In keeping with the season, this week I wanted to put the spotlight on Adrian Mapp – Councilman and would be Mayor.

If one goes to Adrian Mapps website, you will see where he proudly touts his previous experience on the City Council, and as a Union County Freeholder, as testaments to his suitability for the office of the Mayor. It is something to be proud of – service to ones city is not something to snuff at, especially if that service has been effective. It really begs the question though… what did he do as a Councilman or Freeholder that has made a significant change in this City? EIGHT (8) years as a Councilman – surely he should be able to draw attention to at least a few accomplishments, significant decisions, prudent voting… something which shows just how he aided Plainfield through his previous appointments.

Mr.Mapp repeatedly, on his website and elsewhere cites his desire for change as his motivation for running, everyone wants to be a Barack Obama … but let’s be honest folks, this is beginning to look more and more like a “Blast from the Past” than the lightening rod for change that he has adopted as his mantra.

Myself, I have only fleetingly met Mr. Mapp, I have however, closely observed him at Council meetings in an attempt to get a feel for the person that he is. I will not bore you with my personal feelings and observations, nor are they relevant. However I will share with you the results of a very unofficial survey which I took. I asked people that I encountered in my day to day around Plainfield if they knew (or knew of) Adrian Mapp – and what their opinions of him were. The answers were varied… much to my surprise, apart from seeing his name on a few lawn signs, a large number of people had no clue as to who he was and what he stood for. Also surprising was that of those that knew him (or knew of him) a pretty large percentage of those said their initial impression of him was one of arrogance. I thought this was a strong word, but it was one that kept coming into play again and again. It raises the question, what kind of Mayor does an arrogant person make? Does he consult with City residents to ensure that he is making decisions that everyone will benefit from, or does he assume he knows what’s best for everyone and dismisses other points of view?

While doing my unofficial survey I ran into a rumor that during his previous stint as Councilman that Adrian Mapp proposed doing away with a whole department at the PMUA. This department was comprised of Plainfield residents, and individuals within this department were performing their jobs quite adequately. His answer once these individuals were laid off would be to bring in “consultants” to do the job… Now, what could his motivation have been for proposing such a thing? Luckily, saner heads prevailed and that “suggestion” was not acted upon.

Of course the next thought in my head is this… how coincidental is it that Mapp has now made the PMUA the ENTIRE platform of his political campaign? Could it be that this is really just about control of the agency and being able to place “his” people there, rather than this righteous fake outrage about so called mismanagement of the PMUA????

Here’s another thought… How coincidental is it that Philip Charles – who has spearheaded  the movement against the PMUA (timing is just PERFECT for the election by the way), is an IT manager. I seem to recall Mapp voting against the City hiring an IT Director earlier in the year when the Mayor wanted to do so. That position is still empty, while the City languishes in that special little purgatory reserved for organizations which lack proper IT support. I guess Adrian wanted someone of his choosing in that position – a position perhaps bestowed as a reward to the person who would champion his pet cause, and stir up enough furor to incite anger at the PMUA… An agency, by the way, which Mapps campaign manager Dan Damon called the BEST RUN AGENCY IN THE CITY just a few short months before.

Mr. Philip Charles continues to deny any political motivation for his actions against the PMUA… yet I am told, he accompanied Mr. Mapp on the day that he lodged complaint against the other Mayoral candidates. Of course, it could have been just the actions of a friend, advisor, and supporter – but when you make the connection of Adrian Mapps opposition to the naming of an IT Director and couple it with Charles’s background and his championing of Mapps pet project… I don’t know about you dear reader, but that is just one coincidence too many for me.

Philip Charles himself is a public employee, who is now employed by the Morris Hills Regional School District as the Supervisor of Technical Services, and makes over $130,000 per year… and yet he has done his utmost to blackball another public agency, and has spent countless hours and “personal” dollars to supposedly bring reform to an agency whose services he has already opted out of. I wonder how much of the time he spent building and maintaining the website, processing OPRA requests, and perusing documents, was at the time and expense of the Morris Hills School District?

I wonder how many other positions have been promised by Mapp, in return for services rendered. How many highly paid “consultants” would be brought in to replace the PMUA employees that he intends to get rid of?  Who will ultimately be left holding the bag…? I have the sneaking suspicion that it would be the dear old “taxpayer” once again.

Mr. Mapp says that he would have the PMUA closed and rolled up under the City… so I assume then that the City would be responsible for all the debts of the PMUA… what would that do to the City’s bond rating, and how would that affect our taxes? Those are questions I would love to have answers to, as Mr. Mapp continues to use this as a catapult to launch himself into City Hall.

I have nothing personal against Adrian Mapp – I am always willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, however, my gut feeling is that his motives are suspect, and the Plainfield residents that he vows to advocate for… well those will be the first forgotten. There will be after all debts to repay and contracts to be handed out, chances are that the majority of them won’t be to Plainfield residents. I think it is shameful that in his role of Councilman he would neglect his duty to move the City forward, in order to further his ambition to be Mayor. I suppose that is just politics?

I implore everyone to consider carefully before you cast your vote on June 2nd, do not get caught up in propaganda and hype. Let’s show that a thinking, informed, voting body can make a difference.

I would like to talk about motives…

I noted with interest the piece ran a few weeks ago in the Courier News about Philip Charles and his campaign against the PMUA. What I found fascinating was that Mr. Charles in the article vehemently denies that his actions are politically motivated, he claims to have a purely altruistic motivation behind his call for action against the PMUA.

