workshop: A Spirited Discussion - Municipalities and State ABC Laws
The Plainfield City Council is the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission for local liquor establishments. The Council has struggled over the years to effectively regulate the local bars that are selling to minors and overselling drinks to customers who've had a few too many. This year the Council scored some enforcement victories and for all the complaints against this City Council, this is an area of governance where the Council has done better than any year in the last two decades. But more enforcement is needed. Also, the lack of available liquor licenses for new restaurants is a barrier to downtown and South Avenue development. So I was definitely going to this session.
Presenters were in agreement that the state law, created after Prohibition ended, needs to be replaced. But there are competing interests, especially from the well funded Restaurant trade association, represented by high powered lobbyists. They want to protect the investments made by current liquor license holders. That means that change will come slowly and step by step rather than by comprehensive reform legislation.
A good place to start is with redevelopment areas. Most urban municipalities are maxed out with licenses because of the state imposed per capita license formula. Plainfield is one of these. Since we want a walkable downtown with a variety of restaurants, we need a few new licenses for our downtown. I am referring to licenses for restaurants, not liquor stores. This will take state legislation. I plan to write a resolution in support of such legislation. Reform of outdated laws will stimulate investment and development in Plainfield.
On the enforcement front, there is hope for the future in Plainfield. The Council has had a few enforcement advocates over the last 10 years - yours truly being one of them. So is Bill Reid, although Bill's voting hasn't always been in line with his public statements urging for enforcement action. I called for several bars to be required to hire off duty police officers for weekend and late night duty. My requests were approved by the Council. The reason we scored enforcement victories in 2014 is that the Council has been able to get the cooperation of the police department. With police enforcement that is well documented, Council actions against Alcoholic Beverage violators will stand up under appeal. So thank you to Police Director Carl Riley, his officers and Mayor Mapp and City Council for pulling all the pieces of the puzzle together.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Notes from the League of Municipalities Convention
Workshop: Your Role in Overseeing Authorities
Governing bodies have the power to create authorities, appoint members to their commissions, review their budgets and dissolve them. This latter point was mentioned over and over by the presenters - Thomas Neff and Ann Zawartkay from the Division of Local Government, Dept of Community Affairs (DCA). In other words, the state can't replace the city council's authority for these responsibilities.
The most interesting information from this session for me was obtained after the session ended. Speaking with Ms Zarartkay (Chief, Bureau of Authorities and Auditing), I learned that DCA's investigation of complaints from Plainfield about the $1 million payment to retired executives was taken up by the state Comptrollers office at the request of the Governors office. DCA officials have been waiting for the Comptrollers office to do what they do and last summer they called to find out when this part of the investigation would be completed. They were told some time from September to November.
This may not be news to local insiders but others have been wondering if and when this investigation would be concluded. I was worried when, last year, my calls to the Governors office were not returned.
Ms Zarartkay also shared that when the investigation is completed, a report will be copied to the PMUA and the city. Mayor Mapp confirmed that he was told he would receive the report.
Whatever the conclusion, it will be good for the city to get beyond the lack of resolution we are experiencing. And I hope the conclusion is that the ratepayers will get our money back.
Governing bodies have the power to create authorities, appoint members to their commissions, review their budgets and dissolve them. This latter point was mentioned over and over by the presenters - Thomas Neff and Ann Zawartkay from the Division of Local Government, Dept of Community Affairs (DCA). In other words, the state can't replace the city council's authority for these responsibilities.
The most interesting information from this session for me was obtained after the session ended. Speaking with Ms Zarartkay (Chief, Bureau of Authorities and Auditing), I learned that DCA's investigation of complaints from Plainfield about the $1 million payment to retired executives was taken up by the state Comptrollers office at the request of the Governors office. DCA officials have been waiting for the Comptrollers office to do what they do and last summer they called to find out when this part of the investigation would be completed. They were told some time from September to November.
This may not be news to local insiders but others have been wondering if and when this investigation would be concluded. I was worried when, last year, my calls to the Governors office were not returned.
Ms Zarartkay also shared that when the investigation is completed, a report will be copied to the PMUA and the city. Mayor Mapp confirmed that he was told he would receive the report.
