Why I Am Running for Re-election to City Council: Sustain Progress and Reduce Taxes

I am completing my fourth term as Second Ward Councilman and I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Plainfield government.  These days I am seeing the good. After many years of local government being a hindrance to progress, city hall has become a catalyst for positive change on public safety, road paving, parks and recreation, fiscal health, economic development and health. As the longest serving Council member, I have been instrumental in learning from past mistakes and identifying solutions.  My relationships within the city, created over many years through my work as a Cook School parent, a youth soccer coach, Board of Education member and Planning Board member, have enabled me to build awareness, understanding trust for city initiatives.

We are making progress in Plainfield but we need to work harder to make it sustainable.  That requires an objective view of the good, bad and ugly.  A refusal to go along to get along.  That's what I bring to city government.  I've created space for questioning of proposals from the administration: most recently opposing the proposed ordinance giving sole power to the administration for employee lay-off plans and voting against the redevelopment plan allowing a Wawa.

There is a lot more to do in Plainfield. My top priority this year is a property tax reduction.  The Mapp administration has presented the Council a leaner budget than previous administrations.  But after many years of 2% to 4% tax increases, it's not enough to say a small increase or even no increase is satisfactory.  Our baseline property taxes are too high and the high PMUA fees just make it worse.

Reducing taxes will be painful and will require leadership from local elected officials.  I have the experience, credibility and relationships necessary to take on this goal. 

My Take on the Woodland School Plan and the Open House

Plainfield will get a brand new elementary school and the state is paying for it.  The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) will direct the project and they were out in force last week at the open house to share information on the new school.  Residents may have noticed the fencing around Woodland School.  Less obvious are the classroom trailers behind Cook School currently housing the Woodland students and teachers.

Parents, school personnel, elected officials and local residents filled the high school cafeteria (while across the hall the Plainfield boys basketball team was trouncing Lawrence!).  After some speeches by SDA folks, Mayor Mapp, Assemblywoman Carter and School Board President Richard Wyatt, attendees were invited to go to tables manned by project managers.

I thought it odd that there was no question and answer period for the audience.  But I wandered over to the site plan table where I saw that the new school will be positioned right against Woodland Ave., a concern I took up later with a Planning Board member who was present.  I also saw that the soccer field will be preserved and there may even be an opportunity for lighting to extend its usage into the evenings.  Plainfield needs more playing field availability and I hope we advocate successfully for that.

I learned that the new school will absorb Cook School and will have a capacity of 700+.  I'm not a fan of big schools and am disappointed to hear that Cook will be "decommissioned".  School officials justify this plan by saying that our old buildings are obsolete and don't support the technology our students deserve.  I could argue this point but will simply say that Cook and Woodland are not old buildings and could be upgraded instead of replaced.

My main concerns are the size and position of the school with no setback from Woodland Ave. Still, there are significant positives in this project and it is a done deal.

One other concern of a technical nature. This project do not come before the Planning Board for capital review.  Why did that happen?  That would have been the forum to discuss traffic, pedestrian safety, soccer field lights and many other important concerns. 

This is a done deal and there is much I do not know about the project and the school districts capital plans.  Prior to the next project, I hope the school district will hold another open house and do so before anything is approved.  It would also be good government for a public session to present the entire district capital plan.

Ordinance for the South Avenue East Redevelopment Plan

From Cory Storch, City Councilman, Second Ward, Plainfield, New Jersey

Statement at the December 11 City Council Meeting Regarding the South Avenue East Redevelopment Plan"

Plainfield has become business friendly and is attracting more developers than at any time in the city’s recent history.  This is a positive reflection on the work of city government, especially in the last 5 years.  Have we reached the point where Plainfield does not have to accept developer proposals as is or accept all requests for tax abatement?  I believe that time has come for Plainfield.   We have positioned the city with more negotiating leverage to have our developers give our residents what they want.  In other words development that is not just for the sake of development.

Ordinance 2018-28 is before the Council for approval.  I urge my colleagues to reconsider this ordinance.  It permits the use of retail convenience with fuel services.  We have existing retail convenience at the corners of South and Terrill and South and Leland.  Why would we add more of the same when for many years, all Plainfield stakeholders have expressed a desire for the South Avenue commercial corridor to increase the variety of shopping experiences for residents and visitors.  Why would we permit fuel services in a transit oriented redevelopment area?  Strangely enough a bank without drive through facility is a permitted use.

There is much good in the proposed redevelopment plan for South Avenue East.  We can correct this major flaw by voting not to approve the ordinance and sending the plan back to the Planning Board for revision.  City Council has that power and should use it.

FYI the ordinance passed by a vote of 6 to 1.

Update on Airbnb (aka short term occupancy rentals)

I was invited to a gathering last night of people interested in this subject.  40 people showed up, half of whom are currently doing short term rentals in Plainfield.  The other half attended to show support for those that are renting to the burgeoning market of renters who are booking through Airbnb, Home Away, VRBO and other websites.