To date Philip Charles has spent money to buy a domain name, build a website, provide numerous documents to persons wishing to opt out of PMUA’s services and, I understand now spends several days per week at the PMUA perusing tomes of documents hoping to show a pattern of abuse of funds by PMUA executives. Oh and let’s not forget the law suit which he claims is being advised by no less than four (4) lawyers. All in the name of  what now? to see a reduction of rates?

my simple opinion  is this -  I THINK NOT!

Mr. Charles is more transparent than he thinks he is, no one, not even his “supporters” are buying that story. I have observed Mr. Charles at a few PMUA meetings and I have read his postings here and on his website and his vehemence goes way beyond a rate increase… so what could it be?

I have a few suspicions of my own but I won’t air them today, I am sure that before long true motives will reveal themselves  – at this time all I will say is “Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much”

I will reiterate that no one who calls for the closing of a Plainfield agency which employs over one hundred (100) Plainfield residents is a friend of this City… regardless of whatever cloak of righteousness they choose to cover themselves with. Times are hard and there is too much at stake for residents to allow themselves to be sidetracked at this time. Stay the course, follow the political trail, you will see where this one leads.

I received the following letter from a concerned resident who wishes not to be identified and who requested that I publish it here in my blog. I agreed to do so with the understanding that I issue my disclaimer that these are not my words but theirs.

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I had the opportunity recently to visit the website DumpPmua.com.  The site appeared to be very interesting in the beginning.  I took the time to read most of the postings and started to see a pattern that I found very disturbing.  The site claims it wants the best for the citizens of Plainfield however, the postings seem to be very one sided. The site claims that “DumpPMUA.com is not affiliated with any government agency, elected official, or candidate! Our ONLY AGENDA is to bring regulatory reform to PMUA “.

This stands out as one of the biggest falsehoods on the site.  The operators of the site were gracious enough to provide links to many sites/pages where there are clearly differences in opinion. One of these pages contained links to other Municipal Utility Authorities across the state. The sites asks that you “spend at least 5 minutes at each of the sites and you will be disgusted at how much Plainfielders pay for the services we receive or lack thereof”.  I took the time to visit these sites and this is what I found;

1. The Atlantic City Utilities Authority owns and operates a Sewage Treatment Plant and a Landfill. How does this compare to the PMUA.  The PMUA neither owns nor operates a Sewage Treatment Plant or a Landfill.
2. The Bergen County Utilities Authority owns and operates a Sewage Treatment Plant.  They are able to send the trash collected to the lowest bidder. (The PMUA is required by law to send all trash to the Union County Resource Recovery Facility.)
3. The Little Egg Harbor MUA charges $88.00 minimum per quarter for the treatment of 17,000 gallons of sewage. These rates have not changed for nine years.  The PMUA charges $57.80 per quarter for the treatment of 30,000 gallons of sewage.  What a difference.
4. The Brick Municipal Utilities Authority charges $108.61 minimum for the treatment of 18,000 gallons of Sewage. This an even bigger difference.

The websites for the Jersey City and Essex County Municipal Utility Authorities weren’t very easy to navigate. When I have a little more time, I’ll revisit these sites.

My overall impression is that the PMUA is providing a pretty good service at a great price when using the list provided by DumpPmua.
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Plainfield residents – it is your right to ask questions, to do comparisons, to seek answers – but please, do not take another person’s word for it, not even mine… The information is out there and those that truly care can find the answers they are seeking and not become part of a lynch mob mentality.

I speak passionately on behalf of the PMUA, yes… I have friends who work there, and yes… I used to work there, but more importantly I see the value of the PMUA to the Plainfield community. I see the contribution that the PMUA makes not only by keeping the City clean but by giving meaningful employment to some whom others would consider unemployable. I see that because most of the employees live here that they care about the community, and they care about the service they provide their neighbors.  I see that the PMUA hosts a fair each year where they provide free entertainment, food and games for our young residents to enjoy, they are able to do this through cooperation with sponsors. I see the essay contest and the poster contest that they run in collaboration with the school district each year, one which allows our youth to become invested in keeping our community clean. I see PMUA representatives out in the schools teaching our kids about recycling and the effect of waste on our environment. What I see when I look at the PMUA is an agency that is a part of the Plainfield family in every way and Mr. Charles etal you cannot put a price on that, nor is that something the private haulers can bring to this City.

If the doors of the PMUA should close… I guarantee you that those who have advocated for it, will be the least affected by it. they are not the ones whose husband, or brother or son, or wife, or daughter will be out of a job. No, they will be basking safely somewhere, enjoying their reward for a job well done and lining the pockets of the independent haulers who don’t live in Plainfield,and don’t give two hoots about Plainfield.

You decide Plainfield – this is not something we can allow to happen and look back in retrospect and say those famous last words…

“if we only knew.”

I have also heard the ugly whispers of the riots that swept through the City, the economic and social conditions which resulted in powder keg like conditions, which ultimately set off the confrontation… and the resultant migration of businesses, and a significant percentage of the white population.

I know it’s not the anniversary of the riots or any other momentous occasion in Plainfield, but, I wanted to know more so I did some research and discovered that there were many accounts of the riots out there on the WWW. The one I found compelling was written for “The Nation” by Peter Dreier who is a Plainfield native and who lived through the riots. His account is copied below… I found it here “THE NATION” – “Riot and Reunion: Forty Years Later”

It is a long read, but I found it quite intriguing  because it gives a certain balanced perspective which I found lacking in other narratives. This article was written in 2007 and I found it somewhat telling that forty (40) years after the riots, it seemed that the blacks and whites who lived through it still had little to say to each other.

