Power came back on Oxford at 4:30 Sunday. This was the hardest hit street I have seen in Plainfield and in Union County for that matter - I drive to Elizabeth on various routes every weekday. There was some drama on Oxford. When the power switch was flipped, one residents feeder line burst into flames. The workers (from Pennsylvania) handled it in stride. One neighbor was cutting down a large tree on their front lawn, pro-actively preparing for the next storm. It was a beautiful tree and I was sad to see it go. But if you saw what happened on Oxford, you wouldn't want to criticize the homeowner. What happened there was scary. This is no longer a tree lined street. Our city needs to find a way to do a massive tree planting program and Oxford should be at the top of the list.
Belivdere and Berkeley were powered up around 2 pm. Thank you Florida utility crews. Sleepy Hollow Lane was a hold out as was made clear by my friend Mary who had a lawn sign that indicated "13 days without power". When I drove through at 7:30 they were finally back on the grid. Thank you crews from Virginia and West Virginia.
Not all residents I spoke with knew for sure what their property insurance covers. A few did not know about coverage for food spoilage or about payments for removal of downed trees on private property.
You should read your policy and/or speak with the insurance adjuster about this and other policy features. You pay a lot for that policy so make sure you get the full benefit.
There are still some residents without power but most people, at least in the second ward, have finally gotten back that which we take for granted. At least for a little while, we should think about the benefit of electricity, where it comes from and how precarious its supply can be.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Power coming back (written Saturday, posted Sunday)
Checking on the worst disasters in the second ward on Saturday, I saw utility repair crews on Oxford (the worst street I've seen for damage), Sleepy Hollow Lane, Garden, Columbia and at the end of the day, in the dark, finally, on Belvidere Ave. Power on Garden came back just as I got there and it was a relief to see people singing and shouting in front of their homes. A similar scene took place on Columbia with Lennie Cathcart leading the choir.
Residents had nothing but praise for the crews who hail from Florida, Connecticut, Wisconson and more locations than I could keep track of. The crew on Garden St.gave praise back, saying that Plainfield residents were welcoming, supportive and appreciative of their work. This reinforces the view that Plainfield feels more like a small town than a city and is one of the reasons we Plainfielders are proud of our town..
The Garden St block leader advocated for the removal of the remaining street trees to prevent future danger and inconveniences. There are still some towering oak trees growing on a narrow strip between the street and sidewalk. This applies to so many trees in Plainfield that it is a very expensive idea to implement. Especially as we would want to replace these trees with smaller ones on the Shade Tree Commission list, ones that won't disrupt power lines or heave up sidewalks.
Residents had nothing but praise for the crews who hail from Florida, Connecticut, Wisconson and more locations than I could keep track of. The crew on Garden St.gave praise back, saying that Plainfield residents were welcoming, supportive and appreciative of their work. This reinforces the view that Plainfield feels more like a small town than a city and is one of the reasons we Plainfielders are proud of our town..
The Garden St block leader advocated for the removal of the remaining street trees to prevent future danger and inconveniences. There are still some towering oak trees growing on a narrow strip between the street and sidewalk. This applies to so many trees in Plainfield that it is a very expensive idea to implement. Especially as we would want to replace these trees with smaller ones on the Shade Tree Commission list, ones that won't disrupt power lines or heave up sidewalks.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Power outage update
We have around 6000 electric meters still disconnected (out of 18,000!). Our Public Works Director was told by PSE&G that most of them would be connected by the end of the weekend. That is appalling. It is clear that our utility company does not have enough resources on the ground in Plainfield.
We have 2 dozen city trees or private trees in the city right of way still entangled with power lines. PSE&G crews must take the next step to fix power lines, poles and transformers. Then Plainfield crews come in behind and clean up the trees and branches left behind. If a tree on private property falls on a power line on private property, the property owner is responsible and most coordinate tree removal with the utility company.
It is optimistic to think PSE&G can keep to the timetable so we should be thinking mid next week instead. That is no consolation to people with no heat and a rather cold night coming.
I can say that every day, including today, I am hearing that homes and businesses are getting power back. East Front St. and Roosevelt came back this morning, Stilford Ave yesterday.
I do believe our DPW crews are doing a great job and are not the cause of delayed power restoration. Dept of Public Works crews are ready to come in after PSE&G to remove wood after PSE&G gets the power lines and poles fixed. They plowed the snow in a timely way from what I could see early this morning. They are making plans for tree stump removal and leaf pickup once everyone has power again. But there are still at least 16 streets blocked because of downed power lines! And 6000 homes and businesses without power.
I spoke with Assemblyman Jerry Green today about the legislative pressure being applied to the Board of Public Utilities. He is already on it.
We have 2 dozen city trees or private trees in the city right of way still entangled with power lines. PSE&G crews must take the next step to fix power lines, poles and transformers. Then Plainfield crews come in behind and clean up the trees and branches left behind. If a tree on private property falls on a power line on private property, the property owner is responsible and most coordinate tree removal with the utility company.
It is optimistic to think PSE&G can keep to the timetable so we should be thinking mid next week instead. That is no consolation to people with no heat and a rather cold night coming.
I can say that every day, including today, I am hearing that homes and businesses are getting power back. East Front St. and Roosevelt came back this morning, Stilford Ave yesterday.
I do believe our DPW crews are doing a great job and are not the cause of delayed power restoration. Dept of Public Works crews are ready to come in after PSE&G to remove wood after PSE&G gets the power lines and poles fixed. They plowed the snow in a timely way from what I could see early this morning. They are making plans for tree stump removal and leaf pickup once everyone has power again. But there are still at least 16 streets blocked because of downed power lines! And 6000 homes and businesses without power.
