or face termination. In February 2003, when the council approved Joseph Santiago as police director, it did so despite protests from police unions. He had recently left office as New Jersey State Police superintendent after seven months, resigning under pressure during an investigation into his possible abuse of office.

Alexi Friedman may be reached at (908) 302-1505 or afriedman@starledger.com.

Online story here. Archived here.

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Council - Ledger -Gibson to lead, policy changes coming

Published in the Star-Ledger, Friday, January 4, 2008

Council president sees policy changes in store

PLAINFIELD: Harold Gibson, the new city council president, said he will recommend changes in council policy and procedure to ensure "the public is getting what it pays for" and also will encourage more members to meet with citizens.

Gibson, who was selected to the at-large council seat in August 2006 after council president Ray Blanco died, then elected by voters that November, wasn't specific about what those changes might entail.

In recent months, he has voiced his displeasure about the existing council meeting schedule. In a brief interview yesterday, Gibson said "the potential exists that maybe we don't need to meet as often as we do."

The city's 47,000 residents cannot all attend council meet ings, Gibson said, so he wants to encourage council members to attend neighborhood organization meetings to stay in touch with their constituents.

In terms of change, Gibson said, there are procedures the council has followed for years, some of which have not worked. "There is a tendency to resist change," he said. "My feeling is that to resist change is to set up a recipe for failure. I certainly don't want to do that."

Gibson, who had been Union County public safety director, took over Wednesday as head of the Union County Sheriff's Office new Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Gang Reduction unit.

Online story here. Archived here.

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Council - Courier -Gibson to lead, promises open door

Published in the Courier, Thursday, January 3, 2008

Gibson to lead Plainfield city council; promises open door

By BRANDON LAUSCH
STAFF WRITER

PLAINFIELD — Spreading a message of compromise and open government, Plainfield's new City Council president is pledging to promote public involvement during council meetings in 2008.

Harold Gibson, who won the presidency Tuesday at the city's annual reorganization meeting, predicted a strong working relationship between the council and Plainfield's administration as political leaders continue to review the city's fiscal year 2008 budget.

"The council and mayor's office probably will be able to work very well together," Gibson said Wednesday. "I don't see any particular issues where we'll be like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other."

Gibson, 73, joined the City Council in August 2006, when he was selected by fellow Democrats to replace the late Ray Blanco. He then won the general election three months later to continue serving as an at-large councilman.

Now heading the Union County sheriff's new Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Gibson has served as the county's public safety director for the past 10 years. Gibson's 35 years in law enforcement have also included more than two decades with the Newark Police Department and a role as chief of detectives for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Gibson — the brother of former Newark Mayor Ken Gibson — also has worked as Plainfield's public safety director and city administrator.

"I don't believe in trying to appeal to or appease to individuals," Gibson said. "I think that we are elected to serve the public, and the public deserves our trust. I believe they will gain our trust as this year goes through ... I believe I have the capability of leading the council in a way that will satisfy the needs of the city as best we can."

Gibson said that means making promises he can keep and and promoting an open-door policy for residents who want to discuss local issues with elected officials. Gibson also said he will champion public input during City Council meetings by giving residents their full allotment of speaking time and researching answers to questions if they can't be provided on the spot.

The new council president added that he might schedule meetings with community groups to get a better handle on residents' concerns.

"We don't work for ourselves," Gibson said. "We work for the 48,000 people (in Plainfield) and I think we should do what we can do to provide legitimate answers — and to give them the services that they're paying for — as best we can."

Although Gibson said it's nice to have a new political title, he said if council members "can't functionally accomplish that which the role requires, then I would think, very frankly, that we're useless."

"And I don't want to wind up in history as going down as that," he said.

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Elections - Courier - Storch endorsed for Council

Published in the Courier News, Friday, October 26, 2007

[Editorial Endorsement]
Storch in Plainfield

Plainfield has two City Council seats up for election this year -- and only one contest. Incumbent Linda Carter is running unopposed for an at-large seat representing Wards 1 and 4 after the withdrawal of her Republican opponent.