Whatever the conclusion, it will be good for the city to get beyond the lack of resolution we are experiencing. And I hope the conclusion is that the ratepayers will get our money back.
I have my blog back
After being frustrated by password complications for many months, I figured out a way back to my blog.
Having just returned from the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention, I have plenty to share and will do soon.
Having just returned from the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention, I have plenty to share and will do soon.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Primary Election Thoughts
I've had time to get some perspective on my disappointments about the local primary election results. I am happy and relieved about Rebecca Williams' victory but concerned that we have a status quo Council. That is not good for Plainfield.
Charles McCrae was an excellent candidate who fell just short of winning the 3rd ward seat. That he was in column E meant he had a huge hill to climb. And he still came close to winning. Should he choose to run again some day, he will be formidable.
It is a good sign for the future of Plainfield government that people like Emmett Swan were willing to step up to the plate. Emmett is a class act. With 200 votes in the 1st ward, he didn't come close to the winner but Emmett is a newcomer to politics and he won those votes going door to door, doing his best to counteract his lack of name recognition and isolated ballot position on column E.
Some would want us to believe that the New Democrats have been damaged by this election. That is wishful thinking on their part. Here is why:
1. Ballot position was a real factor in this election. Candidates running in isolated columns need more time and money, have to work extra hard to educate voters that they are in the Democratic Party primary. In some cases voters don't even notice the candidate names over to the far right side. Ballot position is improved when state and county candidates are part of your campaign team. A lesson learned for the New Democrats.
2. Also related to isolated ballot position, Williams, Swan and McCrae would have done better if they started the voter education process earlier and McCrae might even have won. A lesson learned.
3. Candidates in column A benefited from Cory Booker at the top of the ticket. They benefited from Bonnie Watson in column A as well. Next year's primary there will be a less popular candidate in the top group of the Regular Democrats column. The ugly and personal campaign literature that was sent under the banner of Regular Democrats to selected local districts was not good for Plainfield and will be especially detrimental for Assemblyman Green's candidates in the future
.
4. The column A candidate for the 2nd ward came surprisingly close to Rebecca Williams. Lets give credit to the Regular Dems for getting out their voters. Lets also recognize that neither Rebecca or I campaigned door to door in the 2nd ward. Rebecca spent her time in the 3rd and I campaigned with Emmett in the 1st. That will not be the case for me next year.
My seat is up for next years election. City Committee seat elections always coincide with the 2nd ward Council election. This will be another battle between the Regular and New Democrats. Its really an election about whether Jerry Green controls the local political process. I am disappointed in the 2014 primary election results but related to the reasons above and in spite of anticipated ugliness from Assemblyman Green, I look forward to an opportunity in 2015
Charles McCrae was an excellent candidate who fell just short of winning the 3rd ward seat. That he was in column E meant he had a huge hill to climb. And he still came close to winning. Should he choose to run again some day, he will be formidable.
It is a good sign for the future of Plainfield government that people like Emmett Swan were willing to step up to the plate. Emmett is a class act. With 200 votes in the 1st ward, he didn't come close to the winner but Emmett is a newcomer to politics and he won those votes going door to door, doing his best to counteract his lack of name recognition and isolated ballot position on column E.
Some would want us to believe that the New Democrats have been damaged by this election. That is wishful thinking on their part. Here is why:
1. Ballot position was a real factor in this election. Candidates running in isolated columns need more time and money, have to work extra hard to educate voters that they are in the Democratic Party primary. In some cases voters don't even notice the candidate names over to the far right side. Ballot position is improved when state and county candidates are part of your campaign team. A lesson learned for the New Democrats.
2. Also related to isolated ballot position, Williams, Swan and McCrae would have done better if they started the voter education process earlier and McCrae might even have won. A lesson learned.
3. Candidates in column A benefited from Cory Booker at the top of the ticket. They benefited from Bonnie Watson in column A as well. Next year's primary there will be a less popular candidate in the top group of the Regular Democrats column. The ugly and personal campaign literature that was sent under the banner of Regular Democrats to selected local districts was not good for Plainfield and will be especially detrimental for Assemblyman Green's candidates in the future
.
