Dispatches from M.Emory Layne – Staying on Point

By Emory Layne

Folks, in our eagerness to join the grassroots groundswell that has gone beyond being planted in North Plainfield, and is now blossoming, let’s remember to stay focused on the root causes of the situation that sowed the seeds of discontent in the first place.

Each and every situation that we now debate, every problem for which we seek a solution, can be traced back to a common cause:

Individuals or small groups of people who, through a combination of deceit, secrecy and double-talk, took it upon themselves to run North Plainfield in a way that did not and does not reflect the desires and needs of the vast majority of its residents.

We must remain focused on removing those individuals from positions of authority, and making sure that anyone who replaces them is truly different and truly what we need.

A case in point would be the Villa Maria situation. Most recently, I read that there is a suggestion to use the property for a stand-alone middle school for the Borough; subsequently, there is discussion of the pros and cons of such a thought.

Using this as an example of ‘staying on point,’ here’s my take: North Plainfield doesn’t need a stand-alone middle school.

First, the comment about high school and middle school children interacting too much is the only time I’ve ever heard that from any person with children at these grade levels. We can’t start branching off onto different tracks because of one person’s stated belief any more than, say, the town should immediately begin seeking a new team mascot for the high school because Emory Layne thinks a woodcutter is silly.

Second, residents’ taxes are already high in part because of past expansions and renovations to schools; taking on more expense for a reason other than dangerous overcrowding is just plain dumb.

And third and most important, remember why we’re debating this Villa Maria issue at all in the first place. That’s “the point” we must remain on.

The issue was not one of different people having different opinions.

The problem is that the residents were kept in the dark.

Has everyone forgotten the Council meetings held with the bare minimum notice posted on public holidays?

Or the attempt to force through a zoning ordinance change without there being anyone from the general public in attendance?

How about public statements that reflected either ignorance (the need to meet COAH standards which had already been met, for example) or gratuitous lying?

And let’s not forget being kept totally in the dark about things like back taxes (about which we only receive information when officials are pressed by NPCCR members), slanderous comments by public employees, and even threats from lawyers toward concerned residents.

ALL of this came to our attention because of the Villa Maria property.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED for any action to be taken on the Villa Maria property between now and November, except perhaps to collect back taxes that are owed on the property.

No need whatsoever. Our current administration has shown repeatedly that it feels the best way to address any issue is to form a committee to ‘look into’ the situation . . . do the same here. Form another bogus committee to meet occasionally and flap gums about the topic.

There will be no tragedy if the property sits for a few more months as it has for the past few years.

We need to focus our attention and efforts to continue exposing the kind of political and administrative shenanigans that permeate this situation and numerous others.

It’s painfully simple. Whether the Villa Maria, or borough hall renovations, or enforcement of zoning ordinances, or management of legal contracts, or traffic enforcement, or school board decisions or any of a ton of other smelly issues in North Plainfield, the KEY is rooting out the people behind the questionable or completely screwed up actions and holding them accountable.

And the best way to hold them accountable is to extricate them from their positions as both the policy makers and paperwork protectors.

As we draw closer to the November elections, I and others I know will be posting some personal situations and interactions experienced over the years with the current administration; these are things that rarely if ever have seen the light of day.

Dirty politics? Hardly. If sharing documented, verifiable situations is “dirty politics,” then hidden agendas, refusal to release information and taking actions totally at odds with the taxpaying population are politics so filthy that even Billy Mays would back off.

I invite those of you who have had similar experiences, but might find it difficult to present them in article format, to communicate with me at emorylayne@comcast.net. I’ll be glad to assist in editing, and present them in whatever manner you are comfortable with.

Why?

Because this is the whole point. No matter how many different opinions and different points of view may arise in any given situation, something resembling a solution can’t be achieved without addressing the common basis for them all – the clique of politicians and employees who have held unaccountable power for far too long in North Plainfield.

Step One will be defeating the loyal followers of this group in November.

Step Two will be holding those who win to the standards North Plainfield residents deserve.

And Step Three will be NPCCR’s continued efforts to determine what was done or not done when, by whom, and whether or not those people can be further held accountable, apart from losing their political positions.

Stay on point. Expose the mismanagement. Expose the arrogance. We’ve lived with this mess for a decade or more; waiting a few more months isn’t impossible.

Richard Grossman on Community Impact Studies

By Richard Grossman

Editor’s Note: Mr. Grossman cofounded POCLAD (Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy) and is currently legal historian at CELDF (Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund). He and Ben Price of CELDF presented a Democracy School in Plainfield in Summer 2007, attended by North Plainfielders Antoinette Rinehart, Thalia Saloukas, Gary Lewis, Laly and Alex Kuga, Councilwoman Mary Forbes and several other people from other communities.