I look at Plainfield today, it’s political season and it seems that “warring” factions can find no common ground. We have New? Democrats… Old? Regular? Democrats… Republicans… and within those groups there are subsets, broken down by race, class and geography. All claim to have the best interest of Plainfield at heart, and apparently there is no middle ground. Each group is steadfastly convinced that they have all the answers and solutions. I see insults being traded, innuendos being flung left and right, and outright smear campaigns in full swing. Could it be that each group does hold a key that can unlock the doors to economic prosperity and improved quality of life for Plainfield residents? If not a key, do they at least possess a sincere desire to move the City forward? or should I subscribe to the jaded opinions that I hear being repeated; the belief that all politicians have hidden agendas, and are just grasping for footholds in order to further the agendas of those that have whispered the promise of sweet rewards in their ears?

My fear is that once the dust settles, Plainfield residents will once more find themselves no better off than they were before and left to the mercy of those individuals with personals agendas to fulfill. If we sincerely want to move Plainfield forward, and make a real change, it is imperative in ensuing weeks that we take hard looks at the track records of our Mayoral candidates, that we examine their political platforms, that we hold them accountable, and that we do so respectfully. Disrespect only begets animosity and erodes the fabric of our community.

In a Press conference of February 9th, 2009, our President Barack Obama said:

“The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose.”

I sincerely hope that we can find a way to do that here in The Queen City of Plainfield, and unite for the greater good of our community. It is time for Plainfield residents to stand together, instead of fighting against each other!

ARTICLE:

Riot and Reunion: Forty Years Later
By Peter Dreier
July 17, 2007

A year after I graduated from high school, my hometown–Plainfield, New Jersey–exploded. Over three nights and four days, starting on Friday, July 14, 1967, the riots in Plainfield’s black ghetto resulted in one death (a local policeman), forty-six injuries (half due to gunfire), 167 arrests and an estimated $700,000 in property damage. The Plainfield riots forty years ago were part of that long hot summer of civil disorders in 163 US cities, including Detroit and nearby Newark.

That summer, President Lyndon Johnson appointed a Commission on Civil Disorders–often called the Kerner Commission after its chair, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner–to examine the causes of the urban unrest and to make recommendations for change. The following year, I read the task force’s report, issued as a paperback book. I was stunned to see, among the thirty-two pages of photographs, one of my friend and high school classmate Maurrie Brown.

In the photo, Maurrie is standing in a white T-shirt in an apartment in the West End Gardens public housing project, the riot’s epicenter, looking shocked and distressed by the clothes and furniture strewn around the room. The National Guard and state police had just invaded and ransacked the homes of many ghetto residents, looking for forty- six semiautomatic rifles that had been stolen a few days earlier from the Plainfield Machine Company, a weapons manufacturer. The photo’s caption simply says, “The inside of a Plainfield home after National Guardsman and the state police have finished their search for arms.”

When the riots broke out, Maurrie was a student at a college in Virginia. He was home for the summer, working at the youth center in the city’s black ghetto. He went on to become a schoolteacher and athletic coach in Plainfield’s schools, and later a computer programmer for AT&T.

Last November, my Plainfield High School class held its fortieth reunion. Thanks to the reunion, I renewed my friendship with Maurrie. He had moved from New Jersey to North Carolina a few years ago, but he came back for the event.
Maurrie recounted that in the middle of the riot weekend, he had been at the beach (which New Jerseyans call “the shore”) with friends. When he returned on Sunday, he recalled, his neighborhood was like a war zone. Police and residents “were shooting like it was Vietnam.” The street lights had been shot out; overturned cars littered the streets. Dozens of stores had been looted and burned down. “It was kind of scary sleeping on the floor” of his apartment to avoid the bullets, he said. And when the National Guard came through his housing project looking for the stolen guns, “there was nothing we could do. They just came in, threw things around and left.”

With a population of about 46,000, eighteen miles from Newark, Plainfield was both an industrial city and a tree-lined bedroom suburb. In the 1950s and ’60s, it had a thriving downtown commercial district that attracted shoppers from throughout central New Jersey as well as many large manufacturing firms. Plainfield’s wealthy white neighborhoods, like Sleepy Hollow, had huge Victorian homes built in the late 1800s, many of whose residents commuted to jobs in New York City. It also had middle-class and working-class white areas with postwar bungalows and ranch houses owned primarily by second- generation Italians and Jews. The small black middle class lived on the east side, while most low-income blacks, many newly arrived from the South, lived in the larger West End neighborhood.

Like other Northern cities, Plainfield experienced an influx of blacks beginning in the 1950s. While the city’s overall population remained roughly the same, the number of black residents increased from 5,724 in 1950, to 9,836 in 1960, to 18,749 by 1970–40 percent of the population. Just as large numbers of blacks were arriving, several of Plainfield’s largest industrial employers–including the Mack Truck factory, which moved its 2,700 jobs to Maryland in 1961– left the city. The exodus of factory jobs was particularly devastating for the poorly educated black men living in the West End.

At Plainfield High School, well-known for its outstanding sports teams and its high-achieving students, many of whom went to Ivy League colleges, Maurrie was one of the few black students, especially those who lived in the West End area, who had close white friends. The city’s only high school, like Plainfield itself, was de facto racially segregated. Most whites and blacks lived in separate worlds. The high school’s rigid “tracking” system channeled middle- class white (and a handful of black) students into the college- oriented classes and most working-class white and poor black students into the auto repair classes and the less-challenging academic classes. Only 5 percent of black students were in the highest of the three-track system. The tracking system had serious consequences. Six of the seven PHS students who were subsequently killed in Vietnam were black.

White and black students played together on the baseball, football, basketball and wrestling teams, in the school band and the choir. Few of them, however, formed close friendships across racial boundaries that would lead them to visit one another’s homes, attend one another’s religious and social events and stay in touch as they pursued their lives and careers.