That leaves Democratic Councilman Cory Storch defending against Republican Deborah Dowe in the 2nd Ward.

Dowe is a sharp, fresh thinker with an extensive volunteer background in the city who ran unsuccessfully for City Council a year ago. She is also an eloquent champion for social reform, advocating for new approaches to engaging youth and providing incentives for achievement.

Dowe actually seems best suited for a school board position; she was recently appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine's administration to serve on the New Jersey Mathematics and Science Coalition promoting improvements in those subject areas. We believe, however, that Dowe would also provide a strong and welcome voice on the city council. She is a quality candidate.

Storch, however, is one of the best of the incumbent council members and deserves re-election.

Storch rode into city government on the New Democrats wave spearheaded by the late former mayor, Al McWilliams. He retains much of that independent spirit while reminding everyone that much of the city's progress was set in motion under McWilliams, such as greater attention to roads and infrastructure.

Storch has emerged as one of the City Council's more hawkish fiscal watchdogs, and believes the city should continue with McWilliams' vision to focus economic development on bringing jobs into the city. He also brings some practical environmental sensibility to the table; he explains, for example, that any transit village development near the train station must heed green design initiatives to remain competitive in the long run with similar projects in other communities.

We endorse Storch.

Online story here. Archived here.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Park Hotel - Ledger - Assemblyman urges closing

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Published in the Star-Ledger, Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Lawmaker urges closing of group home
He opposes the renewal of Plainfield facility's license

BY ALEXI FRIEDMAN
STAR-LEDGER STAFF

A Plainfield group home that for decades has served nearly 200 special-needs adults, including the mentally disabled, faces an uncertain future now that the city's powerful assemblyman wants it closed and residents relocated.

The facility, the Park Hotel Board Home, is the largest of its kind in Union County and lies in the city's downtown business district, making it a target as Plainfield continue its push for retail and residential development.

In asking the city council to consider opposing a license renewal for the Park Hotel -- the license expires Aug. 31 -- Assemblyman Jerry Green said the institution on West Seventh Street and Arlington Avenue is antiquated and cannot adequately care for its residents.

Green also wants the council to seek a moratorium from the state on future group homes in Plainfield because most are nonprofit organizations exempted from paying property taxes.

The Park Hotel, a for-profit, 182-bed facility housed in a six-story building, is also tax exempt [note by DD: this is an error, the property IS ON THE TAX ROLLS].

Any action by the council would serve only as a recommendation once time comes for the state to renew or revoke the Park Hotel's license.

Such a license would only be revoked if the facility has significant violations or had opened without a license, neither of which is the case with the Park Hotel, according to Sean Darcy, a spokesman for the state Department of Community Affairs.

Thee assemblyman made his case to the council Monday night, saying Plainfield has welcomed its share of social service agencies over the past 30 years and that it's time for other municipalities to do their part.

The point, Green said, is not to throw residents on the street.

"I want to make it very clear, we're concerned about people in that facility first," said the assemblyman, who is chairman of the Legislature's housing and local government committee. The Park Hotel is regulated by the Department of Community Affairs and its residents are overseen by the Department of Human Services.

Green said he wants to work with the state to find other locations in the county and wants the city to help him in that effort, sending the message "that we're prepared to do whatever we can to make sure these human beings are treated fairly. Currently, they are not."

Calls to Park Hotel officials for comment yesterday were not returned.

In a letter to city council President Rayland Van Blake, the assemblyman cited a trend in mental health services toward smaller institutions with fewer than 20 beds.

"The state would not approve a facility such as the Park Hotel today, given changes in policy," he wrote.

Green also posed his request as a public safety issue, saying Park Hotel residents "roam the streets of Plainfield," adding that merchants in nearby stores have complained about their behavior.

While individual merchants may feel that way, Lisa Cohen, who heads up the Plainfield Special Improvement District, said she has not heard such criticisms from members. Cohen is also owner of Suburban Jewelers on East Front Street.