4. The column A candidate for the 2nd ward came surprisingly close to Rebecca Williams. Lets give credit to the Regular Dems for getting out their voters. Lets also recognize that neither Rebecca or I campaigned door to door in the 2nd ward. Rebecca spent her time in the 3rd and I campaigned with Emmett in the 1st. That will not be the case for me next year.
My seat is up for next years election. City Committee seat elections always coincide with the 2nd ward Council election. This will be another battle between the Regular and New Democrats. Its really an election about whether Jerry Green controls the local political process. I am disappointed in the 2014 primary election results but related to the reasons above and in spite of anticipated ugliness from Assemblyman Green, I look forward to an opportunity in 2015
Monday, June 2, 2014
I Support Rebecca Williams, Emmett Swan and Charles McCrae
Finally back from blog limbo due to password problems.
Williams, Swan and McCrae are Democrats in column E. Jerry Green did not have the good sense to support them. These candidates are people of integrity who are running for City Council for the right reason - to serve the residents of Plainfield. I should say "serve the residents first and foremost," which sets them apart from their opponents in column A.
As a life long Democrat, I am disappointed in my party leaders at the state and local levels. Certain top leaders seem to continually put the party (or is it themselves) above serving the people. Jerry Green's selections for City Council must be embarrassed by the alternating silliness and ugliness coming from Green's printing press. Why don't they denounce his personal attacks? Why don't they publicly disavow the distortions associated with their candidacies? That they don't makes me question whether they serve Jerry Green first or the residents of their wards.
Those of us who have been around Plainfield politics for a while are not surprised that Green is doing last minute distortions and personal attacks. He has been consistent about this but often didn't put his name on the attacks. What is different this election season is that his behavior is on display for all to see, thanks to the David Rutherford video. The re-emergence of this video appears to have spurred Green on to an unusual amount of ugliness and distortion. I hope enough voters have tuned in.
Even in a relatively calm (should I say "normal") election contest, Williams, Swan and McCrae would be well worth supporting. Plainfield will be fortunate if the voters select them to represent us.
Williams, Swan and McCrae are Democrats in column E. Jerry Green did not have the good sense to support them. These candidates are people of integrity who are running for City Council for the right reason - to serve the residents of Plainfield. I should say "serve the residents first and foremost," which sets them apart from their opponents in column A.
As a life long Democrat, I am disappointed in my party leaders at the state and local levels. Certain top leaders seem to continually put the party (or is it themselves) above serving the people. Jerry Green's selections for City Council must be embarrassed by the alternating silliness and ugliness coming from Green's printing press. Why don't they denounce his personal attacks? Why don't they publicly disavow the distortions associated with their candidacies? That they don't makes me question whether they serve Jerry Green first or the residents of their wards.
Those of us who have been around Plainfield politics for a while are not surprised that Green is doing last minute distortions and personal attacks. He has been consistent about this but often didn't put his name on the attacks. What is different this election season is that his behavior is on display for all to see, thanks to the David Rutherford video. The re-emergence of this video appears to have spurred Green on to an unusual amount of ugliness and distortion. I hope enough voters have tuned in.
Even in a relatively calm (should I say "normal") election contest, Williams, Swan and McCrae would be well worth supporting. Plainfield will be fortunate if the voters select them to represent us.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Donna Vose - a Remarkable Person
Donna's passing was a great loss for me and my family. Our deepest sympathies and positive thoughts are with Greg, who was such a good match to an awesome person. We will always remember her as a true friend, a dedicated Plainfielder and a savvy public servant. It was my privilege to have Donna as an advisor and sounding board for three areas of my life most important to me: the health and well being of family, my career in the mental health field and public service to Plainfield. In each of these areas, Donna would offer unsolicited feedback unsparingly. Whether I agreed with her or not, she was always worth talking to.
Donna had a sophisticated view of Plainfield politics that was pragmatic and decidedly not emotional or ideological. Although she moved back to Martha's Vineyard two years ago, she continued to follow Plainfield through the blogs. I can imagine her amusement at a recent, well meaning but naive blog post describing certain New Democrats as sell outs for trying to work with Jerry Green. I had many talks with her about how I needed to make compromises or choose my battles carefully so I could live to fight another day. She was a mentor for me and her approach to service on the City Council would serve all Council members well, both current and future ones.