In the mid-1960s, Plainfield High School was a cauldron of racial tensions, although many white students were oblivious to these realities. Black students at PHS identified some teachers they considered racist, who would stop them in the hallways for minor infractions of the dress code or for being late to class–behaviors that these teachers would ignore among white students. Fistfights and other clashes regularly broke out between black and white students. One day in 1966, students discovered that the words “nigger steps” and “nigger entrance” had been painted on the high school.

Race wasn’t Plainfield’s only divide. The exclusive Plainfield Country Club, for example, banned both Jews and blacks. Real estate agents, banks, restrictive deeds, word of mouth and social pressures made it known that several wealthy neighborhoods were off-limits to Jews as well as blacks, even if they could afford to buy a home there.

For years black residents–including the local NAACP chapter, black ministers and others–had complained about various forms of racial discrimination, including housing segregation and slum conditions, school segregation, racist hiring practices by major employers (including the city government and the local hospital), low-wage jobs, lack of recreational facilities for West End young people (especially a neighborhood swimming pool) and harassment by local police. By 1967 only five of Plainfield’s eighty-one cops were black. Black leaders and their white liberal allies complained that cops and radio dispatchers often used the word “nigger” to describe suspects over the police radio.

As Maurrie Brown remembers, “There were cops who everyone [in the West Side ghetto] knew were racist. If they caught you on the other side of Seventh Street [the ghetto boundary], they’d stop you.”

Like many urban areas in the 1960s, Plainfield was a ticking time bomb, but the city’s business leaders, city government, school board and daily newspaper (which had only one black reporter) consistently ignored the grievances, and occasional protests, of black residents. In 1967 Plainfield’s municipal government was dominated by Republican businessmen and lawyers who were reluctant to bring federal job training and other antipoverty programs to the city. The mayor and nine of the eleven part-time volunteer city council members were white; one of the black council members was a Republican whom blacks called an “Uncle Tom.” The other black council member was a schoolteacher who tried, without much success, to serve as a mediator between the black community and the white power structure.

On Friday night, July 14, at the White Star Diner, a popular hangout among black youth, a bully in his mid-20s punched a teenager, splitting open his face. A white Plainfield cop moonlighting as a private security guard refused to intervene. The teenager’s friends asked the cop to call an ambulance and arrest the bully, but the cop called the teenager a “troublemaker,” wouldn’t call an ambulance and refused to drive him back to the West End after his wounds were treated. Angry about yet another example of police racism, between 150 and 200 black youths assembled in the parking lot of the West End Gardens housing project, met with one of the black council members to vent their frustrations and then marched around the neighborhood for more than two hours. Soon they started throwing rocks at police cars and through store windows.

The violence escalated over the next few days and nights, reaching a crescendo on Sunday, July 16. That night, a veteran cop, John Gleason, stationed at an intersection three blocks from a housing project, violated orders and chased a group of black looters into the West End ghetto. He fired three shots at Bobby Williams, a 22-year- old black man, seriously wounding him. At that point, a group of angry black youths stomped Gleason with a shopping cart and left him unconscious. Williams eventually recovered from his gunshot wounds, but Gleason died within an hour of the altercation.

Gleason was known in Plainfield’s ghetto as a racist–he was reported to have shot a black child the previous year. “Gleason was rotten to the core,” Maurrie Brown recalls. “He would nightstick anyone. If he wasn’t there, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand.”

The National Guard arrived in Plainfield at 12:30 AM that night. Within a few hours, the looting and shooting had ended. New Jersey Governor Richard Hughes declared a state of emergency, allowing the National Guard and state police to enter West End homes without warrants to search for the stolen weapons. The angry West End residents viewed them as an invading army. The director of the State Department of Community Relations called off the search after ninety minutes, fearing that the racial tensions would escalate again. The weapons were never found.

The riots that erupted on July 14 should not have surprised the city’s business, political and civic leaders, but their responses revealed how out of touch they were with conditions and feelings in Plainfield’s black community. During the four days of rioting, efforts by local black leaders to negotiate a truce failed because the mayor and other politicians refused to compromise.

Even after the riots, city leaders showed little willingness, or capacity, to adopt more than token changes. For example, the West Enders finally got a municipal swimming pool. But the riots had shattered Plainfield’s self-image and self-confidence. The changes that overtook Plainfield were not those that either the city’s white establishment or its black residents wanted. Soon after the riots, Plainfield’s largest department stores closed, and other downtown merchants moved to the growing number of suburban shopping malls. The city’s central business district began to resemble a ghost town of boarded-up buildings and empty lots. In 1972 even the Courier- News–Plainfield’s longstanding daily newspaper, owned by the Gannett chain (where I worked during my college summers)–moved to the suburbs.

In 1971, after more protests and litigation, the school district initiated a desegregation plan. But because white flight had dramatically accelerated, real school integration between blacks and whites was difficult to achieve. Between 1970 and 1980, blacks’ share of Plainfield’s population grew from 40 percent to 60 percent. In 1967 blacks accounted for 52 percent of PHS students; three years later, they were 69 percent. Today blacks make up 70 percent, and Hispanics (who began arriving in the 1980s) represent 29 percent of PHS’s student body. Only ten of PHS’s 1,836 students are white.

Eventually, these demographic changes had significant political consequences. Plainfield elected its first black mayor in 1981. Since then, African-Americans have dominated the city council and school board. But the city they inherited became increasingly characterized by what political scientists call a “hollow prize”–a tax base too inadequate to generate the revenues needed to provide decent schools and public services. With the exodus of businesses and the middle class, home values plummeted, while poverty and unemployment increased. These problems were exacerbated by major cuts, beginning with the Reagan Administration, to federal housing and social programs. As politicians and community residents have battled over scarce and declining resources, racial tensions between blacks and Hispanics have worsened.