I spoke with Assemblyman Jerry Green today about the legislative pressure being applied to the Board of Public Utilities. He is already on it.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
How Union County towns are faring
In this report, the first number is the November 5 count of housing units with outages, the second number is from the day before and the third is the improvement. In Plainfield's case there was an improvement although that wasn't true for some cities (like Cranford). More important is that Plainfield (and Union) still has the most outages in Union County, even more than Elizabeth but similar to Union which is bigger.
Total Number's by County / City 11/5/12 080011/4/12 0900I
COUNTYMUNILast Update
Cst OutagesLast Update
Cst OutagesBetter/(worse) than work plan
Improvement
UNION
BERKELEY HEIGHTS TWP4 4 0
CLARK TWP936 1,028 92
CRANFORD TWP3,974 2,800 (1,174)
ELIZABETH CITY11,510 14,742 3,231
FANWOOD BORO845 1,706 861
GARWOOD BORO499 236 (262)
HILLSIDE TWP1,854 2,744 890
KENILWORTH BORO1,164 1,198 34
LINDEN CITY3,388 7,110 3,722
MOUNTAINSIDE BORO2,019 2,134 115
PLAINFIELD CITY 9,637 12,016 2,380
RAHWAY CITY3,295 3,930 636
ROSELLE BORO1,278 3,010 1,731
ROSELLE PARK BORO2,631 2,669 38
SCOTCH PLAINS TWP3,525 4,774 1,248
SPRINGFIELD TWP UNI3 3 0
UNION TWP UNI9,757 10,088 331
WESTFIELD TOWN2,640 5,928 3,288
WINFIELD TWP588 609 21
Total 59,547 76,728 17,181
- I expect to soon post a report projecting a day by day restoration of power by number of housing units. From what I can see, PSE& G expects most (around 8,000) units to get power by Friday, leaving over 1,000 units to suffer into the weekend.
SOMERSET -
BOUND BROOK BORO980 1,750 770
BRANCHBURG TWP3 - (3)
BRIDGEWATER TWP2,953 4,153 1,200
FRANKLIN TWP SOM3,484 4,982 1,498
GREEN BROOK TWP1,036 2,465 1,429
HILLSBOROUGH TWP2,276 3,640 1,364
MANVILLE BORO572 2,723 2,151
MILLSTONE BORO16 174 159
MONTGOMERY TWP877 1,261 384
NORTH PLAINFIELD BORO4,843 6,801 1,958
RARITAN BORO101 545 444
ROCKY HILL BORO26 206 179
...
Total Number's by County / City 11/5/12 080011/4/12 0900I
COUNTYMUNILast Update
Cst OutagesLast Update
Cst OutagesBetter/(worse) than work plan
Improvement
UNION
BERKELEY HEIGHTS TWP4 4 0
CLARK TWP936 1,028 92
CRANFORD TWP3,974 2,800 (1,174)
ELIZABETH CITY11,510 14,742 3,231
FANWOOD BORO845 1,706 861
GARWOOD BORO499 236 (262)
HILLSIDE TWP1,854 2,744 890
KENILWORTH BORO1,164 1,198 34
LINDEN CITY3,388 7,110 3,722
MOUNTAINSIDE BORO2,019 2,134 115
PLAINFIELD CITY 9,637 12,016 2,380
RAHWAY CITY3,295 3,930 636
ROSELLE BORO1,278 3,010 1,731
ROSELLE PARK BORO2,631 2,669 38
SCOTCH PLAINS TWP3,525 4,774 1,248
SPRINGFIELD TWP UNI3 3 0
UNION TWP UNI9,757 10,088 331
WESTFIELD TOWN2,640 5,928 3,288
WINFIELD TWP588 609 21
Total 59,547 76,728 17,181
- I expect to soon post a report projecting a day by day restoration of power by number of housing units. From what I can see, PSE& G expects most (around 8,000) units to get power by Friday, leaving over 1,000 units to suffer into the weekend.
SOMERSET -
BOUND BROOK BORO980 1,750 770
BRANCHBURG TWP3 - (3)
BRIDGEWATER TWP2,953 4,153 1,200
FRANKLIN TWP SOM3,484 4,982 1,498
GREEN BROOK TWP1,036 2,465 1,429
HILLSBOROUGH TWP2,276 3,640 1,364
MANVILLE BORO572 2,723 2,151
MILLSTONE BORO16 174 159
MONTGOMERY TWP877 1,261 384
NORTH PLAINFIELD BORO4,843 6,801 1,958
RARITAN BORO101 545 444
ROCKY HILL BORO26 206 179
...
PSE & G Update
PSE&G Restoration Progress - Nov. 6, 2012
Outage update: PSE&G continues to make progress restoring customers. We currently have 272,700 customers without power. We have restored power to 84 percent of customers affected by the hurricane. We hope to have 90 percent of customers restored by tomorrow morning. We continue to monitor the developing storm moving toward New Jersey and are planning accordingly.
We have brought four additional substations back in operation in the last 24 hours. We have one substation left out of service (in Bayonne) and hope to have it back in service today. This will complete the most extensive substation restoration project in the company's history. We are extremely grateful to the more than 100 out-of-state substation experts who traveled here from around the nation to help with these efforts. We continue to work to restore distribution lines that were impacted by the storm surge.
PSE&G has secured an additional 600 line workers who are being redirected from Pennsylvania. There are now more than 4,600 workers on the ground helping restore power to our customers.
PSE&G is also extremely appreciative of the outpouring of support for our injured lineman who continues to make progress toward recovery. Crews from out-of-state passed the hat and collected several thousand dollars to support his family - this was a spontaneous and heartfelt action by people working 16 hours a day far from home. It has deeply touched our company.