Following that meeting, members of NPCCR finished drafting the Self-Governance Ordinance which was circulated for petition signatures last fall and then rejected by the Courts – not by the People of North Plainfield, who never got an opportunity to decide for themselves.

Mr. Grossman has been following local democracy developments in North Plainfield ever since.

My two cents on a “community impact study:”

The essence of such an undertaking is its definitions, its assumptions, its framing, its purpose.

This is because there’s nothing built-in to “impact study” laws or traditions that is about DEMOCRATIC ACTION, about people building upon data to declare YES to what they want, NO to what they don’t want.

Absent intentional organizing and pressures, such studies are about “data.” And such studies are about “due process” only insofar as community residents are given opportunities to inject their feelings and emotions, to testify, to be heard.

Many communities have learned the hard way – after the fact – that unless they control the framing, the definings, the assumptions, – and the writing of the text – the final products rise up to bite them in the
rear, to make their tasks more difficult.

And those in charge are able to truthfully declare: We heard you. You testified for hours. We listened
to your technical experts. Thank you so much for participating in this exercise in democracy. Now, let us move on.

I don’t recall that your Planning Board is friendly to your Villa Maria aspirations. Maybe they would be more open than the Borough Council. But no matter what government body is in charge, it’s never too early to think about how you will want to USE this product, and not allow yourselves to be used.

It’s also never to early to acknowledge to yourselves that for the process and product to be useful to YOUR GOALS, YOUR PEOPLE need to structure it – to be on top of things at every step and stage – so that it is not simply about “data” and “process.”

If your people are not exerting pressures daily, exploiting teachable moments, etc., public officials, the corporate developer and the experts will snatch it from your group’s hands, beyond the community’s reach.

The essence of “environmental impact laws” – and accompanying hearing processes – is technical experts identifying and assessing potential “problems.”

And then the process becomes: WHAT MUST BE DONE TO MAKE THESE PROBLEMS LESS BAD?

In other words, it’s all about “ameliorating” “side effects” of a project that everyone assumes will be constructed, and that everyone assumes the corporate developer has a RIGHT to construct.

What it’s NOT about is the whole community coming together to assess the “wisdom” of some corporate developer’s idea, and make a decision about what should or should not be done at a particular site.

A generation ago, the THEORY (or perhaps more accurately, some people’s hopes) of environmental impact processes, was that they were about a community choosing among alternative concepts/plans/approaches. It was thought that if a community had the “data” about various ways of doing things for a range of proposals on the table, people could then democratically choose what they wanted.

This process quickly became bastardized to: Well, let’s congratulate ourselves (including the developers
who had to pay for much of the data-gathering). We identified the negative side effects. And then, as a community, we agreed to make those side effects less bad.

In the end, an impact study is not about WHO DECIDES (in Ben’s famous phrase) what project should be under consideration, or whether identified “side effects” are “fixable” and hence “acceptable.”

A community impact study is usually centered around helping the developer ram his proposal into a community.

Without community uprising, the impact process comes down to a duel over conflicting data, not struggle for self-governance.

So beware.

One thing your group could do is to force the framing of this “impact study” to be about the Villa Maria SITE – about the various options of what COULD be done there (as you all have been shouting about from the
beginning), as opposed to helping the corporate developer identify potential problems with HIS plan and empower the developer to bring in his experts promising that these problems can mostly be rendered “acceptable.”

Such an approach would be less of an “impact” study, more of a “So what do We the People want” process.

Rest assured that this is not what politicians, technical experts for hire, and judges have in mind with regard to “impact study.”

NPCCR at the Fourth of July Parade!

By Mark Williams, NPCCR Co-Chair

Hello All NPCCR Members and Supporters:

Time to step up, your help is needed!

On July 4th NPCCR will be represented in the annual North Plainfield Parade.

This year’s theme, Pride in Youth, will give the Borough yet another opportunity to show how proud we are of all of their accomplishments. It will also serve to affirm our continued responsibility, as a community, to provide the best recreational, educational and social experiences for our youth and future leaders. It is critical to their development that children and young adults are provided with quality programs and services, which nurture and support positive growth.

NPCCR, as a group, has been a strong voice related to issues with the development of the Villa Maria site. Failure to develop the Villa Maria site with the best interest of Borough residents and particularly the young people of our community seems counterproductive to providing a safe and secure community; a community where our children do not go to school and try to learn in overcrowded class rooms; a community where the demand for youth recreational space is easily accommodated and many more benefits too numerous to mention.

