Plainfield 2010 Primary Election Results (Council)

Plainfield 2010 Primary Election Results (Council)

District-by-district results for City Council seats.

Wards 2/3 at-large was a contested race between three Democrats --

• Rashid Burney (Regular Democratic Organization [Incumbent])
• Don Davis (Hold On To Plainfield)
• Rebecca Williams (New Democrats for Plainfield)

Republican Jim Pivnichny ran unopposed.

In Ward 1, Democrat Bill Reid and Republican Sean Alfred were unopposed.

WARD/DIST	BURNEY	DAVIS	WILLIAMS	PIVNICHNY
WARD 2
District 01	22	3	22	0
District 02	14	5	56	5
District 03	20	10	47	5
District 04	24	4	24	2
District 05	13	1	66	9
District 06	38	2	77	23
District 07	35	7	26	2
District 08	30	4	40	12
District 09	18	3	59	17
District 10	30	3	49	12
District 11	33	11	26	8
TOTAL - WARD 2	277	53	492	95
WARD 3
District 01	15	3	25	7
District 02	13	14	28	2
District 03	20	19	40	5
District 04	22	23	40	2
District 05	42	18	35	3
District 06	35	15	41	6
District 07	26	9	38	2
District 08	25	6	20	2
District 09	49	18	35	1
District 10	24	19	10	2
TOTAL - WARD 3	271	144	312	32
TOTAL - WARDS 2/3	548	197	804	127
WARD 1	REID			ALFRED
District 01	49			1
District 02	25			1
District 03	37			2
District 04	20			6
District 05	22			2
District 06	24			0
District 07	35			1
District 08	34			0
TOTAL - WARD 1	246			13

Total voter turnout was 2,286 citywide.

In Wards 2/3, 1,549 Democratic votes were cast. With a total of 7,384 registered Democrats,
this is a turnout of 21%.

(As for unaffiliated voters declaring themselves at the polling place, my experience in one of the busier districts at Evergreen School was ONE person declaring Democratic voter affiliation on Primary day.)

2009 General - Union County Results

Star-Ledger, Wednesday, 11/04/2009

Union County election results

By New Jersey Local News Service

November 04, 2009, 12:07AM

Union County elections
Here are the unofficial results of local elections held Tuesday in Union County. Check marks indicate winners, and stars (*) denote incumbents. Vote totals are not included in uncontested races.

UNION COUNTY FREEHOLDERS

THREE 3-YEAR TERMS
√Deborah P. Scanlon (D)* 57,359
√Alexander Mirabella (D)* 57,193
√Mohamed S. Jalloh (D) 53,866
Nicole D. Cole (R) 49,097
Anthony Sytko (R) 47,842
Hope A. Thompson (I) 3,958
Karen Gielen (I) 3,389

UNION COUNTY SURROGATE

ONE 5-YEAR TERM
√James S. LaCorte (D)* 58,239
Arthur P. Zapolski (R) 46,891

BERKELEY HEIGHTS

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√Craig S. Pastore (R) 2,708
√Kevin J. Hall (R) 2,667
Alexandra Chirinos (I) 1,404
Thomas A. Battaglia (D)* 997
Murray Robbins (D) 899

CLARK

No municipal elections this year

CRANFORD

ONE 3-YEAR COMMITTEE TERM
√David W. Robinson (R)* 4,421
Kevin Illing (D) 3,448

ELIZABETH

No municipal elections this year

FANWOOD

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√Mike L. Szuch (R) 1,338
√Robert Manduca (R) 1,330
Donna M. Dolce (D)* 1,252
David R. Valian (D)* 1,201

GARWOOD

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√Timothy O. Hak (R) 658
√Keith Sluka (D)* 651
Kathleen M. Villaggio (D)* 640

James Matheson (R) 636

HILLSIDE

No municipal elections in November

KENILWORTH

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√Fred M. Pugliese (R)* 1,276
√Salvatore Candarella (R)* 1,268
Darrin McMahon (D) 743
Ronald Knecht (D) 726

LINDEN

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 1 COUNCIL TERM
√Christopher Kolibas (D)*
No Republicans filed

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 9 COUNCIL TERM
√Robert Frazier (I)* 736
Bryan Tomko (D) 576
No Republicans filed

MOUNTAINSIDE

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√William R. Lane (R)*
√Robert W. Messler (R)*
No Democrats filed

NEW PROVIDENCE

TWO 3-YEAR COUNCIL TERMS
√James Cucco (R)*
√J. Brooke Hern (R)*
No Democrats filed

PLAINFIELD

ONE 4-YEAR MAYORAL TERM
√Sharon Robinson-Briggs (D)* 4,906
James V. Pivnichny (R) 2,103
Deborah Joyce Dowe (I) 391

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 4 COUNCIL TERM
√Bridget B. Rivers (D)
No Republicans filed

RAHWAY

No local elections this year

ROSELLE

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 2 COUNCIL TERM
√Sylvia Turnage (D)*
No Republicans filed

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 5 COUNCIL TERM
√Christine Dansereau (D)*
No Republicans filed

ROSELLE PARK

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 2 COUNCIL TERM
√Joseph Accardi (R) 539
Michael Peterson (D) 287

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 5 COUNCIL TERM
√Michael Yakubov (R)* 519
David Jacobs (D) 193