In fact, some Park Hotel residents occasionally stop by her store to make small purchases or to say hello, she said.

Still, Green's plan was warmly received by several council members, including Rashid Burney, Don Davis and Cory Storch, who called the Park Hotel "beyond outmoded."

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, meanwhile, said she's had discussion about the issue with the assemblyman, and "encourages the conversation." Echoing his statement that the city has enough group homes and service agencies, Robinson-Briggs said other municipalities should "take on their own responsibilities," adding, "we'll all deal with our own quality of life issues as well."

One longtime resident, however, disagreed.

Speaking during the public comment period, Bernice Paglia reminded the council that a town's responsibility shouldn't be just to taxpayers. Citing the high number of Plainfield youths in juvenile detention centers outside the city, she said, "Maybe there should be [a] big juvenile detention facility in Plainfield." Paglia, who also writes a daily blog about the city, added, "When we talk about our town, let's have an open heart on who our own really are."

Alexi Friedman may be reached at (908) 302-1505 or afriedman@starledger.com

This story did NOT appear in the online edition of the Star-Ledger and was transcribed for this archive by Dan Damon.


(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Park Hotel - Courier - Green backs closing group home

Published in the Courier News, Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Assemblyman Green backs closing city group home
Officials describe home for mentally ill as unsafe, a nuisance

By CELANIE POLANICK
Staff Writer

PLAINFIELD -- On Tuesday afternoon, outside the Park Hotel Boarding Home on West Seventh Street, a middle-aged woman wearing plastic butterfly barettes and pink fingernail polish lifted the top of a trash can and looked inside.

She put it back, turned around and walked back into the facility, which is a privately-run, for-profit home for the mentally disabled. The woman came back out and repeated the process a few minutes later.

Local officials are discussing whether to lobby the state Department of Community Affairs not to renew the facility's license in August.

District 22 Assemblyman Jerry Green, D-Plainfield, visited a City Council meeting Monday night to share his opinion: the aging 182-bed facility is an inadequate place to house its clientele and a financial burden to the city.

Within the next two weeks, Green hopes to meet with the state Department of Health and Human Services, the state Department of Community Affairs and Union County officials to try to find placements for the residents in smaller group homes.

Management from the home did not return six phone calls over a two-day period and did not come forward when a reporter visited the property.

The facility has no open violations with the Department of Community Affairs, department spokesman Chris Donnelly said.

"The department would revoke a license and close a facility only if there were significant violations of the residential health-care facility regulations," Donnelly said.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs said she supports Green's request, but wants the city government to be sensitive to the needs of the facility's residents, as well.

"First and foremost, the City of Plainfield is absolutely sensitive to the needs of the residents of the Park Hotel, and we are also mindful of our need to be fiscally prudent," Robinson-Briggs said. "This is a situation where we are asking other municipalities to join us by being responsible for their quality of life situations as it relates to the residents' care and required services. What the city would really like is if the individuals who live in other municipalities but are staying in Plainfield -- we need those municipalities to step up and make provisions for their residents."

Councilman Don Davis said he was "100 percent" behind Green.

"We have to start doing more for people that are inside the city, instead of outside," Davis said. "It's time for other communities to start taking care of their needs."

Davis said he had serious qualms with putting that many mentally disabled residents in one location, calling for "smaller facilities to get them the care they truly need."

"Even if you were healthy, I don't think it's right to have that many people jammed up on top of one another," Davis. "I believe (Assemblyman Green) is really trying to help those in need."

Some Park Hotel residents wander around the neighborhood all day disrupting local businesses, and they may require extra police and emergency services that cost the city money, Green said Monday.

Police respond on a regular basis to medical and mental health calls, police Sgt. Daniel Passarelli said. Park Hotel residents often panhandle but rarely cause larger trouble, he said.

"We basically just try to move them on their way," Passarelli said.

Councilman Cory Storch is the executive director of Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, a company that works with Park Hotel residents.