In her last years on Council, she was the only Republican. Her independent thinking led to some surprising collaborations with her Democratic colleagues. And it led the local Republican party to ultimately withhold its support of her - because she was independent and not strictly driven by party politics.
Donna's life had many interesting facets. She was an Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse. I had the benefit of working with her because our employers, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center and Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, had clients in common. She also worked for Union County Psychiatric Clinic (now UCPC Behavioral Health) in Plainfield where one of her assignments was treating residents of the Park Hotel.
She was a true friend to my family in times of need, an example of which follows, in the words of my wife Lois:
"Our very dear friend Donna Vose passed away on Saturday May 17. She will be greatly missed. She was one of the most principled people I have ever had the opportunity to know. She was a great advocate for people who had challenges and gave her time selflessly and without fanfare. When my father had severe dementia and was hospitalized in Muhlenberg I was lucky enough that Donna was working there and she took complete charge of his care so we could rest easy that he was in good hands. When he was hospitalized unexpectedly on a snowy December night Donna and Greg came to our house at 11:30 p.m. to be with us. She called the hospital to check on him and was a great source of strength for me.
Donna had a sophisticated view of Plainfield politics that was pragmatic and decidedly not emotional or ideological. Although she moved back to Martha's Vineyard two years ago, she continued to follow Plainfield through the blogs. I can imagine her amusement at a recent, well meaning but naive blog post describing certain New Democrats as sell outs for trying to work with Jerry Green. I had many talks with her about how I needed to make compromises or choose my battles carefully so I could live to fight another day. She was a mentor for me and her approach to service on the City Council would serve all Council members well, both current and future ones.
In her last years on Council, she was the only Republican. Her independent thinking led to some surprising collaborations with her Democratic colleagues. And it led the local Republican party to ultimately withhold its support of her - because she was independent and not strictly driven by party politics.
Donna's life had many interesting facets. She was an Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse. I had the benefit of working with her because our employers, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center and Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, had clients in common. She also worked for Union County Psychiatric Clinic (now UCPC Behavioral Health) in Plainfield where one of her assignments was treating residents of the Park Hotel.
She was a true friend to my family in times of need, an example of which follows, in the words of my wife Lois:
"Our very dear friend Donna Vose passed away on Saturday May 17. She will be greatly missed. She was one of the most principled people I have ever had the opportunity to know. She was a great advocate for people who had challenges and gave her time selflessly and without fanfare. When my father had severe dementia and was hospitalized in Muhlenberg I was lucky enough that Donna was working there and she took complete charge of his care so we could rest easy that he was in good hands. When he was hospitalized unexpectedly on a snowy December night Donna and Greg came to our house at 11:30 p.m. to be with us. She called the hospital to check on him and was a great source of strength for me.
When our kitchen was remodeled she made sure to invite us for a home-cooked dinner once a week, often quite exotic fare. We had so many wonderful times with Greg and Donna, visiting on the Vineyard, restaurant reviews, politics, Plainfield parties, watching the Sopranos together every Sunday with a typical Tony Soprano dinner of spaghetti and meatballs to start, the list is endless. I will always appreciate her wit, her many strong opinions, her lack of hesitance to tell me my ideas were dumb! I am very proud to have had her as a close friend and will celebrate her contribution to our lives forever."
Friday, April 18, 2014
Liberty Village
What follows is an insiders view of events relating to the Liberty Village pilot in lieu of taxes and proposed sale of the property. It is not meant as an objective account and I certainly don't have all the facts.
Last fall I was called by Assemblyman Green and asked to speak with prospective Liberty Village buyers Tryko, Inc. Their attorney, to be specific. During a three way call, I stated that in order for me to better understand the merits of this transaction, I would need to meet the prospective buyers and learn for myself about their track record. It was agreed that I would arrange a meeting and ask two other Council members to join. I invited Adrian Mapp and Bridget Rivers, the members I thought would have the most interest and knowledge to meet the challenge. And they agreed to the meeting. Adrian had already been called by the Assemblyman before me. Although one blogger wrote that the meeting took place at Assemblyman Greens office, he was not present and it took place in the Liberty Village community room. The current owner was also represented at the meeting.