SCOTCH PLAINS

ONE 1-YEAR COUNCIL TERM
√Dominick Bratti (R)* 3,950
Theresa E. Mullen (D) 3,349

SPRINGFIELD

TWO 3-YEAR COMMITTEE TERMS
√Jerry Fernandez (R) 2,651
√Marc A. Krauss (R) 2,480
Richard Huber (D) 2,062
David Barnett (D) 2,004

PUBLIC QUESTION
Should Springfield spend up to $4.5 million to renovate and upgrade the municipal pool complex?
Yes 1,246
√No 2,083

SUMMIT

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 1 COUNCIL TERM
√Nuris Portuondo (R)
No Democrats filed

ONE 3-YEAR WARD 2 COUNCIL TERM
√Richard J. Madden (R) 1,805
Laura Graff Coburn (D) 1,520

ONE 2-YEAR AT-LARGE COUNCIL TERM
√Stephen P. Murphy (D) 3,473
J. Andrew Lark (R)* 2,878

PUBLIC QUESTION
Should the city of Summit increase the term of the Councilman-at-Large from two years to four years, effective Jan. 1, 2014?
Yes 1,812
√No 2,062

UNION

TWO 3-YEAR COMMITTEE TERMS
√Anthony L. Terrezza (D)* 6,098
√Manuel T. Figueiredo (D) 6,042
Paul M. Verzosa (R) 5,553
Charles T. Donnelly (R) 5,487

WESTFIELD

ONE 4-YEAR MAYORAL TERM
√Andrew K. Skibitsky (R)* 6,714
William L. Brennan (D) 3,927

ONE WARD 1 COUNCIL TERM
√Sam Della Fera Jr. (R) 1,605
Janice Siegel (D) 1,146

ONE WARD 2 COUNCIL TERM
√Vicki Kimmins (R)*
No Democrats filed

ONE WARD 3 COUNCIL TERM
√Dave Haas (D)* 1,357
Tom Delaney (R) 1,088

ONE WARD 4 COUNCIL TERM
√Keith Loughlin (R) 1,412
Thomas Bigosinski (D)* 1,270

WINFIELD

ONE 3-YEAR COMMITTEE TERM
√David P. Wright Sr. (D)* 285
Tracey Welch (R) 184

Union County election results | Local New Jersey News - - NJ.com (4 November 2009)
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/11/union_county_election_results.html

http://snipurl.com/t2aqp
----------------------

New Dems - PolitickerNJ - Mapp opens headquarters

Published on PolitickerNJ Monday, April 19,2009

April 19, 2009 - 3:43pm

In campaign HQ opener, Mapp appeals to 4th Ward,
emphasizes tough background

By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

PLAINFIELD – Running as the New Democrat successor of the late Mayor Al McWilliams, 3rd Ward Councilman Adrian Mapp opened his campaign headquarters on Watchung Avenue Saturday and promised to end what he described as “a dictatorial form of government” in Union County’s Queen City, and to fairly represent all four wards.

“I will create an economic development plan that is not developer-driven, and develop an aggressive marketing plan to enhance Plainfield’s image,” said Mapp, standing at a podium in front of an American Flag hung from the ceiling. “With a transit village tax credit, the train station can be our linch pin for revitalization. I would also like to undertake a study of all brownfield structures and create retail store ratables where possible.”

A large concentration of those old structures stands in the 4th Ward, the city’s longtime poorest residential district and the epicenter of the 1967 Plainfield riots. When she first won election nearly four years ago with the establishment backing of Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield) , Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs defeated then-incumbent Mayor Al McWilliams in the 4th, 868 to 698 votes.

As a candidate on the New Democrats’ ticket with Mapp last year, McWilliams’ daughter, At-Large Councilwoman Annie McWilliams, came back and crushed Robinson-Briggs ally Councilman Harold Gibson. But while she beat him decisively in the 4th Ward, (233 to 151 votes), voter turnout remained low there compared to Plainfield’s other three wards. In the more affluent, New Democrat-controlled 2nd Ward, where McWilliams lives, she buried Gibson, 738 to 270.

On Saturday, Mapp made a special appeal to the 4th.

“We cannot leave anybody behind,” said the former freeholder, a native of Barbados who along with his wife raised two daughters in this city. “We must move forward with all four wards.”

Touted by his allies as an egghead who will be able to make surgical decisions regarding the city’s budget, Mapp works as the chief financial officer for the City of Roselle. That town’s mayor, Garrett Smith, Mapp’s wife Emilia and New Democrat Assembly candidate Rick Smiley joined a crowd of about 50 people at the storefront-sized downtown HQ in support of Mapp, who’s challenging Mayor Robinson-Briggs in the June 2nd Democratic Primary.

“You have a great man here,” Smith told Mapp’s allies. “You don’t get MBAs and CPAs everyday in this line, because of the dirt in politics, quality people don’t want to run. But you’ve got a gem, and he will be an awesome mayor.”

Pat Politano, campaign strategist for Robinson-Briggs, said there's nothing wrong with the current mayor.

"During Sharon's tenure, she has cut the murder rate by 300% - from 15 to five - and stabilized taxes," Politano said. "Come on, this is a candidate (Mapp) who collects two public paychecks and wants to be somebody. He's going nowhere. When he was a councilman (during the McWilliams era), he didn't even know the 4th Ward existed. He wanted to make cuts to the police department as a so-called fiscal lconservative without considering the impact in the greatest areas of need."