Since the start of the storm, PSE&G call centers have handled more than 1.9 million calls (more than 12 times the normal volume). Non-emergency work is suspended so that more workers are available to respond to customer calls.
To contact PSE&G, call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) or visit pseg.com
Our detailed work plan is available at: pseg.com/workplan
Outage update: PSE&G continues to make progress restoring customers. We currently have 272,700 customers without power. We have restored power to 84 percent of customers affected by the hurricane. We hope to have 90 percent of customers restored by tomorrow morning. We continue to monitor the developing storm moving toward New Jersey and are planning accordingly.
We have brought four additional substations back in operation in the last 24 hours. We have one substation left out of service (in Bayonne) and hope to have it back in service today. This will complete the most extensive substation restoration project in the company's history. We are extremely grateful to the more than 100 out-of-state substation experts who traveled here from around the nation to help with these efforts. We continue to work to restore distribution lines that were impacted by the storm surge.
PSE&G has secured an additional 600 line workers who are being redirected from Pennsylvania. There are now more than 4,600 workers on the ground helping restore power to our customers.
PSE&G is also extremely appreciative of the outpouring of support for our injured lineman who continues to make progress toward recovery. Crews from out-of-state passed the hat and collected several thousand dollars to support his family - this was a spontaneous and heartfelt action by people working 16 hours a day far from home. It has deeply touched our company.
Since the start of the storm, PSE&G call centers have handled more than 1.9 million calls (more than 12 times the normal volume). Non-emergency work is suspended so that more workers are available to respond to customer calls.
To contact PSE&G, call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) or visit pseg.com
Our detailed work plan is available at: pseg.com/workplan
PSE&G Update
PSE&G Restoration Update - Nov. 5, 2012 9:30 p.m.
PSE&G continues to make progress restoring customers - about 80 percent of the 1.7 million customers affected by Hurricane Sandy have been restored. The number of outages is now 340,000.
We have now restored 98 percent of our customers in our Southern region that includes portions of Burlington, Mercer, Camden and Gloucester counties. As work is completed, crews in South Jersey will be reassigned to work in other parts of the state.
There are two substations that remain without power, both in Hudson County. We are working to have them energized tonight or early tomorrow. Restoring the substations is a critical step in allowing us to power the distribution systems that bring electricity to customers' homes.
At the request of the Governor, we have provided details on our work plan that are available on our website (pseg.com/workplan). Note that the plan is a snapshot in time showing the estimated number of customers expected to be restored based on work currently assigned and will change based on emergent conditions and the need to reprioritize work.
Some current restoration statistics:
We have restored power to all refineries, and 84 percent of the gas stations in our service territory have power.
88 percent of schools in our service territory have power.
We are working with local officials to target restoration of power for polling stations where possible.
Mobile Customer Service Centers: To provide relief to communities hit particularly hard by this storm, PSE&G has established Mobile Customer Service Centers (CSCs). These locations are providing ice, drinking water, food and power strips for recharging devices free of charge to our customers. PSE&G representatives are staffing these centers to provide customers information about our efforts to restore power.
TownLocationHours of Ops
HobokenCVS Parking Lot 59 Washington Ave.8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
ParamusParamus Park Mall 8 a.m - 4 p.m.
Plainfield 518 Watchung Ave 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
In addition to the mobile centers, PSE&G will begin a phased reopening of its regular Customer Service Centers around the state. On Tuesday, Bayonne, Camden, New Brunswick, North Hudson, Passaic, Paterson, Perth Amboy and West Orange will open. On Wednesday, Burlington, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark and Trenton will reopen.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS USING GENERATORS AT HOME
We are reading media reports about people who have become ill or died from carbon monoxide poisoning or fires resulting from the use of generators in their homes. Anyone using portable electric generators must be sure to carefully read and follow the manual that came with the generator. Be sure your generator is UL-approved, installed by a licensed electrician and inspected by your local electrical inspector. There must be a way to physically disconnect your generator from utility lines. Generators should not be operated inside a dwelling or building. Customers who improperly install, operate or maintain a generator are risking their lives and the lives of their neighbors and utility workers.
Frequently asked questions from our customers:
Q. Why are my neighbors back and I'm not?
A. Homes very near to each other can be fed from different circuits. One of them may be damaged and not the other. It's also possible that one part of a circuit is damaged while other sections are not. Circuits from a station usually have two sections. If one section is damaged, we can open a breaker to stop the flow of electricity to that section while keeping the other section in service.
Q. I hardly ever lose power. Why am I out now?
A. These are conditions we haven't experienced in decades. Damage to switching stations, the backbone of the system, was extensive, and there were unusual amounts of damage to the transmission lines that bring power to the distribution system. If there is no power to their feeder station then their particular circuit will have no power. This storm also took an unusually high number of trees down, greatly increasing the number of customers affected and the amount of time it takes to bring power back.
Q. Why don't I see anyone working on this?
A. We have to fix the transmission and substation issues first, or no power will flow to the circuits that serve you. Much of the work that goes into getting your power back is done out of sight. We have unprecedented amounts of tree damage that caused many circuit faults. Once we have transmission and substations restored, we prioritize jobs that involve critical infrastructure (such as hospitals and police stations) and those that have the most number of customers affected. With damage this severe, it is taking time but we are working our way through that process.
Q. Why don't you know when my power will be back?
A. Under normal circumstances we know how long it takes to respond to reports of problems and restore service. This is not your average storm. Hurricane Sandy has caused twice the damage as Hurricane Irene. This means that even assessing the damage is time consuming, with new information constantly filling in the picture of the conditions that need to be addressed. We've also continued to bring additional out-of-state crews to help, and move them around to the areas they are needed most.