During the meeting, I learned that the property and the apartments were not in good condition as the current owner was not committed to maintenance and repairs. Tryko owners stated that they had already been hired to begin improvements and would continue once they became owners. They also stated that the residents' housing subsidies would only remain in place if the Tryko sale included a City Council resolution approving the continuation of the subsidies as required by HUD. Without Council support, Tryko would walk away and the current owner would sell the property on the commercial market and then the subsidies would go away and the residents who could not afford market rate rents would have to move out!
Tryko were encouraged to put their stated commitment to property improvements in writing, work with our city administration to evaluate the proposed sale and move a resolution onto the Council agenda.
I did not hear anything from the previous city administration (not a surprise for I was not one of Mayor Sharon's favored Council members) and assumed that the proposed sale was either dead in the water or would come up in 2014. So it has.
Some of my Council colleagues have complained they didn't have enough time to evaluate this proposal and are being pressured to make a quick decision. But Tryko has been advocating for this project with the previous administration since mid 2013 or earlier. Did the previous Mayor tell no-one on Council about it? I spoke with Plainfield Housing Authority Executive Director Randy Wood about this in fall 2013 (he had serious concerns about the transaction). Did he not tell anyone on Council about it? Did Assemblyman Green not tell anyone on Council besides me and Adrian Mapp?
The way this has played out at Council meetings is puzzling to me. The bottom line is that Tryko is the only entity proposing to fix the problems at Liberty Village, the only entity that has come forward with the ability to purchase Liberty Village with the intention of preserving the affordable housing that is needed for the 95 families living there. They are proposing to make all the improvements the Council has ever wanted when these payment in lieu of tax transactions come before us. In fact this is the only time that an increase in payments to the city has been agreed to in the 10 years I have been on the Council.
What's the problem!!!
Last fall I was called by Assemblyman Green and asked to speak with prospective Liberty Village buyers Tryko, Inc. Their attorney, to be specific. During a three way call, I stated that in order for me to better understand the merits of this transaction, I would need to meet the prospective buyers and learn for myself about their track record. It was agreed that I would arrange a meeting and ask two other Council members to join. I invited Adrian Mapp and Bridget Rivers, the members I thought would have the most interest and knowledge to meet the challenge. And they agreed to the meeting. Adrian had already been called by the Assemblyman before me. Although one blogger wrote that the meeting took place at Assemblyman Greens office, he was not present and it took place in the Liberty Village community room. The current owner was also represented at the meeting.
During the meeting, I learned that the property and the apartments were not in good condition as the current owner was not committed to maintenance and repairs. Tryko owners stated that they had already been hired to begin improvements and would continue once they became owners. They also stated that the residents' housing subsidies would only remain in place if the Tryko sale included a City Council resolution approving the continuation of the subsidies as required by HUD. Without Council support, Tryko would walk away and the current owner would sell the property on the commercial market and then the subsidies would go away and the residents who could not afford market rate rents would have to move out!
Tryko were encouraged to put their stated commitment to property improvements in writing, work with our city administration to evaluate the proposed sale and move a resolution onto the Council agenda.
I did not hear anything from the previous city administration (not a surprise for I was not one of Mayor Sharon's favored Council members) and assumed that the proposed sale was either dead in the water or would come up in 2014. So it has.
Some of my Council colleagues have complained they didn't have enough time to evaluate this proposal and are being pressured to make a quick decision. But Tryko has been advocating for this project with the previous administration since mid 2013 or earlier. Did the previous Mayor tell no-one on Council about it? I spoke with Plainfield Housing Authority Executive Director Randy Wood about this in fall 2013 (he had serious concerns about the transaction). Did he not tell anyone on Council about it? Did Assemblyman Green not tell anyone on Council besides me and Adrian Mapp?
The way this has played out at Council meetings is puzzling to me. The bottom line is that Tryko is the only entity proposing to fix the problems at Liberty Village, the only entity that has come forward with the ability to purchase Liberty Village with the intention of preserving the affordable housing that is needed for the 95 families living there. They are proposing to make all the improvements the Council has ever wanted when these payment in lieu of tax transactions come before us. In fact this is the only time that an increase in payments to the city has been agreed to in the 10 years I have been on the Council.
What's the problem!!!
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