There is a larger political context to the mayor's race here, as Green and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) face a 22nd District general election challenge from Republicans former Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and his running mate, Bo Vastine. In the meantime, they will have to get through Smiley, 49, who heads the ticket in Plainfield that includes Mapp.

Employed by the City of Plainfield for 23 years as director of community relations among other jobs, Smiley is on leave from his job coordinating the opening of Headstart facilities, to focus on the campaign.

“The closing of Muhlenberg Hospital transcends Plainfield,” said Smiley, speaking to his signature campaign issue. “My message will get around. I’ve got a little time now to get my message out there.”

The New Democrats’ decision to not field a second assembly candidate indicates their focus on the mayor’s race. “I’m comfortable having Rick on the ticket,” said Mapp. “There is such a level of dissatisfaction in Plainfield and in the 22nd District. Every town in the legislative district was affected by the closing of the hospital.”

In the speech he gave on Saturday following a shorter address delivered by Smiley, Mapp invoked the idealism of Lincoln and Obama, and committed to embracing renewable energy, building the police department to a complement of 160 officers, and ensuring the federal census properly records Plainfield’s population over the 50,000 mark in order to land a coveted category to qualify for more inner city funding.

“Most importantly,” he said, “I will listen to you.”

On the battlefield of ward politics, the knock on Mapp is he’s too cerebral, but his allies repeatedly plugged his intellect and detail-oriented approach as irrefutable strengths. The well-spoken candidate himself referred to his hard background lest anyone confuse him with a silver spoon transplant.

“I was raised in a one-parent household in extreme poverty,” he said.

As the challenger reached the emotional high point of his speech, a car alarm went off in the adjoining alleyway. Undeterred, Mapp’s vocal chords competed momentarily before outlasting the distraction.

While the New Democrats possess the advantage of having just vaulted Mapp and McWilliams onto the council last year, they still face the money and machine edge enjoyed by the establishment, and a formidable opponent in the mayor.

New Democrat School Board Member Christian Estevez told the crowd, “That tired machine will recruit teenagers to work for them and those teenagers will take their money and dump their pamphlets in the gutter. But we’ll be out there working for every vote.”

Max Pizarro is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at max@politicsnj.com.

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 CLIPS endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

New Dems - PolitickerNJ - Mapp gets in game against Robinson-Briggs

PolitickerNJ

January 26, 2009 - 6:16pm

In Plainfield, Mapp gets in the game against Mayor Robinson-Briggs

By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

[Image: Councilman Adrian Mapp]

PLAINFIELD - Pledging transparency in government, better city services and better advocacy for residents, Ward Three Councilman Adrian Mapp today formally announced his intention to challenge one-term Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

A former two-term member of the Plainfield City Council and former Union County Freeholder, Mapp won re-election to the council last year on a ticket with Annie McWIlliams, daughter of the late former Mayor Al McWilliams, whom Robinson-Briggs defeated four years ago.

"I had planned as far back as 2007 on running for Mayor," said Mapp, "but put that thought on the back burner after I was approached by residents about running for the Ward 3 seat. Folks were concerned that with the issues the country and the City were facing, a more experienced and pro-active presence was needed from the Third Ward.

“Like the rest of the country, Plainfield is facing an extremely difficult future for at least the next two years,” added Mapp, a chief financial officer for the City of Roselle. “People are losing their jobs and their homes, the likelihood that our tax receipts will be negatively impacted is very high, and we must come to grips with the realities of the situation. Plainfield simply cannot afford four more years of a mayor who rushes to hug people but seems incapable of actually helping them.”

Max Pizarro is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at max@politicsnj.com.

Related topics: Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Rick Smiley, Jerry Green, Annie McWilliams, Al McWIlliams, Adrian Mapp

(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 CLIPS endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

2009 Primary - PolitickerNJ - Robinson-Briggs vs. Mapp's New Dems

PolitickerNJ

December 21, 2008 - 6:05pm

In Plainfield, Mayor Robinson-Briggs
will try to withstand Mapp's New Democrats

By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

[image: Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs]

PLAINFIELD – Get it right in four years or you’re gone.

That’s the message the voters consistently deliver in the Union County city of Plainfield, and looking at past results, most of their elected leaders get it wrong.

In 125 years of political wrangling, only one mayor won reelection here.

That was the late Al McWilliams, a self-professed New Democrat who in 2005 failed to get over a rising crime wave and lost his bid for a third term to machine Democrat Sharon Robinson-Briggs by 325 votes, 2,713 to 2,388.

Now Robinson-Briggs, 49, Plainfield’s first woman to serve as mayor, readies for her reelection campaign next year in what will likely be a hard fought Plainfield contest with once and future councilman Adrian Mapp, a McWilliams ally and now leader of the New Democrats, who’s energized by his successful return to local politics.

Mapp already filed to run for mayor – a $35,000-per year part-time job - with the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), but insists he’s not yet made a final decision.

“If more and more people approach me I will consider running,” says the 52-year old former county freeholder and at-large city councilman, who earlier this year defeated Robinson-Briggs ally Don Davis by a 10 percent margin to become the 3rd Ward councilman.

“If there’s a groundswell of support for me, I would give it very serious consideration. I would be guided by the desires of the people.”