"The Park Hotel is a really outmoded facility," Storch said. "It isn't a good model for community integration. That's definitely an approach that we all should be using -- people would be living independently, or if they needed more support, they would be living in facilities, but much smaller ones."

John Dempsey Jr., a resident, said the facility is clean, with good food.

"They clean my room every day, they clean the hallway," he said.

Dempsey has lived in the home for a year and a few months, he said. If he couldn't live there, he would go to live with his mother in Summit -- but he isn't sure what the rest of the residents would do, he said.

Cathy Ritchie, a psychiatric nurse for Holy Redeemer Health Care, works with some of the residents. They may get hurt while interacting with traffic, but for the most part they're not a danger to others, she said.

"They're really harmless," she said. "They might not look pretty, but when they're taking their medication, they're pretty harmless. A lot of these people have no place else to go."

The amount of supervision the residents get is dictated by the facility's license, Ritchie said.

Local businesspeople have mixed reactions to the issue.

Lorraine George, an employee at the Washland laundromat across the street, said she just tells Park Hotel residents to stay outside.

Adrienne Cole, a Christian products wholesaler who sells through the Plainfield Flower Shop, said she disagrees with the efforts to shut down the home.

"I just don't see why they would want to take something from a group of people that evidently has nowhere else to go," she said, pointing across the street to a man squatting in the facility's parking lot. "Instead of trying to get rid of them, they should be doing some type of fundraising efforts to help maintain it. They're so concerned about the economics? Get some jobs going."

"If they could control their residents, it'd be a much better place," said Norman Rodgers, who runs Rodgers Christian Day Academy across the street from the facility and keeps his brightly-painted front door locked. Rodgers used to work at Eden House in East Orange, and believes in a balanced approach, he said.

"It's definitely needed, but let's just try to control it," Rodgers said. "Increase the staff -- let's put some money into that. What else are you gonna do with the building? Let someone make $100,000 a month off it? That's not fair."

People shouldn't forget the needs of the residents themselves, he said:

"If something like that happened to you or I, we would want and need someplace to stay."

Staff writer Martin C. Bricketto contributed to this report.

StoryChat/Comments

It is time for a new Plainfield to surface. There's no beauty to Plainfield and beautification is what the city needs. Find a new location for the group home. It's bad for business. I've lived in Plainfield close to 40 years and it has gone down, while towns like Westfield have grown!! NO REAL businesses wants to return to Plainfield. I would love to sit in Starbucks in Plainfield instead of Westfield. Downtown Plainfield has nothing to offer when it comes to shopping. Harlem, New York, has a Starbucks. Plainfield is becoming a JOKE!! I have to agree with Jerry Green.
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 10:17 am

I agree the place should be closed down.It's almost in the heart of town.We should find places for our own "trouble souls " and let the other towns find places for theirs.Why should other towns dump their problems in our town?If each town took care of their sick they could be placed in smaller places .Plainfield is a dropping place for what ever other cities don't want.I'm sure most of these residents are not from Plainfield.Let each city take care of their own.Go Jerry Green I'm behind you in this.

Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:42 am

Green backs! Is this an Imus joke? Jeez.
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:31 am

Link to online story.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Park Hotel - Courier - Green lobbies to close facility

Published in the Courier News, Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Plainfield official lobbying to close boarding facility
Assemblyman cites development, funding issues in council meeting talks

By CELANIE POLANICK
Staff Writer

PLAINFIELD -- On West Seventh Street, when the mentally disabled residents of the Park Hotel Boarding Home have nowhere else to go, they walk down the street and wander in and out of stores all day, Assemblyman Jerry Green said.

Green, D-Plainfield, visited the City Council meeting Monday night to seek support for his efforts to lobby the state Department of Community Affairs not to renew the Park Hotel's operating license. As federal and state funding sources for social services dry up, Plainfield's lower real estate prices are part of what's making the city a magnet for people who need extra help and the agencies who serve them -- including those who aren't from Plainfield, Green said Monday afternoon.