Despite some islands of gentrification by gay (including former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey) and black professionals, who have purchased and fixed up some historic homes, Plainfield’s population has become much poorer. By 1999 Plainfield’s per capita income, $19,052, was only 70 percent of the state’s $27,006. About 16 percent of Plainfield’s population, and 22 percent of those under 18, lived below the poverty line. Today, almost two-thirds of the students in the school district are eligible for subsidized meals. Plainfield’s school test scores are dramatically below those of the surrounding districts, which are predominantly white and middle class.

It was telling that my fortieth high school reunion event did not take place in Plainfield but at a hotel in Iselin, ten miles away. The reunion organizers could identify only eight classmates who still live in Plainfield, although many reside in the nearby suburbs.
Of my graduating class of 514 students, about 150 people–one-third of them African-Americans–showed up at the reunion. For those who couldn’t make it that weekend, some classmates organized mini- reunions in Florida, California and Boston, areas where many of us now live.

For a few months prior to the reunion, many of my classmates renewed old acquaintances, and even forged some new ones, through a website and blog created for the reunion. The hundreds of comments touched on many topics. Mostly, the graduates–now in their late 50s–wrote about their lives, careers and families. We reminded one another of favorite and not-so-favorite teachers, the music and performers we enjoyed, the TV shows and movies of our high school years, our favorite hangouts and restaurants, “what ever happened to?” questions about missing classmates and memories of classmates who had died. People contributed old photos and reminiscences to the PHS reunion website. It was an interesting mix of nostalgia and self-reflection.
After my classmates returned home from the reunion, they posted many photos of the reunion on the website.

With some exceptions, the photos reveal that my white classmates and black classmates sat at separate tables and joined in separate conversations. Forty years later, and, still, two separate worlds.

But what I found most interesting–and troubling–about the conversations via the blog and subsequent emails, and at the reunion event itself, was that my classmates hardly discussed the most dramatic event that shaped our hometown and our school–the 1967 riots–or the racial and economic conditions that led up to it.

“Nobody spoke up about it,” said Maurrie Brown. “People were there to see old friends and have a good time. They didn’t come to dwell on problems.”

About Peter Dreier
Peter Dreier is professor of politics and director of the Urban & Environmental Policy program at Occidental College. He is co-author of The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City (University of California Press, 2005) and Place Matters: Metropolitics for the 21st Century (2nd edition, University Press of Kansas, 2005) and co-editor of Up Against the Sprawl.

Smile because he Lived

Louis E. Jones

You can shed tears that he is gone,
or you can smile because he lived,
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him,
or you can be full of the love that you shared,
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he is gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn back,
or you can do what he would want:
Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

On Friday April 3rd, 2009 – many in Plainfield lost a dear friend…

I  first met Louis Jones approximately seven (7) years ago during his tenure as a PMUA Executive. My first impression of Mr. Jones was of a well dressed, well spoken, dignified gentleman.As I got better acquainted with him, I saw that he had a great sense of humor, he loved life, he enjoyed living and he loved to laugh. There was always a wicked glint in his eye just before he said something witty, which would leave everyone around him rolling with laughter.

I also learnt of his legacy here in Plainfield, through conversation with others over the years. I met many people who had worked with him, who would share anecdotes of their time with him. I learnt that he was a fair person to work with, that he was highly intelligent and personable, everyone he touched had something positive to say and a warm memory to share. He genuinely cared about the people he worked with, and would look out for them in any way he could. Lou Jones was highly educated, had a keen intellect and could always offer a fresh perspective on almost any topic under the sun. He also offered a listening ear and great advice.

Mr.Jones was fiercely loyal, to his family, to his friends and to his job. There are many who knew him much better than I did – but he touched us all in one way or the other and if there is one thing I do know about him it is this… He lived each moment to it’s fullest, and his life was one rich in family, love, friendships, and community. He was empathetic and caring and his presence will be greatly missed.

I think he would have wanted us to keep the memories of the way he lived alive in our minds, and to celebrate the legacy he left behind.

Deepest and heartfelt condolences go to Lou Jones’ family and loved ones at this difficult time.

Arrangements for Mr. Jones are as follows:

The Viewing will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2009

3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Rose of Sharon Church

825 West Seventh Street, Plainfield

The Funeral Services will be on Thursday, April 9, 2009

10:00 a.m. – Church of God and Saints of Christ

589-595 Central Ave., Newark NJ 07107

I’m Still Here

Friend, please don’t mourn for me
I’m still here, though you don’t see.
I’m right by your side each night and day
and within your heart I long to stay.

My body is gone but I’m always near.
I’m everything you feel, see or hear.
My spirit is free, but I’ll never depart
As long as you keep me alive in your heart.

I’ll never wander out of your sight-
I’m the brightest star on a summer night.
I’ll never be beyond your reach-
I’m the warm moist sand when you’re at the beach.

I’m the colorful leaves when autumn’s around
and the pure white snow that blankets the ground.
I’m the beautiful flowers of which you’re so fond,
The clear cool water in a quiet pond.

I’m the first bright blossom you’ll see in the spring,
The first warm raindrop that April will bring.
I’m the first ray of light when the sun starts to shine,
And you’ll see that the face in the moon is mine.

When you start thinking there’s no one to love you,
You can talk to me through the Lord above you.
I’ll whisper my answer through the leaves on the trees,
And you’ll feel my presence in the soft summer breeze.

I’m the hot salty tears that flow when you weep
and the beautiful dreams that come while you sleep.
I’m the smile you see on a baby’s face.
Just look for me, friend, I’m every place!

Author Unknown

In economics, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity in a country over a sustained period of time, or a business cycle contraction. According to Wiki definition, a recession is a decline in a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year.