Should he run, Mapp, a CPA and chief financial officer in Roselle, is likely to make competence the issue as Plainfield’s nearly 48,000 residents this year lost Muhlenberg Hospital – the city’s biggest employer of 1,000 jobs; while homeowners fear the prospect of a local tax increase of 9.5 percent.

“The roads are in a state of disrepair, people are paying high taxes, and we have a shrinking commercial tax base,” says Mapp. “Residents don’t feel their tax dollars are offering a return on investment. They want to know their elected officials are capable of leading. Clearly, the city needs someone to get out front.”

In defense of her administration, Robinson-Briggs says the 9.5 percent figure reflects on a working $78 million budget that has not yet received state extraordinary aid. She continues to examine every option in difficult economic times, she says, including renegotiating contracts and implementing a four-day work week for city employees.

As for the hospital, Robinson-Briggs with pain in her voice argues that she did everything she could to avert what was ultimately a private sector decision made by the suits at Solaris Health Systems.

Her administration lobbied the hospital itself, and failing that, “We sent an overabundance of letters to Gov. Corzine,” says the mayor. “We proposed a statewide lottery with money to be divided among (urban) hospitals (like Muhlenberg). That was an idea that didn’t pan out. We started to work on the issue at the end of last year. We wrote over 2,000 letters. I understand the governor is in a tight spot and looking at things equitably in the State of New Jersey.

“But I told them, if you close the hospital, people will die.”

While the mayor refrains from listing her accomplishments days before her New Year state of the city speech, observers of Robinson-Briggs’ administration say positives during her four-year watch include crime reduction, fewer workers on the city payroll than when she took office, and construction of a senior citizen complex on Front Street for under $1 million.

People like her. What she lacks comparatively in schooling, she makes up for as a ceremonial force whose positive energy fills a room.

“The mayor is very warm can and can connect with people in an emotional way,” says At-Large Councilman Rashid Burney. “Adrian Mapp’s base is more affluent and educated.”

“No, Adrian’s not Bill Clinton,” admits 2nd Ward Councilman Cory Storch. “But he’s really good with constituent relations. I saw that when he first served on the council. Then there’s his financial background. He’s going to run on fiscal management and delivering overall quality of services.”

If the mayor’s poise and interpersonal skills – “Let me give you a Plainfield hug,” she tells a newcomer - and Mapp’s numbers-crunching prowess jump out as arguably the political antagonists’ most obvious strengths, both the councilman-elect and Robinson-Briggs also have important allies on their respective sides who underscore the city’s political divide between the regular Dems and the New Dems.

Robinson-Briggs boasts the political muscle of Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield), speaker pro tempore in the state legislature, who championed her early in her career on the school board and who has ready access to Democratic Party campaign cash. Green’s own PAC dropped $8,200 on Shannon-Briggs’ massive $200,000 campaign effort in 2005, while the assemblyman generated significant campaign contributions from Statehouse allies like Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) and Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Paterson).

Mapp, meanwhile, enjoys the alliance of the New Democrats’ symbol of polished poetic justice in the person of Annie McWilliams, 24-year old eldest daughter of the late and – in some quarters – beloved – mayor, who died of kidney cancer in April of 2007.

As Mapp’s running mate, the young McWilliams crushed the organization’s at-large candidate in the June primary by a 3-1 margin.

A Wharton School of Business graduate who will serve as the city’s at-large councilwoman when she gets sworn-in with Mapp come January, McWilliams comes out of the ward that contains the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, Plainfield’s own ivy covered homage to Victorian grandeur. She supports a Mapp mayoral candidacy, and at the very least makes it clear, “I will be disappointed if we see this mayor back in office.”

Coming off their win, the Mapp-McWilliams duo can make a compelling case that the New Democrats have momentum as they consider a citywide contest in Plainfield’s four wards.

Mapp in November seized control of the council seat in the mayor’s home ward, officially dealing her some disrespect in her own neighborhood. In addition to his base support in the 3rd ward, where presumably he would have to fight the mayor house to house for votes, Mapp can count on the old McWilliams support in the 2nd ward, reanimated by his daughter and reinforced by Storch. The 2nd remains the New Democrats’ strongest ward, where Al McWilliams built his own base of operations.

In their 2005 face-off, McWilliams won the 2nd over Robinson-Briggs by 273 votes: 924 to 651.

The late mayor lost in the city’s three other wards, by 224 votes in the 1st, 170 in the 3rd, and 204 in the 4th.

Already in possession of a political structure in Robinson-Briggs’ home ward and anchored in the 2nd by McWilliams, Mapp faces the challenge of reaching out to those two wards where the sitting mayor has an advantage over the New Democrats, the regular Democrats’ bread and butter districts: the 1st and 4th wards.

Predicting the usual political conflagration here next year, politicos like Burney are staying uncommitted for the moment.

“If I pick a side now and that side loses, I’m out,” says the at-large councilman, who ran and won as a New Democrat but has since tried to be more independent, in his words.

“I respect and like Adrian Mapp a lot, as I do the current mayor,” says state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union). “I will say that any attacks on elected officials regarding the hospital closing are absolutely unfair. From the get-go, market factors made it impossible for the hospital to remain open.

“The two main issues in Plainfield are education and crime,” adds the senator. “It’s no longer an Abbott School district. Crime is reduced. Usually in an economic downturn you see an escalation of crime but that’s not happening.”