Please consider walking in the parade with NPCCR. Please contact me at NPCCR@yahoo.com to sign up. This is your chance to get off the sidelines and get in the game. Who knows? You may even get your picture in the blog!

Best regards,

Mark Williams, Co-Chair NPCCR

Fourth of July Parade & Fireworks!

By Marie Kushnir, NP Special Events Committee Member

North Plainfield will once again play host to Central Jersey’s largest 4th of July Parade!

This year’s theme is “Pride in Youth” in honor of the devoted, longtime service of Lou Gomez, who recently retired as North Plainfield’s recreation director. Mr. Gomez is serving as the parade’s “Grand Marshall.” This year’s parade, which will travel down Greenbrook Road from the high school to the community center on Clinton Avenue, kicks off at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 4.

It will feature bands, floats and the usual variety of marchers and entertainment that has made our parade a tradition like no other.

One of the area’s largest fireworks displays is scheduled for Sunday, July 6th 7:30 on the field at West End School. Bring your friends, family, blanket and chairs as we celebrate our great town, state and country.

We hope to see everyone at the parade and fireworks!

Antoinette Rinehart on Villa Maria at the Planning Board

By Antoinette Rinehart

The June 25 Planning Board meeting has been canceled. No reason given.

Next scheduled meeting is two weeks and I think this falls on July 9. Mark your calendars, please.

I have just returned from Borough Hall where I viewed the new application of Watchung Hills at North Plainfield.

As best I can tell they have designed 48 single-family stand-alone, 2-1/2 story homes; each containing three bedrooms, an office (could be used as another bedroom), two baths, one half-bath. Livable space averages 2,800 ft. on lots 50 ft. wide (depth varies) with a 30 ft. “front yard”. All these positioned on a “horseshoe drive” entrancing and exiting onto Interhaven Avenue.

No indication if these are pre-fabs but I would make a guess. On the corner of Wilson and Ridge Avenues there are two prefabs that have been built since March and are described pretty much per the proposed home plan submitted by Watchung Hills. These went together fast but are not yet finished. Yet the Era Realty sign is posted for both and carries a local Suburban Realty number.

I will try to check out the pricing and advise.

Barbara Habeeb on Angelo Costello’s DPW Truck

By Barbara Habeeb

At the Street Fair, I had the opportunity to speak with Department of Public Works (DPW) employee Angelo Costello, who was recently discussed on the NPCCR Blog. Someone from NPCCR had a concern that DPW workers were using town vehicles for personal use, because someone had seen a DPW vehicle in Angelo’s driveway.

Angelo pointed out to me that he is a supervisor on call 24/7. Because he is a supervisor, he is allowed to take the vehicle home in case he needs to respond to an emergency after hours. Only a supervisor has this privilege. He stated that the vehicle stays in his driveway every night and over the weekend and he does not use that vehicle for personal use. He does however drive from his home, to work and back.

He made mention of the fact that when he does drive the vehicle after hours, it is for town business only. For example, last Tuesday evening there was a tree that came down, and he had to drive the vehicle at night to respond to the call. He stated to me that his truck has lettering on both doors that anyone, at anytime could see. It would be easy for someone to assume when they see his vehicle being driven after hours, that it is for personal use.

Angelo wanted to clear the air and let people understand the reason the truck is in his driveway and why it would be driven after hours. I asked him if I could post his statement on the Blog, and he agreed. He hopes this will clear up any misunderstandings people have about this issue.

Heather DeGeorge on Putting a School at Villa Maria

By Heather DeGeorge, North Plainfield resident and former Council member

There is only one Council representative to the Planning Board allowed, but one is enough to convey the message. It was traditionally Frank Righetti but I don’t know who it might be now–Skip Stabile did it for a while.

We briefly considered Villa Maria for school space and it’s a good BUILDING for it, but in terms of keeping the kids close to fields, etc. it wasn’t such a great idea due to the cost of excavating the land for fields (plus the destruction it would cause to the trees, etc.). So you could do it, but at a much greater cost and a MUCH greater impact environmentally. If nothing else, it needs to be leveled out and that alone would destroy a good number of the trees.

The Master Plan was updated around 2003-2005 (I started with it and I believe they finished it when I left due to complicated pregnancy). I’m not sure they touched the section citing school expansion because I don’t remember it coming up–but maybe it was updated after I left. If they didn’t touch it, then it would still note the need.

It has always been an issue trying to keep the kids from having to cross roads to get to fields (for practice, playing and events). The thought came up once to acquire the Ballas property on Greenbrook Rd. and it came up again that it would leave the kids (and adults) having to cross a busy street.