We fear recession since it could result in more than normal job cuts, financial tension and the burden of managing the needs of the family increases. We have all been touched by the recession in one way or the other. Even if we are among the fortunate ones who still have a job, we know a relative, friend or co-worker who has lost theirs. The situation is no less different here in Plainfield, as everywhere else we see the indications in the foreclosure signs on our neighbors lawns, and the lines at the unemployment office.

I thought it would be timely to do a series of articles geared toward helping those who are job searching, thinking of changing jobs or just looking for ways to keep their jobs.  With that in mind I went scouring the net for useful articles, tips and guidelines which could offer help… If you have any tips you’d like to share, please drop me an email and I will post it here and give the proper credit of course. If we reach a hand to help each other we can make navigating these tough times a little easier.

This first installment addresses managing your career during a recession and some of the myths that are associated with job hunting during a recession. Hopefully you can find something helpful for yourself or a friend through these articles.

Stephen Viscusi, author of On the Job, offers tips on what you can do to protect your finances and your job. Here are some tips that he offered:

• Be more visible at work and do a good job
• Be on time
• Fore go big vacations for now
  
• Be realistic and practical about goals
  

Work toward developing new skills – this should be an integral part of your ongoing career development. Your skills will stay with you forever even if  jobs come and go. Never compromise or lose focus in your goal of  personal and professional development.

Taking on additional responsibilities is a smart move for your career in a recession type environment. Taking initiative will demonstrate leadership qualities. Be careful not to take on more responsibilities than you can handle, but do go that extra mile to help with additional projects.

Pertinent Questions to ask yourself during Recession

• What industries / careers are seeing the most layoffs?
• How prepared am I to move on to a different career? Have I taken enough steps to prepare my self skill wise?
• How do demographics affect job availability and what am I prepared to do about it?
• What opportunity exists to protect my present job?
• Am I prepared if I were to  be laid off?
• How can I maximize my savings to survive the recession / do I need to speak with a financial specialist?
• Is there any way to react positively to a recession?

Don’t let the fear of recession impede you in your growth, moving ahead and thinking proactively contributes toward fighting the recession. A recession is just “the act of receding or pulling back”, you can help move the economy forward with positive thinking, and contribute to growth and development.

A recession may provide the best opportunity to reinvent yourself and your skills or strengthen  the ones you possess. Work toward building new technical skills but don’t lose focus on your core skills, rather try to improve or broaden the focus of those.. Narrow your focus on the present industry trends and the skills that are most in demand. Once the hiring opens up, you may find yourself with an edge over many others.

Keep Forging Ahead

Don’t get put off when everyone talks about recession, it does not mean you have to forget your goals. Negative discussions on the recession fuel rumors and often results in detrimental reactions in a community.
There will always be people around you who choose to see the darkest and most depressing side of everything, you must choose how you respond to the  call. It does not mean that you should close your eyes to the news and analysts predictions of economic downturn or upturn. The point is to learn to move forward, refocus and be prepared for all possibilities.

I highly recommend reading the book “Who Moved my Cheese” By Spencer Johnson and be ready to find that “cheese” when it moves.

Never forget to network, network, network!

The following article was written by Cherie Berkley – sources are listed below the article. – I have underlined points that I think are useful.

6 Myths About Job-Hunting During a Recession

By Cherie Berkley

Just when you thought the job market couldn’t get worse, there is more news about company pink slips, hiring freezes, and benefit slashes. If you are one of the thousands tasked with getting a new job in this poor economy, all is not lost. Hopefully, you can move more quickly from the unemployment line to a job offer once you get past these six common myths about job-hunting during a recession.

Myth No. 1: No one is hiring during a recession.
Layoffs are coming in every direction, but some employers – even those laying off workers — are still hiring. Companies often eliminate full-time employees with budget-busting benefits only to replace them with contractors or consultants to save costs. Additionally, “green” jobs and health care jobs are among those still actively populating want ads. And, the pay is respectable. For instance, Payscale.com shows the median annual salary of an environmental engineer with 3-5 years experience is $60,672.

Myth No. 2: The Internet is the best place for finding jobs in a recession.
The Internet is an efficient way to survey jobs among many companies, but personal interaction is still the smartest way to find jobs during a recession. Truth is, employers are bombarded with thousands of resumes from the Internet — especially during a recession. Therefore, the chance that your new boss will choose your resume out of a pile of prospects is slimmer than ever. Instead, focus on finding a position, apply for it, and then do some research and connect personally with a hiring manager in the company to follow-up. Social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, also offer a great way to connect with targeted employees on your company dream list. These connections are golden because they can give you insider info about unpublished positions and help you sail past HR “blockers.” Personal recommendations go much farther in landing a job during a recession than random resumes.

Myth No. 3: Searching companies in hiring freezes is a waste of time.
Like many situations in life, hiring freezes are not absolute. Savvy networking, the right face-to-face meeting, and the ability to sell skills critical to the prospective company can be the perfect formula for lighting a fire under an employer in a hiring freeze. Behind closed doors, hiring managers are told to make exceptions for spectacular candidates that can show them the money, especially in a recession when every dollar counts.

Myth No. 4: Expect a salary cut during a recession.
In hard times, companies value astute problem solvers more than ever. While employers may trim the fat elsewhere, there is always room in the budget for top-tier talent. However, in a competitive job market, there is a bigger burden to prove you are worth a higher salary, John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says.  Ultimately, companies want their talent investments to pay off — and stick around. “If an employer goes to the expense, time, and effort to find a qualified candidate, it wants the person to stay,” Challenger adds. The last thing an employer wants is for a prized candidate to temporarily accept a lower salary than her previous salary and say “hasta la vista” once the job market recovers.