There was a consensus to reach out to municipal officials after the organizers collect input from those in attendance and draft recommendations to share with city hall.  I promised to alert elected officials of what is happening and have started to do so.

Many of the rentals are in the second ward but I was surprised to see, by a show of hands, that these rentals are happening in all four wards.

Airbnb in Plainfield

There is a minor Airbnb presence in Plainfield and it presents an opportunity for our city.  Airbnb is permitted in New Jersey under state law.  This law requires landlords to charge a state occupancy tax and also allows municipalities to charge a local occupancy tax by local ordinance. 

I learned that Plainfield Airbnb attracts people who want an inexpensive rental experience in an up and coming city that offers diverse cultural attractions (ethnic cuisine for example) and interesting history and architecture.  Our two train stations offer an easy ride to Newark and Manhattan for business trips and tourism. 

Cities like Newark and Asbury Park have jumped on this bandwagon.  I looked at the Asbury Park ordinance and it addresses resident concerns by requiring renters to be at minimum 21 years of age and it requires the landlord to live in the building where the units are being rented.  These municipalities not only receive fee revenues but they regulate the rentals (which also include rentals through VRBO and Home Away) through a registration and inspection process.

I am doing more research and will be sharing information with Plainfield officials with the idea of presenting an ordinance to the Council for consideration in 2019.

Plainfield Police are Accredited

This is an impressive accomplishment and one that reflects well on the whole department.  Police Director Carl Riley has led the department through an arduous and time consuming process that includes a lot of policy development and employee training over a number of years.  It culminates with a survey team of outside experts closely examining whether or not our police department measures up to an extensive set of best practice standards.  Since best practices evolve over time, accreditation must be maintained and periodically renewed through ongoing employee and policy development.

Accreditation is standard practice in the health care world.  The organization I work for, Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, goes through this practice every three years.  Our funders require that we do so.   It is not easy and requires the commitment of every person in the organization.  What makes the police accreditation particularly notable is that it is not required of police departments in New Jersey but we did it anyway.  Because of the desire to continually improve the public safety services to our community.  Kudos! Congratulations to everyone: from the director to the captains to the front line officers, dispatchers, administrative assistants, IT staff and anyone I might have left out.  It cant be done without a total team effort.

My Position on the Proposed Plainfield Administrative Re-organization

I will not be in attendance Tuesday night for the vote on MC - 2018 - 22, the ordinance to re-organize city halls departments and set salary ranges for Directors.  So I want to make my position on the ordinance clear. 

I regret not attending or calling in for the Council meeting but as CEO of Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, I must attend a Board of Trustees meeting in Fords.  This schedule conflict is a rare occurrence since most Council meetings take place on Mondays. 

The proposed re-organization will benefit the city.  Three departments may have worked in simpler times, like the 1950s.  But for many decades Plainfield has been forced to operate with a hodgepodge of offices and bureaus under the Public Works and Administration/Finance departments.  Increasing the number of departments is a long time coming and create a more efficient and cohesive city hall.  Public Safety will also benefit by splitting Police and Fire into separate departments.

For 2018, there is no budget impact. For the future, the re-organization does not need to incur a cost increase if the administration is sensitive to the property tax burden and Council is vigilant and committed to lean annual budgets.  Ultimately it is up to City Council to approve an annual budget and a property tax rate.

Although I support the ordinance, I proposed changes at the last meeting.  I am convinced that council could improve this ordinance and better protect the financial interests of taxpayers in future years.  Here's how:

1. Combine the positions of Director of Communications and Public Information Officer.  Nothing was presented by administration officials or the Mayor to justify having both positions.

2. Eliminate the 8 bureaus under Public Works.  This is existing language no longer relevant to delivery of city services (example - a bureau for sewer and waste management that was needed prior to the creation of the PMUA).  Administrations argument for keeping this language was "just in case we need to revert to the previous way of service delivery".  A weak argument at best.  We can make the changes if the need arises.

3. The appointment and supervision of the City Clerk should reflect what every other municipality calls for - the Clerk is nominated and approved by the governing body and works for the governing body.  Some have called Plainfield's government a strong City Council government because the Council has to vote on nearly every action of the administration.  That does not take into account that the administration and Mayor have staff to delegate work to and the City Council has only the Clerks office, which has many responsibilities beyond assisting the Council.

The benefits and concerns as I see them are not just in relation to the current Mayor, Council and administration.  I am concerned about future Mayors, Councils and administrations.  We are poised to approve a new ordinance that will affect Plainfield for years to come.  I predict it will be approved Tuesday night as proposed by administration.  Whether it does or not, the role of City Council is to balance the actions of other branches of local government and to approve budgets that the tax payers can live with.