It’s a tough thing to accommodate.

Leslie Coder – Michael Giordano is Running for Mayor?

By Leslie A. Coder, North Plainfield resident; registered, unaffiliated voter; Co-chair Project Graduation and PTO for the 2008-2009 school year.

After being up all night chaperoning for Senior Smash (the all night party that is sponsored by Project Graduation for the graduating NPHS seniors), I was at the Street Fair handing out information pamphlets on what Project Graduation is in front of the High School PTO table. The goal was to increase awareness of the High School’s PTO and Project Graduation efforts and answer any questions.

Well, Mike Giordano comes walking down and I approached him trying to give him a pamphlet, well he nastily shoos me away and almost runs me over to go over to my friend who is thinner and prettier to shake her hand and then walks away.

I should not feel to bad, later in the afternoon, I observed him shooing away two little boys that had Alex’s lemonade stand (a charity) shirts when they approached him too.

I guess that Mike Giordano must think that he does not need to be pleasant to win a election. My take on it is, if he is that dismissive during a time when you should be campaigning then he will be dismissive in office.

Lastly I want to thank Frank D’amore Sr, Gary Lewis and Robert Gatto for their help in chaperoning senior smash until 2am, which I understand they have been doing for quite a few years.

Morgan Shevett – Report on June 23 Council Meeting

By Morgan Shevett

What ensues is my report on tonight’s council meeting.

Before the meeting began there was already tension in the air as a large contingency of firemen and PBA officers entered the room en masse and took up positions along the perimeter.

Council members eyed them warily. All of the excitement soon fizzled though as we found out that the issue that they were there to protest wasn’t going to be brought up for consideration at this evening’s meeting.

I was amazed at the number of microphones. There were 12 microphones. Does a town this size really need this many microphones for a council meeting? I have worked Broadway musicals that didn’t have this many microphones. To top it all off, the room wasn’t that big. I was afraid to let slip a mystery fart for fear that it would be heard by everyone and I was unmiked. We could probably lower property taxes in this town by eliminating the audio cable budget.

Having no previous knowledge of the town council and it’s members I was immediately struck by one of the name placards: Frank “Skip” Stabile, our council president. I would think that once one reaches the responsible position of Town Council President that they would politely tell their friends to drop the whole “Skip” thing. I felt like I should be concerned that he was going to use town funds to throw a kegger for his friends while his folks were out of town.

Anyway, Frank D’amore Sr. got up to express his opinion that the proposed occupancy ordinance was useless and that time would be better spent enforcing the laws we have rather than creating more. Frank is a smart guy and an awesome neighbor so I am going to side with him on this one. I have always thought that governments like to make laws to create the illusion of action rather than take any real action.

Next there was discussion of how the town needed to send out estimated tax bills instead of actual tax bills because the state government hasn’t passed a budget yet. Nothing of real issue except Councilman Hitchcock wanted there to be a letter added to the estimated tax bill explaining that it was only an estimate. I guess he felt the word “estimated” on the bill wasn’t going to be clear enough.

The discussion then turned to the rental occupancy ordinance. A Mr. Rodino [DPW Director and Zoning Officer] spoke about how he had created the ordinance by using a combo of other town’s similar ordinances. I am not sure I want my town’s laws to be based on the appetizer platter at Chili’s.

He spoke numerous times of how fees for C of O [certificate of occupancy] inspections and permits would offset the cost of inspections and the hiring of extra inspectors. He offered no numbers or written information to back any of this up. We should just trust him on this and, “see how this plays out.”

It is based upon his presentation that I plan to introduce an ordinance that everyone in town give me 5 dollars. I will use the money to better the town at an equal amount to what I receive.

Trust me.

Councilwoman Forbes didn’t like the idea of inspections only when occupancy changes and wanted them annually.

She expressed that people couldn’t be trusted to call in violations and that the town needed to protect them from themselves by having annual inspections. She is definitely pro-government and anti-personal responsibility. That could also be the way I heard it through my libertarian filter so please excuse me Mrs. Forbes if that wasn’t your intent.

It is now over 30 minutes into the meeting and I regret my earlier microphone comments, especially in regards to Councilman Righetti. He needs more microphones. While I did hear a low, sub-sonic rumbling I could not testify that he used actual words when questioning Mr. Rodino.

I won’t describe the seemingly endless explanation of how sisters can share rooms, brothers can share rooms, brothers and sisters can’t share rooms, fathers and daughters cant share rooms, etc.etc.etc., but a demonstration with dolls and shoeboxes representing bedrooms would not have seemed out of place.