PSE&G continues to make progress restoring customers - about 80 percent of the 1.7 million customers affected by Hurricane Sandy have been restored. The number of outages is now 340,000.
We have now restored 98 percent of our customers in our Southern region that includes portions of Burlington, Mercer, Camden and Gloucester counties. As work is completed, crews in South Jersey will be reassigned to work in other parts of the state.
There are two substations that remain without power, both in Hudson County. We are working to have them energized tonight or early tomorrow. Restoring the substations is a critical step in allowing us to power the distribution systems that bring electricity to customers' homes.
At the request of the Governor, we have provided details on our work plan that are available on our website (pseg.com/workplan). Note that the plan is a snapshot in time showing the estimated number of customers expected to be restored based on work currently assigned and will change based on emergent conditions and the need to reprioritize work.
Some current restoration statistics:
We have restored power to all refineries, and 84 percent of the gas stations in our service territory have power.
88 percent of schools in our service territory have power.
We are working with local officials to target restoration of power for polling stations where possible.
Mobile Customer Service Centers: To provide relief to communities hit particularly hard by this storm, PSE&G has established Mobile Customer Service Centers (CSCs). These locations are providing ice, drinking water, food and power strips for recharging devices free of charge to our customers. PSE&G representatives are staffing these centers to provide customers information about our efforts to restore power.
TownLocationHours of Ops
HobokenCVS Parking Lot 59 Washington Ave.8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
ParamusParamus Park Mall 8 a.m - 4 p.m.
Plainfield 518 Watchung Ave 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
In addition to the mobile centers, PSE&G will begin a phased reopening of its regular Customer Service Centers around the state. On Tuesday, Bayonne, Camden, New Brunswick, North Hudson, Passaic, Paterson, Perth Amboy and West Orange will open. On Wednesday, Burlington, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark and Trenton will reopen.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS USING GENERATORS AT HOME
We are reading media reports about people who have become ill or died from carbon monoxide poisoning or fires resulting from the use of generators in their homes. Anyone using portable electric generators must be sure to carefully read and follow the manual that came with the generator. Be sure your generator is UL-approved, installed by a licensed electrician and inspected by your local electrical inspector. There must be a way to physically disconnect your generator from utility lines. Generators should not be operated inside a dwelling or building. Customers who improperly install, operate or maintain a generator are risking their lives and the lives of their neighbors and utility workers.
Frequently asked questions from our customers:
Q. Why are my neighbors back and I'm not?
A. Homes very near to each other can be fed from different circuits. One of them may be damaged and not the other. It's also possible that one part of a circuit is damaged while other sections are not. Circuits from a station usually have two sections. If one section is damaged, we can open a breaker to stop the flow of electricity to that section while keeping the other section in service.
Q. I hardly ever lose power. Why am I out now?
A. These are conditions we haven't experienced in decades. Damage to switching stations, the backbone of the system, was extensive, and there were unusual amounts of damage to the transmission lines that bring power to the distribution system. If there is no power to their feeder station then their particular circuit will have no power. This storm also took an unusually high number of trees down, greatly increasing the number of customers affected and the amount of time it takes to bring power back.
Q. Why don't I see anyone working on this?
A. We have to fix the transmission and substation issues first, or no power will flow to the circuits that serve you. Much of the work that goes into getting your power back is done out of sight. We have unprecedented amounts of tree damage that caused many circuit faults. Once we have transmission and substations restored, we prioritize jobs that involve critical infrastructure (such as hospitals and police stations) and those that have the most number of customers affected. With damage this severe, it is taking time but we are working our way through that process.
Q. Why don't you know when my power will be back?
A. Under normal circumstances we know how long it takes to respond to reports of problems and restore service. This is not your average storm. Hurricane Sandy has caused twice the damage as Hurricane Irene. This means that even assessing the damage is time consuming, with new information constantly filling in the picture of the conditions that need to be addressed. We've also continued to bring additional out-of-state crews to help, and move them around to the areas they are needed most.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The Property Tax Question and Why We Can't Get An Answer
There has been much confusion in city hall about property taxes. Since the Mayor introduced the budget back in March, the unanswered question has been: how does this affect my property taxes? Then the Council approved a budget in June with a reduced tax levy. Thus we knew the amount of the total city tax levy for 2013 (it is $50,228,583). Our budget consultant, David Kochel, calculated the tax rate. Knowing these numbers is all well and good. The total tax levy still has to be spread across all property owners based on the tax rate and the assessed property values. We asked our City Administrator the unanswered question: in layman's terms, how does this affect my property taxes? That means the dollar amount and understanding if it went up and how much. City hall has been unable to get an answer to City Council. I guess they think residents can wait to see their tax bills. But only the final bill, not the quarterly ones, have the break-out for city, school and county taxes and there is no comparison to the previous years bill or rate.
When I served on the Plainfield School Board, this was an easy question to answer. Our Business Administrator knew the school tax levy and the tax rate and applied the rate to the "typical home". That was a home assessed at something near the average assessed home value in Plainfield. The answer was given as soon as the school budget was proposed for the election ballot. It went something like this: "a home assessed at $100,000 will pay xxx in annual property taxes, up from xxx in the previous year."
That is what people want to know. The reason we can't get our senior finance people to tell people what they need to know is not a surprise. It's been a revolving door for City Administrators and long term vacancies for the CFO and other key administrator positions. If it were only a problem for one position or a few positions for a short period of time, it would be considered routine. Unfortunately, this has been a problem since Mayor Robinson-Briggs took office.
Sorry Mayor Sharon apologists. This is not a shared Mayor-Council problem. It was going on even in the Mayors first two years of office, when she got virtually complete cooperation from the Council (including yours truly). Her first city administrator left under of cloud of allegations and some other Director level appointments did not pan out either.