Eighteen miles southwest of Newark, Plainfield resembles a smaller version of New Jersey’s biggest city – at least demographically: 62 percent African American, 21 percent white, 25 percent Latinos of any race. Its downtown looks like some headlong train trestle melding of Union City, Orange, and Passaic, heavily textured from the neon-lit windows to the curbs.

“The Queen City,” says native son, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), who served on the city council representing the 2nd ward from 1985 to 1991 before he moved to Westfield, the second to last Republican to serve on the council.

On Friday, the city mobilizes to confront a snow and ice storm.

The mayor’s on duty in City Hall.

A fire truck slaps slush in the windshields of oncoming traffic as it heads downtown, through a blur of African hair braiding studios, Mexican restaurants, grocery, private detective and bail bonds stores, tattoo parlors, donut shops, past the Religious Society of Friends- Quakers, they settled the town - under train tracks and past Central Americans in front of diners trying to make eye contact with drivers of passing cars, and public works employees in yellow vests on foot in the falling snow, shoveling.

A gray public building, one of New Jersey’s blue collar pyramids - in this case a post office - emblemizes the older era, when some WPA architect dreamed Greek columns could as appropriately adorn Watchung Avenue as the Parthenon between the liquor stores and a passing beef-pork-poultry truck out of Elizabeth.

It’s been over 40 years since the 1967 Plainfield riots, an era when Mayor George Hetfield conducted city business from the auspices of a local country club and the hard luck 4th Ward went up in flames and a mob killed Officer John Vincent Gleason, Jr.

And Hetfield – guilty or not, those who were there judged – was voted out of office, carrying on the one and done mayoral cycle that Al McWilliams finally broke and that Robinson-Briggs wants to break again.

On the hill overlooking the rest of the city, above the factories and abandoned factories and projects of the 4th Ward - “There used to be a Mack Truck factory there, a great big factory,” remembers Bramnick – stand the 2nd Ward Wall Street millionaires’ massive summertime mansions of all styles - Colonial Revival and Jacobethan Victorian, Queen Anne’s, Tudor, Second Empire, after a while you can start inventing names that evoke elegance but still not get to the architectural finery that is only, of course, part of the city’s legacy; as Robinson-Briggs and Mapp and McWilliams and Green, and everyone, gets ready for yet another season of politics in Plainfield.

Max Pizarro is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at max@politicsnj.com.

Related topics: Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Rashid Burney, Nicholas Scutari, JON CORZINE, Jon Bramnick, Jerry Green, George Hetfield, Cory Storch, Annie McWilliams, Al McWIlliams, Adrian Mapp

[Link]

(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 CLIPS endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

New Dems - PolitickerNJ - McWilliams resigns from Board

PolitickerNJ (Then known as PoliticsNJ)

September 24, 2005 - 6:34pm
Press Release

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New Democrats for Plainfield

By desnuda

Mayor Albert McWilliams Resigns from Executive Board
of the New Democrats for Plainfield

Plainfield Mayor Albert T. McWilliams submitted his resignation from the executive board of the New Democrats for Plainfield today. Mayor McWilliams served as Immediate Past President of the organization since July of this year. In accepting his resignation current president, Union County Freeholder Adrian Mapp thanked the mayor for his service and wished him well on his future endeavors. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2005

Contact:
Adrian Mapp at (908) 577-0630
Shep D. Brown at (908) 405-5755

Mayor Albert McWilliams Resigns from Executive Board of the New Democrats for Plainfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2005

PLAINFIELD - Plainfield Mayor Albert T. McWilliams submitted his resignation from the executive board of the New Democrats for Plainfield today. Mayor McWilliams served as Immediate Past President of the organization since July of this year. In accepting his resignation current president, Union County Freeholder Adrian Mapp thanked the mayor for his service and wished him well on his future endeavors.

Mr. Mapp announced the Mayor's resignation in a statement to members today reminding them that according to the by-laws of the organization the New Democrats for Plainfield could only endorse registered Democrats.

“Although the organization will not be making any endorsement in this race, we will seek to play a positive role in the upcoming elections by hosting a candidate's forum where all candidates for local office will be invited to share their views with the members of the New Democrats and the general public, said Mr. Mapp in his statement. “I believe that it is in the best interest of all the citizens of Plainfield to have a comprehensive issues based debate for all mayoral candidates."

Shep Brown, spokesperson for the New Democrats said that no date or location has been set for the candidates forum. He went on to state: “In keeping with our mission to increase the civic involvement and participation of residents in all segments of Plainfield community life, we encourage other organizations and neighborhood associations in Plainfield to keep up their tradition of hosting their own candidate forums so that they can hear where all of the candidates stand on the issues that are important to them."

For further information contact Shep D. Brown at Walliedog1@nycboe.net

###

Address : <http://www.politickernj.com/new-democrats-plainfield>

(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 CLIPS endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

2009 Primary - PolitickerNJ - New Dems field challenger in LD 22

PolitickerNJ

April 9, 2009 - 6:08pm

News

With eye on mayoral line, New Democrats field
Plainfield challenger in LD 22

By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

Jim McGreevey’s residential status in Plainfield sends Union County Democratic Party operatives into off-the-record spin mode characterizing the disgraced former governor as a fixture of the local rebel camp of self-styled New Democrats, a charge that today made mayoral candidate Councilman Adrian Mapp chuckle just before he shot it down.