Myth No. 5: Companies are not interested in hiring people over age 55.
There are several reasons Challenger, Gray & Christmas disputes the adage that older employees are unemployable. In a struggling economy, employers value seasoned workers’ shorter learning curves (aka: less money invested in employee training) and their ability to do the work of several younger, less-seasoned workers. Separately, like a fine wine, experienced employees who are surgeons, accountants, attorneys, engineers, and IT professionals get better with time. Clients gravitate to more experienced employees in these professions. This adds up to more cha-ching for employers.

Myth No. 6: Experience and advanced degrees guarantee a job during a recession.
While experience and education have their plusses, they aren’t guarantees to landing a job during a recession. In a deep job recession, experienced and degreed people come a dime a dozen. “It is very important to sell your world experience, your concrete accomplishments, and expertise; things that make an impact on the company rather than just your knowledge,” Challenger says. Research what skills the employer values most in order to tailor your sales pitch accordingly, Challenger adds. And, because the market is so tight, though you are experienced, someone with more experience is likely applying for the same job. Take time to create your brand image and sell, sell, sell!

Sources:  Challenger, J. Interview, Feb., 2009. Challenger, J. “The Job Hunt, Don’t Be Sidetracked by Myths About Today’s Job Market.” Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc.

REMEMBER TO STAY POSITIVE AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY!

The meeting was held at the Plainfield campus of Union County College, and the meeting room was filled, standing room only and spilled into the hallway. What I began to realize as the meeting progressed was that of the approximately one hundred and fifty (150) or so people that showed up, eighty percent (80%) of that number were PMUA employees who had come out to show solidarity and support for the agency.

The public comment section of the meeting drew impassioned speeches… residents indicated that they (for the most part) had no issue with the services that provided by the PMUA, agreed that Plainfield was cleaner and a nicer place to live with the PMUA in place, but… were concerned about the rising rates. One gentleman said he was concerned about the rates but that upon learning that over ninety percent (90%) of PMUA employees were Plainfield residents, it put things in a different perspective for him, as he believes that we should support our own.

PMUA employees spoke eloquently about the PMUA being an outstanding place to work, about providing second chances for residents who could not get them anywhere else, about a working environment which is like family, about smart and fair leadership by the executives.

Everyone who took the floor professed a different perspective, but it all boiled down to the same thing… the country is facing tough times unlike any since the great depression, jobs are being lost daily, and people are looking for ways to save money and cut expenses, but we have to be careful that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater in our quest to do that.

When gas prices skyrocketed, there was nothing we could do but try to drive less and fork over the money; we can’t opt out of gas. When the government used our money to bail out mismanaged Wall Street businesses, we could do nothing but stand by and watch… opt out? Not an option. When our neighbors fell victim to the subprime market and residences were lost to foreclosure, we were helpless… no option to opt out. So of course we are frustrated… the PMUA raises their rates… finally something we can strike back against, let’s all opt out, that will teach them a lesson. Do let’s compound the growing recession problems here in Plainfield by putting YET more Plainfield residents out of a job.

Businesses in Plainfield are most definitely feeling the crunch; most recently Drug Fair on South Avenue closed its doors, yes we all need to save, but is the answer to put our neighbors out of a job and possibly a home? I was SHOCKED to read Adrian Mapps reckless recommendation in his letter to the Courier News calling publicly for the closing of the PMUA. As a politician who has declared his intention to run for Mayor, the fact that he would put in print such an idea without first fully investigating its ramifications and consequences is not only irresponsible but downright dangerous. The last thing Plainfield needs is arrogance and impulsiveness at its helm…

Last night we saw the “face” of the PMUA – the people whose lives will be irrevocably affected were the PMUA to close… Fathers, mothers, who are the sole breadwinners in their families, homeowners, people who support Plainfield businesses, neighbors, parents , PTA members, these are real people who work hard and whose livelihood depend on the PMUA. People who would wake up one day, and have no way of supporting their families, no way to pay for basic things such as food and shelter… as I said – it’s all about perspective.

Let us continue to look for ways to reduce the rates by all means, PMUA officials have already taken measures to try and alleviate the situation… according to an official they have laid off twenty (20) employees and each employee including executives have agreed to take a ten (10) day furlough. As a community let’s continue to fight to make Plainfield a better place, but we need to do so without further disenfranchising our neighbors and our city, we have many creative minds here and I am sure they can make excellent suggestions on cost cutting.

If you have an idea that you’d like to share on how the PMUA can hold rates please share them here. If you’d like your idea to be confidential then please indicate that as well and it will not be published. I will ensure that your ideas are shared with the PMUA… who knows; perhaps together we can make a real difference!

I applaud PMUA officials for taking the bulls by the horns and presenting their side of the story… For the past few years I have seen the administration in Plainfield subjected to the most spurious, and erroneous suppositions, and rumor mongering, by local blogs who like to give the impression that they are the voice of the people. I have my suspicions as to whose voice they actually are but that’s an installment for another day.

A few bloggers in Plainfield have led the charge against the current administration under the pretext of positive change for Plainfield… however they seem to be hard put to decide what it is exactly that they want… I recall numerous blogs, week after week exhausting the topic of the lack of technology within the city, mocking posts about the state of the city website and exultation over the fact that city employees were using internet based POP accounts for their email addresses (yahoo, gmail etc.).

In an effort to save the city money and still provide it with the needed technology, the administration forged a shared services agreement with the Board of Education to share IT services… this is a good thing for Plainfield right? well apparently not good enough for those who claim that they have Plainfield’s best interest at heart – suddenly OPRA requests are flying left, right and center and Maria Pellum has camped out at the BOE meetings to determine the validity of the shared services agreement – because God forbid that something positive should actually come of this alliance. Before we know it, the agreement has caved to this pressure and has fallen apart, and the city is once more IT-less and without support… WAY TO GO! oh proud bloggers of Plainfield… democracy at its finest and used for good to prevent the city from moving forward.