This trend has financial consequences for the city, from reducing tax revenues to dampening the success of local businesses, he said.

"We're trying to move the city in a new direction," Green said. "We're trying to be very positive toward the redevelopment of the downtown area."

The 182-bed residential facility is run by a for-profit company, Plainfield Hotel LLC; representatives of the company did not return a phone call Monday for comment. The facility does not have any unresolved violations with the DCA, DCA spokesman Chris Donnelly said.

The facility is in the heart of Plainfield's downtown, across the street from a redevelopment zone. It hasn't been upgraded in 30 years, and the residents have no place to spend time other than their rooms or the streets of the city, Green said.

"These people have no recreational grounds," Green said. "The businesses in the community complain about the fact of them not having a social area or an area to congregate. They often spend their time in the different stores, just wandering ... They have no other place to go. ... This is no direct attack on anyone. I'm obligated as an elected official to make sure that these people are given what I consider quality housing."

Green also wants to push for restrictions on allowing additional facilities such as the Park Hotel Boarding Home to come to Plainfield, because they create additional need for emergency services and police intervention. Last year, Muhlenberg Hospital lost $9 million in costs of treatment for people who couldn't pay for it, Green said.

"Not only are we talking about a quality of life issue, we're talking about the city no longer being able to subsidize the services that go with a facility of this nature," he said.

Generally, the council seems to share Green's concerns, but the issue is still in the discussion phase, Councilman Rashid Burney said before the meeting.

Although the Park Hotel is a for-profit business, numerous nonprofit organizations similar to it don't pay property taxes, thereby reducing the city's number of taxable properties, Burney said.

However, there isn't much the city can do legally to force the facility to close or move, or to stop new ones from moving in; the state calls them "inherently beneficial uses," and the city has little regulatory power over them, Burney said.

As the cost of operating these homes rises, the city may be asked to foot the bill -- and that's too much to ask, Burney said. Last year in August, a halfway house run by the city with funds from Middlesex and Union counties was short $56,000 -- costs had gone up, but the funding hadn't, Burney said. When the figure ended up on the city's budget, the council had to say no to it, he said.

"I certainly want to help the disadvantaged members of society," Burney said. "I just feel that at this point, we've got more than our share. Per capita, we've got more than any of the other municipalities around us. We certainly want to take care of our own -- we just don't have the resources right now to take care of everybody else's."

Celanie Polanick can be reached at (908) 707-3137 or cpolanick@c-n.com

Link to online story.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

DWI - Ledger - Councilman Davis

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Published in the Star-Ledger, Saturday, March 31, 2007

Police arrest Plainfield councilman in DWI case

Plainfield Councilman Don Davis was arrested Wednesday night at the wheel of his car for driving while intoxicated, police said.

Officers arrested Davis at 7:35 p.m. in front of the 100 block of West Front Street. Police did not release details surrounding the incident, although officers at the scene said Davis was cooperative, according to Police Chief Edward Santiago.

Reached by phone yesterday, Davis said he will contest the charge, but had no further comment. Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield) said, "We shouldn't say anything negative because the councilman, like everyone else, deserves his day in court."

Davis has represented the city's 3rd Ward since his election in 2004. His colleagues recently selected him as chairman of the [committee of] the whole, to lead the council's agenda-setting sessions.

No link to online story, this item appeared in the print edition only.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

PMUA - State Statutes - City Ordinance

Below are scans of materials relating to membership terms on the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority. Click on any image to enlarge; they are sized to print on letter-size sheets.

First, the State Statute regarding County and Municipal Utilities Authorities, in two pages, the first covering full voting members and the second alternates.

The State statute concerning appointment of full members and their terms.




The State statute regarding alternates and their term lengths.



Below is a scan of the section of the Ordinance of the City of Plainfield establishing the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority, its full members and alternates. (As the matter continued overleaf, the two pages have been combined into one image.)



The Plainfield Today post on which this material is discussed is here. The online Statute may be found here.