The problem started before her term began, when she convened a transition team. I wish I could recall who they were so I could ask them why? Why? Why did you wipe the slate so clean that there was no continuity or memory of good initiatives from the previous administration? Behind the scenes, people (including me) offered to facilitate discussions with senior decision makers who were removed and replaced. Not to plead for their jobs, just to help the transition to the new administration. These offers were met by a stone wall.
Lack of communication has been a hallmark of Mayor Robinson-Briggs administration. But it would be a good step to answer the property tax question for the sake of residents. Yes we only have a part time CFO, Glenn Cullen, whose time is so limited that I have only seen him once. But he could get us the answer easily. I will try to answer this myself. I am very busy at work and I don't promise a quick answer but it would be embarrassing if the Mayors people don't beat me to the punch.
When I served on the Plainfield School Board, this was an easy question to answer. Our Business Administrator knew the school tax levy and the tax rate and applied the rate to the "typical home". That was a home assessed at something near the average assessed home value in Plainfield. The answer was given as soon as the school budget was proposed for the election ballot. It went something like this: "a home assessed at $100,000 will pay xxx in annual property taxes, up from xxx in the previous year."
That is what people want to know. The reason we can't get our senior finance people to tell people what they need to know is not a surprise. It's been a revolving door for City Administrators and long term vacancies for the CFO and other key administrator positions. If it were only a problem for one position or a few positions for a short period of time, it would be considered routine. Unfortunately, this has been a problem since Mayor Robinson-Briggs took office.
Sorry Mayor Sharon apologists. This is not a shared Mayor-Council problem. It was going on even in the Mayors first two years of office, when she got virtually complete cooperation from the Council (including yours truly). Her first city administrator left under of cloud of allegations and some other Director level appointments did not pan out either.
The problem started before her term began, when she convened a transition team. I wish I could recall who they were so I could ask them why? Why? Why did you wipe the slate so clean that there was no continuity or memory of good initiatives from the previous administration? Behind the scenes, people (including me) offered to facilitate discussions with senior decision makers who were removed and replaced. Not to plead for their jobs, just to help the transition to the new administration. These offers were met by a stone wall.
Lack of communication has been a hallmark of Mayor Robinson-Briggs administration. But it would be a good step to answer the property tax question for the sake of residents. Yes we only have a part time CFO, Glenn Cullen, whose time is so limited that I have only seen him once. But he could get us the answer easily. I will try to answer this myself. I am very busy at work and I don't promise a quick answer but it would be embarrassing if the Mayors people don't beat me to the punch.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Vote for Adrian Mapp for 3rd Ward City Councilman
A recent development illustrates why Adrian Mapp should be re-elected to the City Council. The Council held a budget meeting last Monday. The Council is on the verge of approving a 2012 city budget that will determine the the tax rate and level of services for Plainfield residents. The details of that meeting are ably documented in blog posts by Bernice Paglia and Olddoc.
It's the story behind the public scene that shows why we need Adrian Mapp as a city government leader. The previous week the Council Finance Committee (Mapp, Reid and myself) met with members of the city administration to sort out the mess created by omissions in the Mayors introduced budget. Omissions totaling $2 million that threatened to trigger massive lay-offs and tax increases. The Mayors people had only one solution: cut the library funding from $1.4 million to $920,000. Mapp said "no way".
When it was now clear that the confusion within the administration had not abated, Mapp challenged the meeting participants to come up with a solution that would not be on the backs of Plainfield residents. The city's budget consultant (hired at the initiative of Mapp, Williams, McWilliams and I) was able to find savings from unspent expense budget lines from the 6 month transitional budget in 2011. Thank you David Kochel.
That still left a huge budget gap. Mapp insisted we take a hard look at the city surplus. It turns out that the switchover from a state fiscal year to a calendar year generated a lot of surplus. So much that we could take enough for the 2012 budget that the tax rate proposed by the Mayor could be reduced by two tax points- that is a reduction of $250,000 in the Mayors tax levy. We can go from negative $2 million to positive $250,000. There is still adequate surplus for future years. The Council is poised to approve this amended budget.
One indication of who Adrian Mapp is - he was not willing to settle for a partial reduction of the $2 million budget gap. He insisted it be eliminated. And in the interest of our overburdened taxpayers, he took it a step farther - to reduce the taxes below the flawed budget proposed by the Mayor. And he wasn't willing to take the easy way out by slashing the public library hours and services to people who need them more than ever.
Back to the Council budget meeting last Monday - he didn't even ask for credit for what he has done for the people of Plainfield. I guess you only get noticed when you do something that people disagree with.
It's the story behind the public scene that shows why we need Adrian Mapp as a city government leader. The previous week the Council Finance Committee (Mapp, Reid and myself) met with members of the city administration to sort out the mess created by omissions in the Mayors introduced budget. Omissions totaling $2 million that threatened to trigger massive lay-offs and tax increases. The Mayors people had only one solution: cut the library funding from $1.4 million to $920,000. Mapp said "no way".
When it was now clear that the confusion within the administration had not abated, Mapp challenged the meeting participants to come up with a solution that would not be on the backs of Plainfield residents. The city's budget consultant (hired at the initiative of Mapp, Williams, McWilliams and I) was able to find savings from unspent expense budget lines from the 6 month transitional budget in 2011. Thank you David Kochel.
That still left a huge budget gap. Mapp insisted we take a hard look at the city surplus. It turns out that the switchover from a state fiscal year to a calendar year generated a lot of surplus. So much that we could take enough for the 2012 budget that the tax rate proposed by the Mayor could be reduced by two tax points- that is a reduction of $250,000 in the Mayors tax levy. We can go from negative $2 million to positive $250,000. There is still adequate surplus for future years. The Council is poised to approve this amended budget.