“Jim McGreevey is a neighbor of the McWilliams’s (family of the late Mayor Al McWilliams and Councilwoman Annie McWilliams),” said Mapp, who’s challenging incumbent Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs in the Democratic Primary. “He’s not affiliated with the New Democrats in any shape, or fashion. There’s no affiliation.”

Running for her second term, the party establishment-backed Robinson-Briggs is allied with Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield) and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), who face a 22nd District general election challenge from Republicans former Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and his running mate, newcomer Bo Vastine.

In the meantime, Green and Stender will have to get through Rick Smiley, 49, the New Democrat Assembly candidate who heads a ticket in Plainfield that includes mayoral candidate Mapp, an ally of Councilwoman McWilliams’s and leader of the organization.

Employed by the City of Plainfield for 23 years as director of community relations among other jobs, Smiley is on leave from his job coordinating the opening of Headstart facilities, to focus on the campaign.

“The closing of Muhlenberg Hospital transcends Plainfield,” said Smiley. “My message will get around. I’ve got a little time now to get my message out there.”

The New Democrats’ decision not to field a second assembly candidate who does not hail from Plainfield indicates their focus on the mayor’s race.

“I’m comfortable having Rick on the ticket,” said Mapp, Roselle’s chief financial officer by profession. “There is such a level of dissatisfaction in Plainfield and in the 22nd District. Every town in the legislative district was affected by the closing of the hospital.”

Max Pizarro is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at max@politicsnj.com.

Related topics: Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Rick Smiley, Martin Marks, Linda Stender, Jim McGreevey, Jerry Green, Bo Vastine, Annie McWilliams, Al McWIlliams, Adrian Mapp

(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 CLIPS endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Report Card on Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs

Like the report cards we used to take home for our parents' review and signature, Mayor Robinson-Briggs will be earning grades ranging from A to F (plus E for effort) --

A - Excellent
B - Above average
C - Passable
D - Does not meet standards
F - Fail
E - Evidence of effort

ITEM	GRADE	LINK	COMMENT
01/08/09: State of City Address: Homicides 01/12/09: Preparation of Council documents 01/12/09: Withdrawal of Resolutions 01/29/09: On Obama Stimulus	F C C F	See story HERE. See story HERE. See story HERE. See story HERE.	Failed to compare 2008 to 2007. No excuse for not reviewing. Half-fast not the way to go. No evidence of local proposal.

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-- Dan Damon

Dem Primary - Courier - Letter: McWilliams agent of change

Published in the Courier News, Sunday, April 20, 2008

Letter to Editor
Support for Annie McWilliams as agent of Plainfield change

I am truly inspired by Annie McWilliams' answer to the call of public service in announcing her candidacy for the at-large seat on the Democratic ticket for Plainfield City Council. Like her father, the late Al McWilliams, Annie is devoted to the betterment of Plainfield for all of its residents. Through her youth advocacy, she has offered hope to the young people of this city, whose need for young role models to emulate is greater than ever during these difficult times. Her strong business background (a degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business) would be a welcome addition to the council.

Unfortunately, what has happened in our city of Plainfield over the past years under the current administration of Sharon Robinson-Briggs is a travesty. The ineptitude of municipal government, as illustrated by the performance of this administration more than halfway through its tenure, has caused many of us to throw up our collective hands in disgust.

At the behest of the Robinson-Briggs administration, the municipal budget has become inflated with jobs for individuals whose qualifications have been very much in question. Residents are upset at the crumbling infrastructure of our city, the lack of communication on the part of the administration and the continued waste of money, as exemplified by the mayor's private security detail, for which Plainfielders foot the bill to the tune of nearly $200,000 per year!

Currently, the Plainfield City Council consists of a majority that denies the right of public access to its citizens by illegally refusing to air City Council meetings on the local channel (which is paid for by Plainfield residents, by the way!), that rubber stamps every new employee the administration puts before it (while deliberately withholding resumes of qualifications from public scrutiny!), and that refuses to pass a strong municipal pay-to-play ordinance to protect residents from conflict of interest in the awarding of public contracts.

Our taxes have gone up every year as services have declined. We need an advocate who will work for us, not for some political agenda that is hostile to the needs of Plainfield residents.

We need to restore transparency and trust in our government, along with a sense that our city council members will strive to meet the highest standards of ethical and personal behavior. Second Ward Councilman Cory Storch has already demonstrated his independence by endorsing Annie's run, noting that he, too, is inspired by her candidacy in this historic year.

It has been my pleasure to know Annie, as I was a friend of Al McWilliams, who inspired me to get involved in helping make change. At his urging, I became involved in several campaigns over the years, serving in the past as campaign manager to Linda Carter, Cory Storch, and the late Ray Blanco, as well as campaign co-chair on Al's second mayoral campaign.

All Al asked was that the city, as opposed to any other agenda, come first. Annie asks the same of all who desire to work on her behalf. She is strong, independent, and smart -- qualities that we should demand from all of our public servants.

It is time for a change. I encourage voters to come out and support Annie, who is devoted to her family, to her Shiloh Baptist Church community, and to Plainfield, for the at-large city council seat. I am convinced that Annie McWilliams best represents the change that Plainfield needs and that, with the support and votes of the greater Plainfield community, she can be successful.

REBECCA WILLIAMS
Plainfield

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.)