This all ended with Councilwoman Forbes again expressing her disdain for “human nature” and wanting forced yearly inspections.

Next it was the taxicab ordinance.

Vice-President Giordano, looking nice with healthy tan and nifty patterned tie, mentioned a desire to have the drivers of taxicabs and not just the owners to go through an extensive background check. I always assumed that the government did that when they issued drivers licenses. Why do we need to pay for that just so they can drive a taxi?

Now arriving, The Satellite Ordinance.

Seems the town wants people to have to get a permit to have a satellite tv. This was obviously proposed by the historic preservation committee. Councilman Hitchcock became noticeably more attentive as this conversation started.

Don’t get me started on the historic preservation committee. I am all for owners maintaining an historic district to a community standard but some of these historic homes have siding, asphalt driveways, Pella windows, etc. There doesn’t seem to be any historic standard other than committee members’ personal opinions.

I own one these historic homes and I didn’t vote for any of them. I don’t have any say on who gets to decide how I live in my home. Mr. Hitchcock, who could not have been more obviously gung-ho about this ordinance, did not even know that satellite dishes have to face south. He just knows he don’t like looking at ‘em!

Again, it was time for public comments. Frank D’amore Sr. got up to mention that state law and FCC law might supersede any ordinance that they might want to pass and that it should be looked into it.

He is a smart guy! Why isn’t he on the town council? A young lady then got up express displeasure with the rental occupancy ordinance. She said it put unfair restrictions on property owners and created conditions akin to a police state. She was very passionate about the subject. Next, a woman named Carmella got up to complain that council members do not return her phone calls. I was glad that the room was full of fire-fighters in case we needed the jaws-of-life to save her from her excruciatingly restrictive blue jeans. Ouch!

President “Skip” then thanked people for the successful street fair. He confused me when he thanked people who manned booths as I thought he said man-boobs. Luckily he said it again and I figured it out.

It was after this that he said the meeting was over and that the regular meeting would begin after a five minute break. Feeling a sudden loss of my will to live, I sped a hasty retreat to my home and a glass of Shiraz.

Villa Maria at the Planning Board Wednesday

Developer Robert McNerney and his attorney, Brian Chewkaskie, will be at the Planning Board meeting at Vermeule Community Center on Wed, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. to present their application to build 55 single family homes at Villa Maria.

Notice is attached: Villa Maria 6.25.08 Notice

If you want to see the application materials, they’re on file at the Zoning Office at 263 Somerset between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and if you get copies of anything that you want shared with blog readers, please get copies  to me for scanning and uploading. Contact me at communityrights at gmail.com for snail mail information if necessary. Copying fees are reimbursable – contact NPCCR Treasurer Gary Lewis at underyourroof at yahoo.com to submit receipts and get reimbursed.

At tonight’s Council meeting, Councilwoman Barbara Habeeb brought up the idea of requiring a Community Impact Study, to be paid out of the developer’s escrow funds, and to be done by an independent consultant chosen by the Borough officials. Such a study would collect and analyze data on the project’s impact on schools, taxes, fire, police, ems and public works services, ecology, traffic, flooding and many other issues.

Borough Attorney Eric Bernstein informed Barbara that such a study would fall under the Planning Board’s jurisdiction, not the Borough Council’s, but noted that several members of the Council are liaisons to or serve on the Planning Board, and said those people could relay the idea to the Planning Board chair, Tom Fagan.

I can’t be at the Planning Board hearing, so someone else who attends will have to take notes, and write up what happens if other non-attendees are to find out what transpires.

However, the Community Impact Study is something specific people can rally around and lobby for at the meeting. It’s a positive, data-gathering step within the Planning Board’s jurisdiction that would also not cost the Borough any money to conduct, and would give the Planning Board solid evidence on which to base their judgments and decisions about the project.

So it’s well worthwhile to go and pitch in your two cents to say “Community Impact Study sounds like a good idea! Do it!” in addition to whatever other comments you’d like to make.

Also, at the Council meeting tonight, Sheila Caprio – who coaches middle school girls’ sports in North Plainfield – spoke up and pointed out that the middle school and high school kids are mingling a lot, to the detriment of the younger kids, exposed too early to the influences and hostility of the older kids in the overcrowded classrooms and hallways.

She advocated that the Borough try to obtain Villa Maria to create a freestanding middle school, complete with athletic fields, to protect the younger kids and ease the overcrowding. It’s another idea to consider, and possibly a compelling public use/reason for eminent domain that would find support in our Borough Master Plan documents, particularly the 1974 drafts which highlighted the extreme shortage of school expansion acreage in the Borough.