One indication of who Adrian Mapp is - he was not willing to settle for a partial reduction of the $2 million budget gap. He insisted it be eliminated. And in the interest of our overburdened taxpayers, he took it a step farther - to reduce the taxes below the flawed budget proposed by the Mayor. And he wasn't willing to take the easy way out by slashing the public library hours and services to people who need them more than ever.
Back to the Council budget meeting last Monday - he didn't even ask for credit for what he has done for the people of Plainfield. I guess you only get noticed when you do something that people disagree with.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Roni Taylor for City Council
Roni Taylor has decided to run in the Democratic Party primary for Council at Large. This is a great opportunity for Plainfield. Roni is the kind of person we need to represent the interests of all residents. She is a rarity in that while most City Council candidates come to election season with little or no experience in public service, Roni has experience and actually has successful experience.
Her twelve years of Plainfield School Board service occurred during the tenure of Dr Larry Leveritt. When she was first elected, the Board of Education was split and the Superintendents office had a revolving door. After one year, a turnaround began. Roni helped engineer a Superintendent search by insisting on a more professional presentation by the Board at its public meetings. This helped Plainfield attract qualified candidates, among them Dr Leveritt. With the support of the Board, he was the most effective schools Superintendent our district has had in decades. And he began the gradual process of school and school district improvement. It is sad to say that after Roni (and Dr Leveritt) left, the schools were unable to keep up the momentum and have struggled of late. Still, the limited progress we see is built on a foundation Roni helped create.
Roni was born and raised in Plainfield and has deep roots here. She was the Director of Housing for the Plainfield YMCA for many years and was known around Union County for running a tight ship. She is currently a teacher in the Plainfield Schools and has two children, both enrolled in the Plainfield schools.
Roni and I go back to our overlapping service on the School Board. I've known her to be a pragmatic and dependable public servant. She knows how to be an effective team member and how to compromise and disagree constructively. Do we need that in Plainfield! I know she will put Plainfield first when she gets elected.
I urge you to support Roni Taylor for City Council in the Democratic primary.
Her twelve years of Plainfield School Board service occurred during the tenure of Dr Larry Leveritt. When she was first elected, the Board of Education was split and the Superintendents office had a revolving door. After one year, a turnaround began. Roni helped engineer a Superintendent search by insisting on a more professional presentation by the Board at its public meetings. This helped Plainfield attract qualified candidates, among them Dr Leveritt. With the support of the Board, he was the most effective schools Superintendent our district has had in decades. And he began the gradual process of school and school district improvement. It is sad to say that after Roni (and Dr Leveritt) left, the schools were unable to keep up the momentum and have struggled of late. Still, the limited progress we see is built on a foundation Roni helped create.
Roni was born and raised in Plainfield and has deep roots here. She was the Director of Housing for the Plainfield YMCA for many years and was known around Union County for running a tight ship. She is currently a teacher in the Plainfield Schools and has two children, both enrolled in the Plainfield schools.
Roni and I go back to our overlapping service on the School Board. I've known her to be a pragmatic and dependable public servant. She knows how to be an effective team member and how to compromise and disagree constructively. Do we need that in Plainfield! I know she will put Plainfield first when she gets elected.
I urge you to support Roni Taylor for City Council in the Democratic primary.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
PMUA in the Spotlight
At last nights Council meeting I proposed four resolutions to be put up for approval:
1. thanking the PMUA Taskforce members for the hard work of researching the solid waste and sewer service rates and presenting the comparisons with rates of similar towns. The taskforce also presented findings and recommendations to improve transparency and accountability, food for thought for the Mayor, Council, Board of Education and other Plainfield boards and commissions.
2. directing the Mayor and administration to procure the professional services needed to conduct a dissolution study. This study would be sent to the NJ Local Finance Board whose approval is necessary if the City Council is to dissolve the PMUA. More on this in a future blog post.
3. urging the PMUA Commission to make immediate and significant rate reductions. This is appropriate because if the PMUA is dissolved, it will take considerable time and the rate payers need relief now.
4. urging the PMUA Commission to rescind the $1 million settlement with the retired PMUA executives.
A majority of Council members agreed to put all four resolutions on the agenda for a vote at next Mondays Council meeting.
The Mayor was asked to support the dissolution resolution and she responded by stating concerns, more like worst case scenario's should dissolution succeed. She is right to bring up concerns and ask for more information. She was given the contact information for attorneys who have successfully facilitated dissolution of other municipal authorities.
These attorneys met with Council President Mapp, Councilor Rivers and I and they explained that a dissolution study will only be approved by the Local Finance Board if:
1) a case can be made that ratepayers will benefit from the action,
2) that a viable plan is in place to guarantee that essential services remain in place and
3) that there is a plan to treat authority employees in accordance with applicable laws. I would advocate further that there is a plan to retain Plainfield residents to do the essential work of waste disposal. I believe my Council colleagues are with me on this.
I hope Mayor Robinson Briggs is ready to voice her support next Monday.
1. thanking the PMUA Taskforce members for the hard work of researching the solid waste and sewer service rates and presenting the comparisons with rates of similar towns. The taskforce also presented findings and recommendations to improve transparency and accountability, food for thought for the Mayor, Council, Board of Education and other Plainfield boards and commissions.
2. directing the Mayor and administration to procure the professional services needed to conduct a dissolution study. This study would be sent to the NJ Local Finance Board whose approval is necessary if the City Council is to dissolve the PMUA. More on this in a future blog post.