2008 Dem Primary - Ledger - McWilliams v. Gibson

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Published in the Star-Ledger, Sunday, April 13, 2008

Plainfield Democratic race pits new, old
McWilliams didn't run because of a snub

BY ALEXI FRIEDMAN
Star-Ledger Staff

Annie McWilliams' decision to oppose Plainfield's at-large Councilman Harold Gibson in the June Democratic primary wasn't retribution for a perceived snub, she insists.

She said it has nothing to do with Council President Gibson removing from discussion a proposal at last month's meeting for a memorial to her father, former Plainfield Mayor Albert McWilliams, who died last April.

While Annie McWilliams acknowledged that Gibson's action was a surprise -- a memorial committee had worked on the plan for a year -- she has faith the proposal will eventually pass. She requested the council approve the measure before her father's memorial service, which took place last week.

"That's not why I ran. It's much deeper than that," said the 23-year-old McWilliams. "I hear horror stories coming out of the public schools, the budget cuts, there's got to be something that can be done." McWilliams, a longtime Plainfield resident who works in New York City as a financial analyst for Citigroup, has taken her cue from another young candidate, this one running for president.

"I was inspired by Obama -- 'Yes we can,' -- I feel I can do this," she said, referring to the enthusiasm engendered in Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic nomination.

While McWilliams and Gibson hail from political families -- Harold's brother, Kenneth Gibson, was mayor of Newark from 1970 to '86 -- their differences are stark.

Gibson is 73 and has a long résumé of public service, including 25 years as a Newark police officer. He is a former Plainfield city administrator who was chosen in August 2006 as councilman after Ray Blanco died. Gibson was elected that November to serve out the remainder of the term, which ends this year. In January, his colleagues voted him council president.

He was also recently named head of the Union County Sheriff's Office new Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Gang Reduction unit; prior to that, he was the county public safety director.

McWilliams, on the other hand, is a political novice with a comparatively thin résumé. She graduated from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, and is in her second year at Citigroup.

She turns 24 in June, and if elected, would become the youngest council member in Plainfield in 20 years, and one of the youngest ever, said City Clerk Laddie Wyatt. Rayland Van Blake, now a Union County Freeholder, was 26 when he was first elected to the Plainfield City Council in 2002.

The winner of the June 3 Democratic primary will face off against Republican Deborah Dowe, who is running unopposed. But because Plainfield's registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 10 to 1, the primary, not the general election, is considered the real race.

For his part, Gibson has the backing of the City Democratic Committee, and believes Plainfield is "headed in the right direction." His efforts in the last two years on behalf of all constituents -- the at-large council member is elected by voters in all four wards -- have warranted another term, Gibson said.

In addition, the councilman mentioned his recent decision to make the opening prayer at council meetings less specific to Christianity as a measure that shows "respect to all citizens." Gibson, himself a Christian, added that those who aren't "can still be part of the prayer system without being shut off from it."

Though he doesn't begrudge Annie McWilliams for running against him, Gibson believes she is doing so because of his March 19 decision at a council meeting to pull the proposal for her father's memorial.

"I've taken a beating lately because of a close, personal issue. It's a mistaken position that Harold Gibson prevented an Al McWilliams memorial," he said.

Gibson yanked the item because the clerk's office had improperly included it in the agenda that night, he said. Laddie Wyatt, the clerk, confirmed that her office staff should not have attached it as a possible resolution.

"This wasn't a personal thing," Gibson said, who dispelled whispers that the mayor's office had twisted his arm to make the decision. "We as a council have to be careful what we allow to be done with any individual, regardless if it's a former mayor or not." A McWilliams memorial, he said, is not off the table.

Annie McWilliams said that single issue shouldn't distract voters from the reason she is running for council, which is to help lift Plainfield. Her commitment to the city is strong, McWilliams said, noting the local organization she co-founded, Youth Exposure, which mentors local middle school students.

Gibson's experience in government is stronger, she acknowledged, but that shouldn't be the only qualification. Returning to the Obama theme, McWilliams added, "people say he doesn't have experience. The problem is, we limit what experience is. It may not be directly related to politics, but it doesn't mean it's not valuable."

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

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.)

County Party Organizations - NY Times - Bill would set rules

Published in the New York Times, Sunday, December 09, 2007

On Politics
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Open County Primaries

By DAVID W. CHEN

TRENTON

CONVENTIONAL wisdom says that most elections in New Jersey are decided in the primary, because most districts are drawn so that the dominant party doesn’t have to break a financial sweat in the general election. But in practice, the primary is often a fait accompli, too, because the real drama occurs at the county political conventions, thanks to the influence of county political bosses.

So imagine what chaos and suspense might unfold if a proposal offered by two of the most prominent women in the State Legislature becomes a reality.

State Senators Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat from Bergen County, and Diane B. Allen, a Republican from Burlington County, introduced a bill last week that would open up the process by which county parties operate. Senator Allen has complained that the process is rife with back-room deals and is dominated by men.

Under the bill, the parties would be required to adopt constitutions and bylaws; use voting machines when committee members fill vacancies in the Legislature; and keep an updated list of committee members on file with the county clerk.

The bill, called the Party Democracy Act, has a bipartisan group of sponsors in the Assembly, too: Linda R. Greenstein, a Democrat who represents Mercer and Middlesex Counties; Amy H. Handlin, a Republican from Monmouth County; and Ms. Weinberg’s two running mates in Bergen County, Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Gordon M. Johnson.