Fast forward to 2009, the city decides to take a different tack and hire an IT director, well immediately there are more outcries again from these same people who two years before mocked the city for having an inadequate IT program – I mean really, let’s be honest here – objective is merely a word in the dictionary to these people. Concern for Plainfield is merely a front to advance the interests of the people they have chosen to support. So once more the pressure proves too great and the IT issue is once more shelved - while, at the same time the recurring rhetoric is that an IT presence is important in order to move the city forward… WHAT is wrong with this picture? We seem to have ground to a screeching halt – I am sure upcoming elections would not be influencing the way our ELECTED councilors are voting now would it?????  I shall certainly be keeping a close watch on this, elections or not the city still needs to be able to conduct business.

Back to the PMUA… as a satisfied and somewhat reasonable customer I will say… continue to do what you are doing – please do continue to respond to the concerns of the citizens, please do continue to provide excellent customer service, please continue to keep Plainfield clean and protect our property values, and if you are attacked, you are well within your rights to defend yourselves. No one can or will speak as eloquently on your behalf as you are able to.

I for one am more concerned about the effect on this city if the PMUA were to fold, than in saving ten bucks on my monthly bill. Any rational, thinking resident would be too… let’s face it – if the PMUA folds won’t the city have to assume responsibility for their liabilities? I guess we’ll just tack that on to the City’s debts which will be passed on to us via taxes and call it a day – but let’s not forget the long term benefit of such a move… all the opt outers who will be able to save ten bucks each month!!!! YAYYYY – there is a bright spot after all.

Here’s an interesting article from Business Week Magazine… It could happen here in Plainfield if we are not careful about the politics we play

The City That Fell off a Cliff

Like everyone else in Plainfield and America I too am in the middle of the recession. I am looking for ways to cut costs, make the dollar go further, and save as much as I can. I could certainly do without an increase on my PMUA bill and on my taxes – but these are costs associated with living… not just in Plainfield but anywhere in America.  We need to be very careful as we proceed that we do not give in to a mob mentality, and that we make reasoned decisions. Someone has started a website whose sole purpose is to entice people to opt out of PMUA’s garbage service… Even as I consider this my thoughts turn in another direction, namely the one hundred and fifty something residents who are employed by the PMUA? without a doubt if a large percentage of residents decide to “dump the PMUA” it will affect the number of residents employed there, which will contribute to the City’s unemployment rate, which will in turn affect the local economy, and these residents ability to make house payments etc. which ultimately will lead to yet more devaluation of our neighborhoods – for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Or have we gotten to the place where it’s every man for themselves and to heck with the neighborhood… are the ones advocating this concerned about Plainfield or does the concern stop at the picket fence that divides their properties from the rest of the world?

So what’s the alternative to the PMUA? Private haulers are certainly one way to go – However, if you hire private haulers, you can forget about the two free bulk pickups each year which is included with your PMUA service, so you can add that cost to whatever you are paying the private haulers… Also what happens to those who can’t afford to pay a private hauler for a bulk pickup, or cannot make their monthly payments (private haulers don’t pick up if you don’t pay)? I guess they find an empty lot and dump it all there – it’s cheaper right?

It all begs the question as to whether this is really about dissatisfaction with the PMUA and their services or is there an ulterior motive. I cannot help but liken what I see happening now in Plainfield to what happens when sharks smell blood in the water… where is the real concern for the well being of Plainfield? I don’t profess to have a deeper and greater love for Plainfield than any other resident – but I do have a vested concern in seeing this city thrive and prosper and be all that it can be… because I live and pay taxes here also.

For the last few years I have seen the most erroneous allegations thrown out by bloggers in this town and seen people blindly feeding into everything they say and allowing themselves to be whipped into a frenzy. The internet is an amazing vehicle because of it’s ability to reach so many in such a short space of time – but like any other media it is only as credible as the person behind the words.

I say that it’s time for every resident to start thinking for themselves. Do go out to meetings, make phone calls, ask questions, do your own research and stop thinking that everything you read and hear is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but… the fact of the matter is despite protests to the allusions of divisions within the City – they exist, and each faction is fighting so hard for a foothold it seems that the ultimate loser will be Plainfield.

Like many  in Plainfield I have been an interested reader of the local blogs over the past few years, and like most I take what I read with a grain of salt, understanding that blogs are subject to the whims, fancies and biases of the person behind the blog.

Recently, I came to a  decision to add my opinions to the millions floating out there on the WWW, not because I think Plainfield needs another blog, but because, I find myself with some flexibility in my schedule and  I think Plainfield is in need of a blog that offers an unaffiliated and unbiased point of view.

Let me set expectations by saying that this blog is not a political commentary, it is a commentary on Plainfield life and all the factors that contribute to everyday living here… whether it be people, events or circumstances. For the ones who would spend their time perusing for grammatical errors, knock yourselves out – this is not an English thesis and will be proofed only as thoroughly as time will allow (which may be very little). The intent is for this to be a weekly blog unless something topical calls for an update between the regularly scheduled updates.

I  welcome all comments – but please nothing offensive… those I reserve the right to delete without posting. If you’d like to be apprised by email whenever there’s an update to the blog – please leave your email address in the comment section and I’ll be happy to add you to the mailing list. I promise it won’t be published and you won’t be spammed.

If you choose not to be notified by email – do grab a cup of tea or coffee and stop by anyway…

Best Regards

Jazz

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