3. urging the PMUA Commission to make immediate and significant rate reductions. This is appropriate because if the PMUA is dissolved, it will take considerable time and the rate payers need relief now.
4. urging the PMUA Commission to rescind the $1 million settlement with the retired PMUA executives.
A majority of Council members agreed to put all four resolutions on the agenda for a vote at next Mondays Council meeting.
The Mayor was asked to support the dissolution resolution and she responded by stating concerns, more like worst case scenario's should dissolution succeed. She is right to bring up concerns and ask for more information. She was given the contact information for attorneys who have successfully facilitated dissolution of other municipal authorities.
These attorneys met with Council President Mapp, Councilor Rivers and I and they explained that a dissolution study will only be approved by the Local Finance Board if:
1) a case can be made that ratepayers will benefit from the action,
2) that a viable plan is in place to guarantee that essential services remain in place and
3) that there is a plan to treat authority employees in accordance with applicable laws. I would advocate further that there is a plan to retain Plainfield residents to do the essential work of waste disposal. I believe my Council colleagues are with me on this.
I hope Mayor Robinson Briggs is ready to voice her support next Monday.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Street Paving Update
City officials are saying that the South Avenue street paving project is scheduled to begin the first week in April. Atlantic and Pacific Streets will be done first.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
PMUA Taskforce Presents its Recommendations March 19
The taskforce will present its findings and recommendations at Washington School at 7 pm on March 19. The public is welcome. The charge to the taskforce was to analyze the PMUA rates and compare them to other towns. The taskforce also was given the latitude to take its research wherever the facts led it.
The controversy about the settlement for retired PMUA executives is bound to come up and whatever is paid out will have a negative effect on Plainfield residents' family budgets. This will be part of the discussion but the taskforce, the Council and ultimately the PMUA Commission must keep their focus on the big picture. That means the biggest costs: labor and fees paid downstream within the waste management system.
Having said that, there is a lot of buzz about a letter from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA)to the PMUA Commission. DCA Director Neff indicated that DCA and the Comptrollers office will be investigating the PMUA and actions of its commisioners regarding the $1 million settlement. I received a copy of the letter. Due to technical difficulties I could not copy the letter into this post so I will email it to other bloggers. Check to see if they will share it.
Mondays Council meeting should prove interesting as the Mayor's PMUA commission nominations are on the agenda.
The controversy about the settlement for retired PMUA executives is bound to come up and whatever is paid out will have a negative effect on Plainfield residents' family budgets. This will be part of the discussion but the taskforce, the Council and ultimately the PMUA Commission must keep their focus on the big picture. That means the biggest costs: labor and fees paid downstream within the waste management system.
Having said that, there is a lot of buzz about a letter from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA)to the PMUA Commission. DCA Director Neff indicated that DCA and the Comptrollers office will be investigating the PMUA and actions of its commisioners regarding the $1 million settlement. I received a copy of the letter. Due to technical difficulties I could not copy the letter into this post so I will email it to other bloggers. Check to see if they will share it.
Mondays Council meeting should prove interesting as the Mayor's PMUA commission nominations are on the agenda.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Update on Local Government
Normally, my posts are on a single topic. Since I haven't posted frequently for many months, today I will cover a number of topics of interest to Plainfield residents.
PMUA - at the PMUA Commission re-organization meeting last month, there was an opportunity to permanently apppoint Duane Young as Executive Director. The City Council had not acted on new commission appointments so that the existing commission members, those with the most knowledge of Mr Youngs work, could take that action. They did not do so. I was particularly disappointed with Tracey Brown and Alex Toliver for declining to support Mr Young. I fear where this is going.
Also on the PMUA front, information has come to the attention of the public about how commissioners decided on the financial settlements with retired executives. Those who voted for the settlement have a lot of explaining to do on why they opted not to continue with arbitration that would have saved residents a lot of money.
The PMUA Taskforce, appointed by the City Council in 2011, will present their findings and recommendations to the public on March 19 at 7 pm at the Washington School. This should prove interesting and informative.
There is still an opportunity for the PMUA to lower its rates and thereby prove that it serves the residents first. I have always been a supporter of the PMUA in spite of its management and governance flaws and have opposed disbanding it. The way things are going, I am reconsidering my position on this.
City of Plainfield annual audit
The Council now has the audit report for the year ended June 30, 2011. It is not a positive report. There are what appear to be a record number of findings and repeat findings. Anyone who has questioned the Council on the cost of the WBLS investigation should think twice. The audit demonstrates the critical need for the City Council to increase its fiscal oversight on the Mayor and administration even more than it has done recently. WBLS is just a relatively small indicator of dysfunction at city hall. And there are no signs that Mayor Robinson Briggs intends to collaborate with the Council or change her management style.
I don't like to put the city in a negative light and for our Mayors first term, I generally held my tongue or softened my criticisms about missteps to give her a chance to learn her job. But I have not been as concerned about local government as I am now and I took office 8 years ago. The Mayor has generated so much negative publicity that I don't see any more downside to telling it like it is.
I will post soon on economic development. I want to end this post on a positive note and there are many non-governmental opportunities for sharing good news about Plainfield:
* the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District has received national recognition from This Old House magazine as "Best Old House Neighborhood". Congratulations to their neighborhood association and to Plainfield for this important designation.
* the Plainfield High School boys basketball team advanced to the state tournament section 2 group 3 final last night with a victory over Newark East Side. It has been a pleasure watching this team. They exemplify teamwork. Unlike most of pro basketball and a good number of college teams, the players aren't standing around watching their stars go one on one. They play like the team comes first. That is a credit to them, their families, coaches and to Plainfield. Go Plainfield - all the way to the state championship.