Guiding the legislators from the outside is Harry S. Pozycki, chairman of the Citizens’ Campaign, a nonpartisan group devoted to government reform.

At its heart, Mr. Pozycki said, the bill is intended to muzzle county political chairmen, who have long been perceived to wield an inordinate amount of power in picking candidates for local, county and statewide offices. Securing the blessing of the county boss has long been crucial to victory in any race, because of the way loyal blocs of voters in low-turnout elections follow the cues of their party leaders.

“We move from tyranny to democracy,” said Mr. Pozycki, a former chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic Party. “We have the rule of law, instead of the clubhouse rule.”

But this being New Jersey, you can bet there is personal animus underpinning the bill as well.

In Bergen County, Senator Weinberg has been engaged in an increasingly bitter battle with Joseph A. Ferriero, the Democratic Party chairman. To get into the whys and whats of their feud would require a master’s thesis worth of paperwork. But some of the bad blood dates back two years, when Senator Weinberg, then an assemblywoman, went to court in a battle over disputed ballots to edge a candidate preferred by Mr. Ferriero to fill a Senate vacancy.

Senator Allen has most recently been engaged in a standoff with Glenn Paulsen, a former Burlington County Republican chairman who still wields a lot of influence. She had wanted the county party’s help in a primary to fill the seat of retiring Representative Jim Saxton, but she quit when she became frustrated with the process.

“We need to get rid of the county bosses,” Senator Allen said. “Back-room deals have been made in New Jersey for years, and only now, when we seem to have a lot more women in the Legislature, are we starting to gain momentum in saying, ‘You can’t do that anymore.’”

Asked about Senator Allen’s remarks, Bill Layton, the new Burlington County Republican chairman, who is not exactly an Allen supporter, declined to comment. But he said that her bill was, in general, a good one.

“I think anytime the Legislature or anyone wants to make the political process for political parties more open and transparent, I think that’s a great thing,” Mr. Layton said. “I think it’s a great piece of legislation.”

But he said he did not like the requirement for voting machines because “to close that process off would be like asking the senators and assemblymen who come up to Trenton every day to go in a back room and vote on bills, so no one really knows how they stood on the issues.”

The fate of the bill is unclear. Gov. Jon S. Corzine said that while he had not looked at the bill, “I’ve tended to support most of the things that Senator Weinberg has been on the side of.”

Legislative leaders have offered lukewarm opinions. And both Tom Wilson, the state Republican Party chairman, and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, his Democratic counterpart, expressed concern about the constitutionality of such a bill, noting that the United States Supreme Court has ruled that government cannot regulate private political organizations.

So leave it to Charlotte DeFillippo, the Union County Democratic chairwoman, to weigh in, too — on the side of the existing system.

“While Senator Weinberg is certainly prolific as a bill writer, I think that the legislation is gratuitous,” said Ms. DeFillippo, the only woman leading a county party in New Jersey. “Individual political problems should not forge general public policy. I also believe this is constitutional. So I agree with both state chairmen, and that’s a rarity.”

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.)

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.)

Pay-to-Play - APP - Editorial: Limited at last

Published in the Asbury Park Press, Saturday, August 11, 2007

[Editorial]
Pay-to-play limited at last


Monmouth County's Board of Freeholders on Thursday effectively said to the state Legislature: OK, your turn. The freeholders unanimously passed pay-to-play restrictions and a curb on wheeling, outdoing the state's weaker reforms.

The freeholders did the right thing in backing the proposals from a committee that toiled for months to come up with measures that block the ability of contractors and other professionals to win lucrative public jobs by wooing politicians with hefty campaign donations.

Kate Mellina, a county chairwoman for the good-government group Citizens' Campaign, said the rules approved Thursday "set a standard for the state." We're glad to see Monmouth County join the many municipalities and one other county that are showing up the Legislature by passing stricter, more comprehensive, campaign finance reform measures. Political contributions from anyone seeking county work will now be capped at $300. To limit wheeling, candidates can't accept a contribution from another county's political party in excess of $2,600 per election.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature has failed to take the lead on pay-to-play, often saying they want to see what the counties and towns do first. That's a flimsy excuse. But one by one, towns and now counties are taking them up on it. We hope Monmouth County's actions will help shame Trenton's Democratic legislative leaders into doing the right thing, moving the strictest of the pay-to-play bills through the Statehouse and onto Gov. Corzine's desk.

Monmouth County's effort wasn't smooth — and should have been finished long ago. Some political shenanigans put a few forks in the road, including an effort in June to scuttle the work of the bipartisan committee in favor of weaker measures promoted by Republican leaders. But as one resident told the board Thursday, "at the end, you did the right thing. You showed some outstanding leadership."

Pay-to-play is a form of legal bribery where donations result in government contract prices that are inflated to cover the cost of those donations. That political game ultimately costs the taxpayers — a lot. Wheeling plays games with disclosure efforts as political contributions are made to out-of-county campaign funds, then wheeled back in to hide the identity of the original donor.

Monmouth County has tossed the ball back to Trenton. We'd like to see Ocean County get in the game, too, as well as the remaining municipalities that are still waiting for Trenton to act. There's no reason why that has to be an exercise in futility.

Link to online story. Archived here.

(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.)