PMUA - at the PMUA Commission re-organization meeting last month, there was an opportunity to permanently apppoint Duane Young as Executive Director. The City Council had not acted on new commission appointments so that the existing commission members, those with the most knowledge of Mr Youngs work, could take that action. They did not do so. I was particularly disappointed with Tracey Brown and Alex Toliver for declining to support Mr Young. I fear where this is going.
Also on the PMUA front, information has come to the attention of the public about how commissioners decided on the financial settlements with retired executives. Those who voted for the settlement have a lot of explaining to do on why they opted not to continue with arbitration that would have saved residents a lot of money.
The PMUA Taskforce, appointed by the City Council in 2011, will present their findings and recommendations to the public on March 19 at 7 pm at the Washington School. This should prove interesting and informative.
There is still an opportunity for the PMUA to lower its rates and thereby prove that it serves the residents first. I have always been a supporter of the PMUA in spite of its management and governance flaws and have opposed disbanding it. The way things are going, I am reconsidering my position on this.
City of Plainfield annual audit
The Council now has the audit report for the year ended June 30, 2011. It is not a positive report. There are what appear to be a record number of findings and repeat findings. Anyone who has questioned the Council on the cost of the WBLS investigation should think twice. The audit demonstrates the critical need for the City Council to increase its fiscal oversight on the Mayor and administration even more than it has done recently. WBLS is just a relatively small indicator of dysfunction at city hall. And there are no signs that Mayor Robinson Briggs intends to collaborate with the Council or change her management style.
I don't like to put the city in a negative light and for our Mayors first term, I generally held my tongue or softened my criticisms about missteps to give her a chance to learn her job. But I have not been as concerned about local government as I am now and I took office 8 years ago. The Mayor has generated so much negative publicity that I don't see any more downside to telling it like it is.
I will post soon on economic development. I want to end this post on a positive note and there are many non-governmental opportunities for sharing good news about Plainfield:
* the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District has received national recognition from This Old House magazine as "Best Old House Neighborhood". Congratulations to their neighborhood association and to Plainfield for this important designation.
* the Plainfield High School boys basketball team advanced to the state tournament section 2 group 3 final last night with a victory over Newark East Side. It has been a pleasure watching this team. They exemplify teamwork. Unlike most of pro basketball and a good number of college teams, the players aren't standing around watching their stars go one on one. They play like the team comes first. That is a credit to them, their families, coaches and to Plainfield. Go Plainfield - all the way to the state championship.
Friday, January 27, 2012
PMUA - Major Developments Require Residents Attention
The Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority settlements with "retired" executives Eric Watson and David Erwin are getting a lot of attention. Plainfield residents are on the hook for $1 million because the PMUA Commission decided on this settlement instead of leaving the decision in the hands of an arbitrator.
Plainfield is being treated by the Commission and these executives as a deep pocket. As a long time member of the Council finance committee I can say without hesitation that Plainfield's pockets are small and are developing holes. I put in a call to the Governors office and spoke to a Richard DeRose to learn if there is any recourse for Plainfield residents. I am waiting for a response.
There is another current PMUA issue that is even more important in my opinion and is not getting much attention. The contract of interim Executive Director Duane Young is expiring this spring. He is seeking a permanent appointment. He got off to a good start, re-organizing the central office, holding the solid waste rates level and lowering the sewer rates. He deserves the opportunity to continue as PMUA's leader. He is bringing a professional style of management that is sorely needed.
The PMUA was created to serve our residents with the best services possible at the lowest cost. Based on comments made by commissioners in public meetings, I believe there is confusion about the mission. Fulfilling the long time promise to bring outside business would be a good thing if it offsets the cost to residents but not if it is for the benefit of a few entrepreneurs.
Duane Young's performance should be judged on the quality and cost of services. Outside business development is just a small part of that. And rates can be reduced in other ways than revenues from new business ventures. I think it is in Plainfield's best interests to support Duane Young as he restores credibility and efficiency to an important Plainfield service organization. Speak to your PMUA commissioners. They decide who will lead the PMUA. They are:
Malcolm Dunn
Alex Toliver
Tracey Brown
Carol Brokaw (has already expressed support for Duane Young)
Harold Mitchell (has already expressed support for Duane Young)
Cecil Saunders (alternate commissioner)
Plainfield is being treated by the Commission and these executives as a deep pocket. As a long time member of the Council finance committee I can say without hesitation that Plainfield's pockets are small and are developing holes. I put in a call to the Governors office and spoke to a Richard DeRose to learn if there is any recourse for Plainfield residents. I am waiting for a response.
There is another current PMUA issue that is even more important in my opinion and is not getting much attention. The contract of interim Executive Director Duane Young is expiring this spring. He is seeking a permanent appointment. He got off to a good start, re-organizing the central office, holding the solid waste rates level and lowering the sewer rates. He deserves the opportunity to continue as PMUA's leader. He is bringing a professional style of management that is sorely needed.
The PMUA was created to serve our residents with the best services possible at the lowest cost. Based on comments made by commissioners in public meetings, I believe there is confusion about the mission. Fulfilling the long time promise to bring outside business would be a good thing if it offsets the cost to residents but not if it is for the benefit of a few entrepreneurs.
Duane Young's performance should be judged on the quality and cost of services. Outside business development is just a small part of that. And rates can be reduced in other ways than revenues from new business ventures. I think it is in Plainfield's best interests to support Duane Young as he restores credibility and efficiency to an important Plainfield service organization. Speak to your PMUA commissioners. They decide who will lead the PMUA. They are:
Malcolm Dunn
Alex Toliver
Tracey Brown
Carol Brokaw (has already expressed support for Duane Young)
Harold Mitchell (has already expressed support for Duane Young)
Cecil Saunders (alternate commissioner)
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